CAPE GIRARDEAU'S MAIN STREET PROGRAM ON TRACK TOWARD GOALS AFTER SIX MONTHS

Old Town Cape is on track and moving toward goals established during the past year.

Old Town Cape Inc., the name selected for a local Main Street program that covers a wide area of downtown Cape Girardeau, was founded more than a year ago.

Cape Girardeau became a Main Street Community in February. Six months after joining 13 other Missouri communities as a Main Street City, Cape Girardeau has made what OTC representatives believe is significant progress.

The Economic Restructuring Committee of Old Town Cape is 90 percent complete on one of its major projects -- a business inventory within the boundaries of the group's Main Street area.

The Design Committee of the group recently completed its first project -- a window mural project featuring high school students painting rose panels to be displayed in empty store windows.

Economic restructuring and design are just two of the four points of Main Street communities. The other two are organization and promotion.

All four of these committees have been active since Cape Girardeau was designated as a Main Street Community.

Thanks to Old Town Cape, the local Main Street program may be ahead of its expectations during the first six months.

"We already had a lot of things intact for the Main Street program," said Judith Lang, chairwoman of the 16-member Old Town Cape Board.

Two surveys -- by Southeast Missouri State University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign -- were conducted to determine consumer's feelings for shopping in the downtown area.

These surveys were conducted prior to the city's Main Street designation.

Since then:

* Already in place is a graduate student to help in the program. Angela Miller of New Madrid, Mo., who is seeking a master's degree in historic preservation at Southeast Missouri State University, will work the next two semesters in the Main Street project.

* The four necessary committees have been put into place and are active.

* OTC is actively seeking an executive director for the Main Street Program. Funds are in place to hire a director.

* Plans for a major fund raiser will be announced soon.

* A search is under way for Main Street offices.

"We had hoped to have a director in place by now," said Lang. "We're still hopeful of filling the position before the end of the year."

The Main Street program for Cape Girardeau encompasses an area from Water Street along Broadway to Pacific Street and to Morgan Oak, which leads to the Mississippi River bridge. It includes the primary downtown business area, the Haarig area, upper Broadway and old St. Vincent's Seminary, site of the proposed river campus of Southeast Missouri State University.

Cape Girardeau has already received technical assistance from a national network of individuals with a broad base of experience in downtown revitalization. Comprehensive services will be provided for up to four years.

The Missouri Main Street Program does not offer direct financial grants to the designated communities, but they will receive in excess of $50,000 worth of downtown revitalization materials, on-site consultant services and fund-raising assistance.

Since the state program's inception, participating downtown organizations have witnessed the creation of more than 650 new businesses and 1,900 new jobs with more than 650 building renovations and $66,800 in reinvestment.

"The problem in Cape Girardeau is that there is no single area that can be designated as the downtown area," said Lang. She explained that there are really three areas the riverfront and Main Street, Haarig and upper Broadway. Thus, the name of the program, Old Town Cape Inc.

John Mehner, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, is coordinator of the Economic Restructuring committee, designed to improve the economic base by strengthening existing businesses and recruiting new businesses to Main Street.

Steve Hoffman, historic preservation professor at Southeast Missouri State University is coordinator of the Design committee, which is working to encourage Main street enhancement; build and maintain an attractive environment; and foster quality building renovations, historic preservation, signage and public improvements.

The Promotion Committee, which is working to create and promote positive images for the Main Street Program, has met several times, and is currently establishing short- and long-term goals, including the development of a newsletter and compiling a list of all upcoming events in the area.

Lang is coordinator of the organization committee, which is working with public and private sector leaders to coordinate resources for Main Street initiatives. The Committee will announce its plans for "An Evening on Old Town Cape" fund raiser within the next two weeks.

The initial budget for the Cape Girardeau Main Street program is about $80,000 in cash and in-kind pledges.