CP Communications expanding with new store

This incomplete structure located at 2001 S. Main St., will soon house a new office for CP Communications, a local U.S. Cellular dealer. The business will move from its current location at 300 E. 23rd St., later this summer. The new office is expected to be open by Aug. 1. (Michael Pommier/Tribune)

A local business should have a new home later this summer.

A new commercial facility for a CP Communications, LLC, office located at 300 E. 23rd St., is currently being constructed on a site located at 2001 S. Main St. The business, an authorized agent for U.S. Cellular, has purchased a portion of a parking lot in front of a building that formerly housed the Fort Scott Fun Center. The new 1,800-square-foot office building measures 30 feet long and 60 feet wide.

CP Communications Area Manager Jennifer Tolley said size and location were key factors in the company's decision to build a new facility for its local operations.

"We currently have a very small location," she said. "There was a need for more space and a better location."

Tolley said there were some minor hurdles to clear during the planning process for the new facility, such as parking, paving and sewer issues. The building, which is located in a 100-year flood zone according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, also had to comply with FEMA's regulations.

"Once we purchased the land, we had to make sure we were above flood elevation," Tolley said.

The building is now also in compliance with the city's zoning and parking requirements and should be open by Aug. 1. The business currently has three employees and will seek to hire one additional employee by the time the new facility is open, Tolley said.

A CP Communications office inside Radio Shack, 2 N. National Ave., will remain at its current location after completion of the new facility, she said.

Construction on the building is being completed by Home Center Construction, Inc., based in Pittsburg.