Central Electric Power Cooperative to be in new headquarters in 2022

<p>Julie Smith/News Tribune</p><p>Work continues Monday on the new office and warehouse space of the Central Electric Power Cooperative on Jefferson Street. The $26.2 million project will also include parking for utility and service trucks, and storage space. Sircal, a local construction company, is the general contractor for the project.</p>

Julie Smith/News Tribune

Work continues Monday on the new office and warehouse space of the Central Electric Power Cooperative on Jefferson Street. The $26.2 million project will also include parking for utility and service trucks, and storage space. Sircal, a local construction company, is the general contractor for the project.

Central Electric Power Cooperative officials work is on schedule for them to get into their new headquarters building in Jefferson City next year.

Mark Newbold, CEPC Vice president of administrative service, said as of Monday they are halfway done with the project.

"That would get us into the new facility by May," Newbold said.

Work on the facility has been taking place since the beginning of the year. It sits on 14 acres of property located on Jefferson Street.

The new two-story facility, which will also have a garage, will replace the facility CEPC has been using since 1964. Newbold said they actually started looking at trying to get into a new facility back in the 1990s.

"We moved here after we outgrew the facility we had on Missouri Boulevard," Newbold said. "Our board said it was painfully evident we'd outgrown what we had here, so we're expanding our footprint, and this new facility will allow us to expand."

All 107 CEPC employees will be housed in the building, Newbold added.

The old facility was torn down before the construction started. CEPC also owns adjoining properties behind their location, some of which had houses on them that were also taken down.

Newbold said they were pleased as of now they were under budget on the project. The cost for construction is projected to be approximately $26.2 million.

CEPC serves eight distribution cooperatives from St. Charles County to Pettis County, including Three River Electric Cooperative.

"We're a wholesale power provider owned by members," Newbold said. "We provide power to 200,000 members. Each electric cooperative operates independently."