By Seann McAnally - JC Advocate

Pride Cleaners’ corporate headquarters is moving to Grandview. On May 12th, the Grandview Board of Alderman held a public hearing on a tax abatement program for the dry cleaning company, which plans to renovate the former Skateland building on 71 HWY to establish a new headquarters and laundry processing plant. The company is relocating from Kansas.
Christine Bushyhead, the attorney for Pride Cleaners said the company will bring 80 jobs to the Grandview community, with a total of 120 jobs in the next few years if expansion plans materializes.
The attorney also stated that Pride Cleaners plan on renovating the building “The exterior degradation of the building is significant” Bushyhead said. “The building needs a complete renovation. It is going to be our corporate headquarters, where we’ll be speaking to venders and having guests, so it will be tastefully done.”
Pride Cleaners total investment, including purchase of the building, renovations and infrastructure work represent an investment of about $1.3 million.
Neither the City nor the School District has received any taxes for the property since 2005. When Pride Cleaners “closes the deal” with the building’s current owners, they will be required to pay back taxes that adds up to $60,000 for the School District and $15,675 for the City.
The city is currently working on ordinance that would approve a tax abatement plan for the company. The plan will freeze the current real property taxes at their current real property taxes at their current level for 10 years – about $468 annually. After 10 years, that will jump to $1,800. The Grandview School District will receive about $1,792 annually during the first 10 years, and $7,600 after that.
After 25 years, the tax abatement plan ends and the company will begin paying taxes normally. No members of the public spoke against the plan at the public hearing. Mayor Beckers said he expects the final ordinance to be passed unanimously.
Alderman Leonard Jones was concerned that the property – some 1.73 acres – is not big enough for all 80 employees to park, let alone any new employees that may be added in the future.
Dominic Brancato, of Pride Cleaners said the location will feature three shifts of workers, so they won’t all be arriving at the same time.
Jones was also concerned about noise and small, but Brancato said that wouldn’t be a problem. “We have new machines and there’s virtually no smell” he said. “The most noise you’d ever hear would be trucks coming in or out, or maybe exhaust fans on the roof”.