A proposal to establish a Missouri Enhanced Enterprise Zone (EEZ) in Warren County moved forward Thursday night. During a special meeting at Warrenton City Hall, the city's board of aldermen voted unanimously to join other taxing entities supporting the project. Additionally, the board approved an appointment by Mayor Jerry Dyer to appoint the city's director of operations, Terri Thorn, as Warrenton's representative on the seven-member Warren County EEZ board. Other members of the board include: Tom Kemper, Greater Warren County Economic Development Council (GWCEDC); George Heath Jr., owner of Continental Pump Company; Mary Lou Rainwater, Truesdale city clerk; Karen Girondo, Wright City treasurer and economic development director; and Bill Hawley, a member of the Warren County R-III School Board. The EEZ board was scheduled to meet Friday morning at the offices of the Boonslick Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) in Warrenton. Steve Etcher, BRPC executive director, noted in an email to officials throughout the county that the EEZ board "must move quickly to complete our tasks." An area designated for the EEZ extends from the Warren-Montgomery County line east along the Interstate 70 corridor to the eastern limits of Wright City. The area includes property chosen for a new manufacturing and warehousing facility for building materials manufacturer CertainTeed, of Valley Forge, Pa. Etcher noted that the area along the I-70 corridor qualifies for designation as an EEZ based on 2000 Census data regarding poverty level, household incomes and unemployment. However, he noted that by early May, updated information from the 2010 Census will be sent to the Missouri Department of Economic Development and under the updated information, the area may not qualify. See the Thursday, May 2, edition of The Record for complete details.

Proposed Warren County Enhanced Enterprise Zone