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The state of 'Paradise City': Cape officials cite high, lows of 2007 in addressSunday, January 6, 2008
Watch video of 2008 State of the City Address
The only thing missing from Cape Girardeau's state-of-the-city report Friday were roses. Such flowers may have been appropriate, given the hidden thorns. Mayor Jay Knudtson and Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce president John Mehner delivered an informal report at the chamber's monthly First Friday Coffee. They offered an informal summary, followed by a question-and-answer session. More than 200 members of the business community attended. Mehner suggested Cape Girardeau could be described by lyrics of the Guns N' Roses song "Paradise City," "where the grass is green and the girls are pretty." Praise for successes They praised jobs created by the arrival of NARS at Town Plaza; the potential offered by East Main Street/LaSalle Avenue interchange on Interstate 55; improvements fueled by the DREAM Initiative; the opening of River Campus; a municipal exchange program with Paducah, Ky.; plans to renovate the floodwall; the city's first comprehensive plan in 20 years; and the apparent resolution of five long-ago murders. Knudtson singled out the public safety tax approved by voters, saying it helped police assign an officer to unsolved cases, which in turn linked five murders to accused serial killer Timothy Krajcir. "Being able to pull a guy off the street and put him on those cold cases, that's what quality of life means," he said. "I do think it's paradise, too," Knudtson told the crowd. "But it ain't all rosy." Mehner said early results of the chamber's recently completed survey show business owners are concerned about the economy, jobs, health-care costs, work-force development and the city's aging infrastructure. The good news, he said, is "Cape is old enough to be redeveloped." Mehner said support for the River Campus, which holds arts performances, is drawing more people downtown for meals and drinks. Complete results of the chamber survey will be released later this month, he said. Keen on growth Knudtson said "the beautiful new interchange" paves the way for "unprecedented annexation." City officials in Cape Girardeau and Jackson hope to see an influx of retail development around the interchange, though Knudtson said the goal is greater than a new commercial zone. The expansion should spur new housing developments, something he said the city needs, to balance city coffers "disproportionately financed by the sales tax." But "we have to be consistent in our zoning," he said, adding that the new comprehensive plan, which calls for revamping zoning ordinances, will moderate growth. The side benefit of the interchange, he said, are plans for new roads such as LaSalle Avenue and the Lewis and Clark Parkway. Knudtson said right-of-way negotiations with property owners should be completed soon. Construction of the Lewis and Clark Parkway was "not something we were looking at 18 months ago," he said. Also not on the city's radar two years ago: two commercial airline failures in less than a year. Knudtson said the unexpected collapse of Big Sky Airlines after fewer than 30 days of service is not the fault of airport manager Bruce Loy, members of the city's airport advisory board, or MoDOT. "As mayor, I take full responsibility," he said. "We are working with every resource to fix that issue." Knudtson told the crowd the city does need commercial passenger air service, whether flights go to Cincinnati, St. Louis or another city. Taxes Knudtson extended his praise of public safety tax voters to those who approved funding for the library's extreme renovation. He endorsed the proposed half-cent retail sales tax for parks and storm-water improvements; three-quarters of the half-cent tax would expire in 10 years while the remainder would be permanent. Voters will decide the matter April 8. As the vote on the library tax demonstrated, Knudtson said, quality of life issues are important to residents. Town Plaza improvement, he reminded those in the audience, "cost the city zero, based on the future sales tax." "The NARS deal is an absolute home run. If I could do 10 of them, I'd do them," he said. The shopping center is the city's first designated Community Improvement District, which allows for a 20-year, 1 percent tax to be added to Town Plaza's retail sales starting July 1. The money will fund $3.6 million in improvements to the center. Knudtson said those the plans are nudging nearby shops to pursue renovations as well. Town Plaza tenant Emily Stapleton, owner of Contours Express, told the mayor she wants to see how the $3.6 million is being spent; he promised to make the list available. Community development Nancy Jernigan, executive director of the United Way of Southeast Missouri, asked how the city would aid Cape Girardeau's public school system. Knudtson and Mehner, who each have children enrolled in public school, said city and school officials communicate, but the two entities are separately governed. Mehner said the private schools available make the community attractive to potential residents but ultimately hurt the public school system. He said the chamber has been working with real estate agents to reinforce public school benefits. "We need a superintendent who spends at least two Christmases with us," Knudtson said. When Jernigan pressed for answers on how the city could do more for children in low-income or single-parent families, Knudtson bristled. He said an infusion of $500 million wouldn't solve what is essentially a "people problem." He pointed out that few parents attend parent-teacher conferences. "That's crap. That's the problem," he said. "Parents have got to get involved." After the meeting, Jernigan said she wants to work with the city to convene community forums. Knudtson later said he had tried to do just that during his first term of office with disappointing results. The mayor and city manager Doug Leslie later said such meetings could be held at city hall or the Osage Community Centre. Beyond that, Leslie said, the city has no "formal mechanism or accountability" for social service programs. For Beckie Maintz, sales manager for Big River Telephone, a spirit of cooperation could also be developed between Cape Girardeau and Jackson. As the First Friday Coffee ended, she wondered about development around the new I-55 interchange. "I work in Cape, and I consider myself a resident of Jackson," said Maintz, who lives in Millersville. "I wonder if they are going to work together. It can only benefit us." 335-6611, extension 127 Comments  Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. If you feel that a comment is offensive, please Login or Create an account first, and then you will be able to flag a comment as objectionable. Please also note that those who post comments on semissourian.com may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
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Swan, As I posted on my blog in response to your question about my use of the phrase "extreme renovation" -- it seems a more accurate description of the work being done.
"Mehner suggested Cape Girardeau could be described by lyrics of the Guns N' Roses song "Paradise City," "where the grass is green and the girls are pretty."
You've gotta be friggen kidding me! Paradise City??? Oh my ficken god! You people nuts if you believe that friggen crap!
i'll bet knudtson is not native cape girardeaudian. what is he on with the paradise thing, and who the hell does this republican think he is with this "state of the city" address. I also didn't like the bristleing he did when asked about the school issue. if parents are not attending meetings then get your posse mr mayor and round them up. typical republican money proposals and coded language.. "the good news is that cape is old enough to be redeveloped." boy i can see the republican lips salivateing for the prospect of big bucks and projects by these bandits.
The Mayor Takes "full responsibility"!I for one can't wait to see him gone!As for the Chamber and John's silly remark,"typical".
Its also time we find a new Chamber President.I am tired of the "same oh same oh" in Cape and most of you should be also.As for Ms.Maintz comment,Give us a break you silly saleswoman,Cape is not Jackson and Jacson is not Cape!Each have their own huge problems and as for this new interchange,I doubt we see much industry out there.It will be more of the same,low paying jobs and retail.Where are the new ideas?Where are the good paying jobs?Nope,I say get rid of them and find someone with fresh ideas.The "State of the City" is stagnant and I for one hope things change with new leadership soon.
"Mehner said the private schools available make the community attractive to potential residents but ultimately hurt the public school system."
Boy do I resent THAT comment! So Mr. Mehner only sees real value in PUBLIC schools?
The private schools help the public schools in many ways!
1. All the parents of those private school kids have to pay taxes and then they pay again to send their kids to private school. The public schools get the money from these families without any outlay on their part.
2. Competition! If the public schools had not had some sort of competition I do not think they would be as good as they are today. I seriously doubt that the new Central High School would be as nice as it is now without Notre Dame just down the road raising the bar. Saxony Lutheran and Cape Christian School are also upping the ante now too.
3. I am greatly disturbed at Mr. Mehner's apparent view that private schools are anything but a PLUS to the community and even to public education. I WELCOME MORE competition in the realm of education. It will force the pubic schools to become even more responsive to their patrons, the parents and children of the schools.
Mr. Mehner does not sound like he will represent the interests of private school parents and families very well in light of his comments. I thought the Chamber of Commerce was supposed to be for the benefit of all in the city. What about uniform shops who cater to private schools? How about all that extra income in various school supplies that those parents purchase? Sports Supplies? Do we want to ban private school logos on clothing and sports items so that we do not "hurt" the public schools?
Maybe if the private schools would just drop the quality of their education Mr. Mehner would be happier. That is probably the perfect solution since then they would not be a threat to the status quo of public education for everyone.
The public schools could still get the money from the poor misguided souls who sent their kids there and the public schools would not have to produce ANYTHING.
GREYWOLF;
Did you mean to say "same ol'(old) same ol' " as in the same thing over and over? "Same oh same oh" makes no sense at all!
As far as Cape having "huge" problems. Take it from someone who has lived all over the country, there are MUCH worse places to live! Sure the politicians sugar-coated things a bit with the "Paradise City" statement, but isn't that what ALL politicians do?
A lot of folks that blog here seem to have been infected by the constant drumbeat of doom and gloom we hear these days despite the fact we are living in times of prosperity and progress unmatched in human history. Sure things aren't perfect. We're human, we'll never be perfect! However things couldn't be THAT bad when obesity is the number one health problem, even among the people considered poor! I blame public education and the national media for this pervasive attitude.
I heard everything from these guys but one most important question that is never answered here in Cape Girardeau. Where is the good paying jobs? Cape has plenty of low paying jobs, such as NARS which is the Mayor's number one project. The cost of real estate in Cape Girardeau is one of the highest in the State but we all still have to travel to St Louis, Memphis, Paducah, or Metropolis to have something to do on the weekends because Cape Girardeau has nothing to offer when comes to Entertainment, some type of Lake, or an Amusement park where we can take our families for a weekend. Cape also needs to let up on the Sales Tax, they are now nearing one of the highest Sales Tax cities in the State. Paradise City we are a long way from that one, the public is much smarter then that.
swampeastmissouri;
I'm not disputing your claim but could you cite a source for the real estate values here being some of the highest in the state? My girlfriend is coming into some money soon and we've been house shopping. We're finding some nice places in decent neighborhoods in the $70,000 range. I could be wrong but this doesn't seem that bad to me. Granted, we're not looking a huge houses in the high dollar subdivisions. We're both in our fifties and are well past the "upwardly mobile" stage but they're still pretty nice houses.
Housing prices in Cape are great compared to many markets in the country. Services here are good, restaurants - better than any other city this size that I know of, entertainment is struggling but making moves in the right direction. If you think about entertainment most folks in any area think it is out of town, or the grass is greener in Paducah, St. Louis etc.
The mayor does have a point about community involvement at all levels. Many public meetings are not attended or very lightly attended. Only rarely do they draw large crowds. The Comprehensive Plan (multiple meetings) and the location of the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial were the exception. Some one once said something very wise "Silence is consent."
The President of the Chamber and the Mayor SHOULD be telling the merits of the city, they should be selling the strong points, it was a Chamber Meeting, I for one want the good things on the front burner for all to see and hopefully share as they do business in the city or try to attract people to the city. We should work on our problems to make our city even better.
Regardless of the plan, the party, or the politician, it is YOUR money, after all.
I was raised in Cape during the depression and WWII years. Things I remember: Not too much traffic, most people walked. After the 4th grade, I was allowed to go anywhere in town to visit and play. We did not have to lock our doors at night. Most homes had beautiful flower's in their front yard's. We'd go to the park and make up team's and play baseball or football without the interference of adult's. We knew the rule's and played by them. Once in a while someone would get upset and " take his ball and go home"; no big deal. If I got into any kind of mischief, my GrandMother knew about it before I got home, because people looked out for us all. I came back to Cape for a short visit in 2005, and was astonished at what has happened to my Hometown. My old homeplace is an industial area. The fishing pond at William and hwy 61 is a shopping center; 3 mile creek swimming hole is gone. Yeah; Mill hill is still there. My college has changed so much that I hardly recognize it, in more ways than one. My life is nearing the end but, if I still lived in Cape I would be on of its' philosophical enemies. Progress can be beneficial, but you have taken the heart out of "paradise".
Data48,
What?you think your the only person here who has lived many places?Please!what arguement does that support?OBESITY!Where did that come from?Who metioned that and I doubt I would agree anyway!My post mentioned nothing of health issues!Perhaps you are prejudice against those folks who are over weight!Then you tell us its public educations fault!I think its possible you need to consider what
I read and respond to it.As for my comment,Same oh same oh!,look beyond the obvious error and understand what I meant!Oh!!! and by the way,
70k won't get you much anywhere these days much less Cape!Again I say "Where are the better paying jobs?And where is responsible leadership with some new and fresh ideas?
And by the way ya'll,
As for J.Mehner's comment concerning "Guns and Roses",didn't Missouri or at least Saint Louis run them out of here years ago?Im sorry folks but this is a great example of
where his head is at!.
"That's crap" says the mayor.
How inappropriate.
Hot spur:
Housing is cheaper here in Cape!Much of the reason is lower incomes.Back to that question,"where are the good paying jobs"?
Sure Cape has great restaurants and entertainment!These are not great paying jobs!Cape has become a meca for Doctors,Banks,Hospitals,restaurants and fast food!It has great pontential for all the out of towners who come here for medical and shopping needs!This City boast some 35,000 residents but caters to many more from Illinois,Kentucky,and all of S.E Missouri.
We have at our disposal rail,river,air and Interstate.I ask where are the good jobs that a city with all this has to offer!Is our Chamber doing its job?Is our Mayor doing his job?I say yes but not enough!Its time for change and the sooner the better for all of us.
Swan, Greywolf, and others: If you are so unhappy with the state of the city, then I would encourage you to look elsewhere.
I have lived here all my life and am quite content. I am involved in various groups, activities, etc and believe I am making a difference. The city is much better than it was 10 years ago. Cape can't be everything to everybody. Just as it was said, Cape is Cape and Jackson is Jackson.
We seem to be a service oriented city with medical being the biggest service industry.
Run for school board and run for council if you want to make a difference.
Swan,
I think Mayor Knudtson is from Wisconsin.
Greywolf,
When you ask "Where are the good paying jobs?" what type of jobs are you referring to? Manufacturing? Union jobs? What hourly wage is enough to be a good payig job?
$15.00/hr is around $30,000/year. Is that good enough? I don't know because I struggle to figure it all out as well. Difficult to raise family of 4 on 30K.
We are situated between two major U.S. cities. I think we must be realistic about what Cape is. There is never going to be a lake to compete with the Ozarks. A-B is not relocating the brewery here. Microsoft is not coming to town.
We have a town built on retail and service industry. Two good and growing hospitals. Luckily we suck the life of retail out of rural areas. Jobs may not be great but better than many in the area.
How does one "reinforce public school benefits"? Meaning, perhaps, the benefits of a good, solid education? But then, what does working with real estate agents have to do that? Sorry, I'm confused here. But I'm pretty positive that someone can explain it all, if not logically, at least with verve and a 1,000 words.
Swan, please! You won't be running for anything anytime soon. Your track record for sticking to things is terrible. You had a blog for a few weeks and then quit that. What makes anyone think that you'd stick it out for something that carries more responsibility???
How can you possibly run for anything and not expect the personal attacks to come? You called our County Commissioner all kinds of inappropriate names and made suggestions that were out of line. So, go ahead and run fat guy. We are waiting to make a specticle of you. 1800 Revlon.
i'm the real jerry swan. the guy on here saying he is going to run for office is not the real jerry swan. i'm going to contact the citizen's auxillary police and report this guy. i've had enough of his pretending to be me.
i think the guy posting as me is really that wierdo michael j ballou. i'm reporting this activity to major elvis newton of the citizen's auxillary police. i've had enough of this.
no, i am the one that lives there and have been there since october of 1999. you are a liar swan. you are not me. i've already contacted the CAP and you will be found out real soon.
you friggen idiot. it was the county clerk. my bad. you are on your way out the door. i thought you were moving? if you spent 15 years writing film reviews and filled dead bodies full of chemicals at the same time, you must have sucked at one of the two jobs. probably both.
i have to go now. i am going to try to write movie reviews and be like one of the two jerry swans that are posting here. you both are fricken nuts.
I've got sad news for you folks. If Swan were to run "right now," He'd get at least half the Republican precinct committeemen endorsing him. I also know several folks that would endorse him on the Democratic ticket as well.
Funny...I don't recall any Cady Bennington or Funny Alien Rabbit being members of the local Republican Party.
I think it's so funny to see people shooting their mouth off who aren't on the "inside" loop. I also know of one County Commissioner that would endorse Swan anytime he's ready to run.
Cady, Swan's paid his dues, and his commitment is impeccable. While most of you aren't "really" familiar with Swan, I will say this. When other folks were popping pimples in high school, Swan was volunteering, putting in his time, and making a difference.
Did some one call my name? Whad I due two u?
Cadidid is probably one of those heffers that enjoys my stupidity.
DAW HEE.....!!!
LOL....Uncle_Stupid??? LOL Who's that???
I AM LT. JAY SANTOS OF THE CITIZENS AUXILLARY POLICE. I AM WRITING TICKETS UP ON CADY BENNINGTON, SWAN, JERYSWAN. WHAT ARE YOUR ADDRESSES.
Are you going to give Uncle_Stupid one too?
Folks, let's get back to the subject at hand which, for readers of this story, is the state of Cape Girardeau.
Apply verve, 1,000 words or both to your posts, but let them be about the city and what needs to happen in 2008.
Thanks in advance for your thoughtful cooperation!
Peg
p.s. for those of you asking ... according to a short bio on the mayor:
Jay Knudtson was born Nov. 12, 1963 in Rochester, Minn. He graduated Rochester Mayo High in '82, and played baseball on scholarship at the University of Minnesota.
He is a former referee for United States Hockey League and the International Hockey League. In 1989, he changed careers, moving into the mortgage banking business.
He and his wife, the former Cynthia Cantrell, have a son, Gunnar.
I apologize if disagreeing with pessimistic views of Cape Girardeau offends some of you. Guess what? You've convinced me. Cape Girardeau sucks! It's a blight on the face of the earth and everyone here is one paycheck away from being homeless and starving to death. We should all move out and burn it to the ground after we leave! There. Feel better now?
Seriously, if the town sucks so badly why are you still here? It's a free country. Go someplace else!
You all are a disgrace! I really wish the Missourian would ban all of you from using this site. The language, attitudes etc.is absolutely disgusting. Please sit up your own website if you wish to continue this type of talk. I would be ashamed for anyone to read the comments being made here. You sound like a bunch of thugs.
The job Knudston has done is "Crap".
Real Estate agents would be best to push the value of the private schools around the area.
The Cape Girardeau Public School system is out of control.
And Peg, calm down. The few of us who actually do read and post shouldn't be called out for a little friendly banter back and forth.
Mr. Mehner's comment that private schools "ultimately hurt the public school system" is a very sad commentary. I wish he would explain his statement. Is he implying the brighter students are pulled from the public system into the private system? He can't be talking about dollars since all taxpayers support public schools, whether they have children or whether their children go to private schools. Do they hurt public schools by their mere existence?
Damnit Kenneth Gerald Swan! We are all sick and tired of your stupid *** comments.
You think you have all the answers and in reality, you don't know ****!
Oh....now I get it.... "the beautiful new interchange" paves the way for "unprecedented annexation." is going to attract all these great business to Cape. The whole time we were all overlooking what attracts business....interchanges!!!
Good citizens of Cape beware! Apparently the Cape Police Dept has initiated an increased quota of required traffic tickets for it's police officers. Cape police officers are sitting around hiding in their cars all over the place trying to catch people for minor traffic offenses. Of course, while this is happenning, criminals are stealing, shooting guns, and vadalizing our neiborhoods. Just listen to the police scanner and you will realize Cape has a severe crime problem that is not being addressed..
I am so so sick of the United Way and Nancy Jernigans goddess attitude. She thinks she knows all and is the God of this town. Can't wait until someone knocks her off her pedistool! She is NOT God and she doesn't know all! The United of Southeast Missouri justs wants to glorify themselves and be the holder of all the cards in this city! It takes all of the people together and not just one agency telling everyone else what to do. Get off your high horse lady and come back to reality!
Like 2hillbilly posted, the heart is gone out of Cape. Unfortunately, the town we see today is the result of shortsighted city planning. If you ever have the chance to look through the old comprehensive and long-range planning booklets about Cape at the library, it would be worth your time. The city plans of the 50's and 60's promised a beautiful future for Cape. The small town atmosphere was still maintained while being progressive at the same time. Sad to say, but Cape's downtown is in a slump again and it just does not feel all that safe down there. There was an esplanade planned for the riverfront and additional boulevards, besides just West End. Now all we have are Kingshighway and the Independence or Route K traffic corridors, strip mall culture and box stores. There is always a place for that retail need, but it should never be the driving force in shaping a city.
Luv it, too, when the politicos think they have found a tie-in with popular music to carry their message..."Paradise City", as a whole, is a quite depressing song and any supporter of Cape would never suggest that as a theme song to our town. Hmm, maybe they got it right and this song does perfectly typify the current state of Cape Girardeau? See lyrics below:
Paradise City lyrics
Just a' urchin
livin' under the street
I'm a hard case
that's tough to beat
I'm your charity case
So buy me somethin' to eat
I'll pay you at another time
Take it to the end of the line
Ragz to richez or so they say
Ya gotta-keep pushin'
for the fortune and fame
It's all a gamble
When it's just a game
Ya treat it like a capital crime
Everybody's doin' their time
[Chorus:]
Take me down
To the paradise city
Where the grass is green
And the girls are pretty
Take me home
Strapped in the chair
of the city's gas chamber
Why I'm here I can't quite remember
The surgeon general says
it's hazardous to breathe
I'd have another cigarette
but I can't see
Tell me who you're gonna believe
[Chorus]
So far away
So far away
So far away
So far away
Captain America's been torn apart
Now he's a court jester
with a broken heart
He said-
Turn me around and
take me back to the start
I must be losin' my mind-
"Are you blind?"
I've seen it all a million times
[Chorus]
OH - whoever is using the exclamation marks on each and every post here, grow up...