Three new lessees bound for River’s Edge port

River’s Edge port in Granite City last week signed three new lessees of its facilities, said Tri-City Regional Port District.

Georgia-based Airgas Inc., a distributor of industrial, medical and specialty gases, will lease four-acres at the site, said Dennis Wilmsmeyer, general manager of the mixed-use port. Meanwhile, Arizon Cos. Inc. of Maryland Heights will construct a 120,000 square-foot manufacturing facility and the owners of Arch Air Medical Service will build a 4,800 square-foot hangar for two emergency-medical helicopters.

Airgas will begin constructing a distribution facility worth more than $1.5 million in early 2009. The new facility will employ about five people at its new handling facility, Wilmsmeyer said.

Arizon, a dome manufacturer, will spend $2 million to build a dome standing 80-feet tall which will house a new manufacturing facility, a company spokesperson said. The company will initially add about 50 employees at the new facility, but could eventually employ as many as 250. Construction has already begun and will be complete by December, the company said.

Arch Air’s owners, Englewood, Co.-based Air Methods Corp., will begin construction sometime in November. Costs were estimated at $500,000. No anticipated completion date was given by Tri-City.