Editorial: Old Town Cape honors Maurer, others at banquet

Jim Maurer took home two awards from the Old Town Cape annual banquet Thursday night.

Maurer was among several recognized by the downtown group.

He won both the Volunteer of the Year and Charles L. Hutson Visionary awards. Maurer is highly deserving of the accolades. Among his contributions, he has served as president of the Old Town Cape board, been instrumental in the success of the Discovery Playhouse and served as chairman of the CID steering committee, gathering petition signatures, working to draw CID boundaries and answering questions from residents and business owners.

Maurer is a common-sense, no-nonsense type of person.

"I never thought of myself as a visionary," Maurer said Thursday night, "Just, if there's a job to be done, then you have to roll up your sleeves and do it."

Indeed, Maurer has done just that for downtown Cape Girardeau.

The Business Excellence Award went to Thomas R. Higgings Accounting LLC, and the Janus Development Group, led by Joe Uzoaru, was given the Adaptive Use Recognition Award, for the renovation and repurposing of the old federal court building.

Old Town Cape, led by executive director Marla Mills, is an active group that has been behind several noticeable improvements over the years.

Congratulations to the award winners, and to Old Town Cape, for making the city a better place to live and work.