City wins $505,000 block grant

LINCOLN, Nebraska -- Gov. Dave Heineman has awarded the city of McCook $505,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding for building and equipment costs to install infrastructure associated with a new data center.

"This expansion is a combination of excellent location and the opportunity to further the development of data creation, management and storage in our state, Gov. Dave Heineman said. "This expansion into Southwest Nebraska will generate job opportunities in technology and new economic opportunities in this part of the state."

"We truly appreciate 21CSI's commitment to McCook and we are proud to work alongside them to facilitate their expansion and to provide these quality jobs to our residents," said Rex Nelson, director of the McCook Economic Development Corp.

"This investment expands the reach and impact of our efforts in creating the Keystone Business Center which we believe will be one of the bright spots in the history of our community," Nelson said.

The expansion will create 21 new jobs, 51 percent of which will go to low- and middle-income wage earners. These jobs are defined as family income equal to or less than current federal income limits, which for most areas of Nebraska are determined by county.

McCook requested the loan on behalf of Omaha-based 21st Century Systems Inc. which designs and builds intelligent software.

The company's customer base includes federal defense and homeland security agencies, state public safety organizations, and commercial businesses needing powerful search engine and wireless or mobile applications. The company has offices across the U.S.

Additional funding of $700,000 from 21CSI and a First National Bank loan will complete the project.

CDBG program funds are administered by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Federal funds are made available to the state from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's CDBG program.