By CHARLES EMERICK, Courier Staff Writer

WATERLOO --- Pioneer Graphics is poised to begin an expansion this summer that will add 9,600 square feet to its facility.

The commercial printing company, which focuses on printing for advertising, direct mail, trading cards and specialty magazines, will grow to 24,600 square feet with the expansion, according to owner Jim Slife. It will push the 316 W. Fifth St. building out to Fourth Street.

"We will use it primarily for production and warehouse operations," he said. "And we'll have a row of offices along Fourth Street with a separate entrance.

"We chose to remain in downtown Waterloo because we like our location and would like to continue to expand and contribute to the revitalization," he added.

Pioneer Graphics employs 40 people at its Waterloo office and publishes 10 magazines, including The Iowan, Iowa Commerce, Iowa Golf and Iowa Gardening.

The addition will house some operations from the company's 303 Jefferson St. facility, which it acquired in December 2001 from Inland Media Group. More than 6,000 school agenda books for middle school students will be produced at the Jefferson Street site this summer. That production and others will be moved when construction is completed late this year.

"It will be more efficient to operate out of one facility," Slife said. "And it will give us some additional production space."

The expansion involves a request by Pioneer Graphics to vacate two alleyways, and to forgive a $45,700 demolition cost assessed to the former Devil's Den building that was demolished by the City of Waterloo. An April 5 public hearing on property transfers and development agreement is scheduled.

The Gibson Specialty building at 323 W. Fourth St. will be destroyed in the expansion process

Owner Lyle Birks is still in the process of finding a new location for his business, which has been in the Fourth Street building since the late 1980s. It specializes in trophies, plaques and engraving.

"I've got three places I'm looking at now," said Birks, who bought the business from LaVerne Gibson in 1979. "None of the three are downtown."

Birks said staying downtown would be difficult because of parking issues. The current location has parking next to the building. Purchasing a downtown building means customers would have to park in metered spots or walk blocks to get to the store, Birks said.

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