FYI -4-18

South Sprigg Street Bridge Project Awarded

At the American Council of Engineering Companies of Missouri (ACEC Missouri)'s annual awards banquet Feb. 10, Horner & Shifrin and the City of Cape Girardeau were honored with an Engineering Excellence Award for the South Sprigg Street Bridge Project, according to a city news release.

Accepting the award were Horner & Shifrin senior project manager Ramin Ashrafzadeh, city engineer Casey Brunke and assistant public works director Stan Polivick.

The project addressed the restoration of the bridge and roadway through an area with multiple, large, and active sinkholes. The sinkholes became extremely active in 2007, forcing closure of the road several times over the next six years. The road was closed indefinitely in 2013 until a more permanent solution could be completed. Construction was finished and the road opened to traffic in October 2017, the release stated.

Cape Girardeau Public Library Approved for LSTA Grants

The Cape Girardeau Public Library was recently awarded three federal LSTA grants to improve library services, according to a library news release. A $5,684 Technology Mini-Grant allowed the library to purchase a new, more robust server to store collection and user data and provide faster access to the library catalog. A $7,275 Technology Ladder grant allowed the library to fund a re-design of its 8-year-old website.

The new website was launched in mid-January and provides easier access to all the services the library offers. An $11,250 Library Service Improvement Grant has helped the library with the process of formulating a new three-year Strategic Plan. With this grant the library board contracted with OrangeBoy, Inc. to evaluate how the community uses the library and to prioritize strategies to increase and improve library use.

All three of these projects were supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Missouri State Library.

Althaus scholarship established at Southeast

The Rickert R. Althaus Endowed Scholarship in Political Science has been established through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation, according to a university news release.

Althaus, professor of political science at Southeast, and Brenda Johnson, emerita professor of nursing at Southeast, made a generous gift to establish the award.

The renewable scholarship will be awarded to an undergraduate student attending Southeast Missouri State University majoring in political science or a graduate student in the Master of Public Administration program. Recipients must be in good academic standing with an overall minimum 3.0 grade point average. The Department of Political Science, Philosophy and Religion Scholarship Committee will select the recipient.

SADI Madness for a Cause

SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence Inc. will hold their annual Silent Auction and Dance Benefit starting at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 24, at Ray's Plaza Banquet Center. SADI is a not-for-profit organization committed to providing programs and services to the elderly, persons with disabilities and children with special needs in our community. All proceeds will stay in the Southeast Missouri Area. Doors open at 6 p.m., auction ends at 9 p.m. and dance ends at 11 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at any SADI location or at the door the night of the event. Ticket includes entry, appetizers and dance. For more information, contact Raquel at (573) 651-6464 extension 1211 or email raquel@sadi.org.

Shoe donations sought

March 19 -- 26 is Soles4Souls Week in Cape Girardeau! The main drop-off location will be 920 Broadway, at the Houck Stadium parking lot, where the 53' trailer will be parked during Soles4Souls Week.

More information, including locations and times for shoes drop-off, is at semoevents.com/events/11218.