CAPE CIVIC CENTER HOPES FOR REBIRTHS

Cape Girardeau Civic Center leaders met with the public Saturday to discuss getting the group back on track, not to appease detractors, but for the sake of the children who benefit most from the organization.

"Our young people are still out there hurting," said Fred Pennington, director of the Civic Center. "We are here to reorganize."

Most agreed that reorganization is much needed.

Last week, the United Way decided to cease its funding of the Civic Center, which could force the doors to be closed. The $35,000 annual allocation is currently the Civic Center's sole funding.

United Way board members say their decision was made because they weren't given a complete financial report when they asked for one. They say they had no idea where the money was going or what programs were being offered.

"Do we need the Civic Center?" Pennington asked. "Yes, we do. Are we running things like we're supposed to? No."

But Pennington said pointing fingers of blame isn't going to help the children.

"Either you're part of the solution or you're part of what I consider the problem," Pennington said. "The bottom line is, it's easy to say he didn't do this and he didn't do that. That's not going to help. Obviously there was no criminal activity.

"Negative talk doesn't take kids off drugs or break the teen-pregnancy cycle or build self-esteem."

He said he hoped the meeting would focus on positive change and not past, honest mistakes.

A task force of concerned citizens was formed to look into ways to better organize the Civic Center and find answers to its financial difficulties.

"There's no money," Pennington said. "But that can be changed; I'm positive that it can and will be worked out."

Howard Meagle, general manager of KFVS-TV, was one of the first to join the task force.

"My experience is recognizing problems," Meagle said. "The problems here are not ones of heart, desire or need, but of organization."

He said they need to focus quickly on what the solutions might be. He hopes the task force will work speedily but said it will take some time.

The task force's first priority will be to find a new board of directors, which will partially consist of members of the old board.

"Nobody is going to shut the Civic Center down," Meagle said. There is enough money to pay the $619-a-month mortgage on a $30,000 loan for a while, he said.

And the Civic Center was also soliciting help from the community. Pennington said people should "put up or shut up" in order to get good ideas and talent to join forces.

"It's not the Fred Pennington Civic Center," he said. "It's the community's Civic Center."

Pennington said that the new board will be taking applications for a new director, but he said he's still going to help out the center as long as he is allowed.

"I'm a foot soldier," he said. "I'm just looking to help. This got the best of us, but we're not quitters so we're starting again."

John Sherwood, a United Way board member said he left the meeting with a good feeling. While he couldn't speak for the United Way's board of directors, he said he is sure the board will be sympathetic.

"I feel the Civic Center will have a new life and I feel a great potential."

And when the goals are met, Meagle said in a year no one will remember the recent hard times.

"We're going to start over," said Marvin McBride, who is in change of the basketball program at the Civic Center. "We're going to make this a better place."