Cape council members take bus tour of projects

Members of the Cape Girardeau City Council got to glimpse firsthand some of the city's current and future project sites, taking a two-hour bus tour Monday afternoon that was guided by city staff members.

The council members visited various areas of the city that have stormwater problems, such as on Whitener Street, Glenridge, Perryville Road and Sprigg Street. They visited the future site of a rebuilt bicentennial Red House, a home where explorers Lewis and Clark visited when they passed through Cape Girardeau.

They looked at a proposed site for a new water plant, a corridor that will provide a street, hiking and bike path from the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge and the downtown shopping area.

"We've tried to do something like this every other year or so to stay abreast of projects that are ongoing or on the forefront," said Mayor Al Spradling III. "This gives us a chance to look at locations and projects."

Councilman Tom Neumeyer said the tour was very informative and covered a lot of ground in a short period of time.

Neumeyer said that it would have been easy to drive around and see these projects, but it's much better to do it as a group and to have city staff members along to answer questions.

"It's one thing to talk about it in council chambers, but it's another thing entirely when you're out there and seeing it for yourself," Neumeyer said. "Everybody would not have gone around and seen all of these sites otherwise."

Every council member attended, except Jay Purcell and Hugh White.