Campaign official: School bond issue about 'more than a pool'

The chairman of a campaign to pass a $12 million bond issue for the Cape Girardeau public schools said he initially was "negative" about the ballot measure because of the proposed aquatic center project.

But "Yes Cape Schools Committee" chairman Jimmy Wilferth said Thursday, after prayer and study, he concluded an indoor aquatic center needs to be built at the proposed Jefferson Elementary School site in south Cape Girardeau.

Far too long, he said, the community has not invested in long-term improvements in the south Cape Girardeau neighborhood.

"This is about more than a pool," he said at a news conference in the Broadway federal building, which was attended by community leaders, including several Cape Girardeau City Council members.

Voters, he said, should "look at the big picture" and support the bond issue on the April 2 ballot.

City and school officials said the aquatic center and other proposed improvements on the Jefferson School campus are tied to a Purpose-Built-Community model that has successfully revitalized a formerly struggling Atlanta neighborhood by focusing on education.

The no-tax-increase bond issue would fund a number of major improvements in the school district.

Those projects include $4 million for an aquatic center, a combined $4 million for renovations and expansion of Jefferson and Alma Schrader elementary schools, as well as construction of $1.5 million prekindergarten center.

The school district operates preschool classes for 4- and 5-year-olds at four of the five elementary schools. Under the plan, a centralized, prekindergarten center would be built next to Jefferson School.

The bond issue also would pay for new roofs on Blanchard Elementary School and parts of Central High School and the Career and Technology Center, as well as heating and cooling upgrades at district buildings and repaving of school district parking lots.

Cape Girardeau schools superintendent Neil Glass said the school district plans to partner with the city to construct an aquatic center to replace Central Municipal Pool. The city already has committed $6 million to the project.

While the Jefferson School site has been chosen, the size of the facility and design features have yet to be determined, Glass said.

The superintendent said he is open to "all ideas" regarding the aquatic center.

After the news conference, Glass told reporters, outside of location, "nothing is off the table at this point."

City manager Scott Meyer said the city government and the school district are continuing to look for financial partners in the project.

"Again, we have a lot of things to work out," Meyer said.

It's uncertain how large of a competitive pool could be built, he said.

A consultant said a 35-yard stretch pool might be the best solution rather than a more costly 50-meter pool.

With such a configuration, there would be a movable bulkhead that could partition the pool into a 25-yard body of water and a smaller body of water.

This would provide flexibility to accommodate competition swimming and diving as well as leisure activities, city officials have said.

Meyer said city officials are open to building a 50-meter competitive pool if additional funding can be secured.

Ultimately, he said, the question is how to pay for it.

While the indoor aquatic center would replace the existing 50-meter municipal pool, Meyer said the possibility exists the aging pool, at least for a time, could be rented to interested organizations.

As part of improvements at the Jefferson campus, Meyer said there have been discussions about extending Minnesota Avenue, which runs in front of Jefferson School, to state-maintained Highway 74. City staff plan to meet with Missouri Department of Transportation officials to discuss that possibility, he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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