The Warren County Commission plans to petition the Missouri Department of Economic Development for $2 million to help fund roadway construction around the site of a future beef processing plant outside Foristell.

According to public notices published by the county, the $2 million community development block grant would pay for half the cost of public road construction to provide access to a future 500,000-square-foot beef processing facility proposed by American Foods Group (AFG). The other half of the cost for road construction would be split between the Warren County government and the Missouri Department of Transportation, according to the county.

AFG plans to build a facility that would employ 1,300 people within the next three years along Veterans Memorial Parkway, just west of Foristell.

The roads to be constructed around the site include dedicated turn lanes along Veterans Memorial Parkway, a new railroad crossing to reach the facility site, a new industrial drive to access the facility, and an extension of Liberty Village Drive, a neighborhood road south of Foristell.

County commissioners said the new and improved infrastructure would also support other potential developments in the area and attract additional job-creating companies.

“Public infrastructure is vital to supporting job creating opportunities,” the county commission said in a statement to The Record. “Investments in roadway improvements will help create an improved transportation system to support this project, support the current users of the system, and make this corridor attractive for additional investments that will create employment opportunities and increase the prosperity of the region.”

The Warren County Commission is also seeking an engineering firm to design the road improvements and oversee future construction. Part of the contracting for engineering service would be contingent upon award of the $2 million grant and funding commitments from both the county and MoDOT, according to the county’s notice to engineers.

Commissioners said they currently anticipate selecting an engineer by the end of December. Engineering and permitting will likely take four months, with construction hopefully beginning in 2022, the commission said.

Economic improvement

The Department of Economic Development awards community development block grants for a variety of different community improvement programs around the state. This particular project falls under the category of “industrial infrastructure” — public improvements that foster private sector projects.

One of the requirements for the county to receive an infrastructure grant is that at least 51% of the new jobs created at the beef facility must go to people who are currently considered low to moderate income.

AFG is aware of that requirement and plans to fulfill it, said Steve Etcher with the Greater Warren County Economic Development Council. The economic development council is a public-private partnership organization that helped convince AFG to settle in Warren County.

Etcher explained that the income requirement is based on a household’s income at the time person is hired. He said the threshold is around $50,000 income for a family of four.

Similar grant funding with the same income requirement helped with the CertainTeed development outside Jonesburg, Etcher said.

He went on to explain that safe turn lanes on Veterans Memorial Parkway, a lit and signaled railroad crossing, and a well built public road could serve as the access way for more future developments around the AFG site.

“Any time you use public funds to build infrastructure, it’s got to have multiple beneficiaries. Maybe not immediately, but down the road,” Etcher commented. “We’ve targeted road improvements that will continue to support future projects along that same corridor.”