An ordinance between the City of Sedalia and the US Department of Transportation, acting through the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), for construction of a rail spur for the benefit of Nucor Steel Sedalia at the Sedalia Rail Industrial Park, was approved Monday night.

The Sedalia City Council reported that nearly all the documents and information requested by various agencies involved in a $10.9 million federal grant agreement have been secured, and could now therefore recommend approval after a lengthy process, said Councilwoman Megan Page.

City Administrator Kelvin Shaw updated Page, noting that there may be a few more pages of documents before the grant process is complete. “But we still recommend going forward,” he said.

City officials credited Republican Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler and US Sen. Roy Blunt for helping to break logjams encountered along the way. Also receiving kudos was Public Works Director Brenda Ardrey for helping the City navigate through mountains of red tape.

It was announced in July that Nucor, which specializes in rebar steel production, would be the anchor tenant for the Sedalia Rail Industrial Park.

Nucor has “inspired a lot of development, and additional development in the community. There are retail and commercial locations also under construction in that corridor,” said EDSPC Executive Director Jessica Craig said at the time.

Nucor hired about 150 employees to fill three shifts. She says Nucor was still hiring in 2019, and the steelworker jobs are expected to pay an average salary of $65,000.

In October, Craig noted that a ground-breaking ceremony will happen later, but a date was not yet set. At the time, Nucor had 160 employees on the payroll, 50 of whom are transplants from other facilities. Around 500 construction workers have been building the complex, which is clearly visible from Highway 65. There was talk of a traffic light being installed where the Nucor entrance intersects with the highway.

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