U.S. 'car czar' to visit Fenton
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
February 18, 2010
By Tim Logan
FENTON -- The men from Washington are coming, with cash to help figure out what to do with this city's massive empty auto plant.
Obama administration "car czar" Ed Montgomery and top officials from the U.S. Department of Commerce will be in town today to talk with local leaders about how St. Louis can recover from the collapse of its auto industry. And they are widely expected to cut a check to help the region plan for redevelopment of the 5 million square foot twin auto plants that Chrysler shut down in July.
Commerce spokespeople wouldn't confirm the size of that check Tuesday, but St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley said it would be for $1.575 million -- the amount local officials sought in a grant application filed last year. With an additional $575,000 in matching funds from the state, county and Fenton, that money would pay for a two-year, $2.1 million effort to clean up, plan and market the sprawling site along Interstate 44.
"This is great news," Dooley said. "We've got to get something going in that place. It's just too important."
The funds will pay for studies of environmental cleanup, said Fenton Mayor Dennis Hancock, so potential buyers would know what they're getting into. It also will look at potential incentives to help whoever buys the place turn it back into productive use.
What that use might be is unclear. A bankruptcy court is trying to sell the property, and several potential purchasers have toured it. But no deal is imminent. Local leaders have ideas of what they would like to see, but at this point they are just that.
"Our priority is jobs," Hancock said. "Whatever happens there is going to have to create jobs."
With unemployment hovering near 10 percent, there is a "sense of urgency" to find a new use for the plant quickly, said Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis. He said he would love to see a "green" automaker take over the plant, but acknowledged that it may be best to break up the 295-acre site for multiple users.
"It's an incredible facility with great possibilities," he said. "We just need to find the right match."
Along with the expected grant announcement, today's event -- at the empty Chrysler South Plant -- will include a panel discussion on "collaborative efforts under way to help the St. Louis region" rebound from the loss of the plants and their thousands of jobs.
John Fernandez, assistant secretary of commerce, said Washington would "continue to support economic development projects in St. Louis as we work collaboratively to bring new businesses and jobs to the area."
