CITY APPOINTS RIVER CAMPUS MEMBERS

The Cape Girardeau City Council put the finishing touches to its part of a new community board to oversee the River Campus project.

The city council Monday made three appointments to the six-person board that will consist of three members of Southeast Missouri State University staff and three representatives from the community.

Out of a field of 10 applicants, the council chose Jerry Ford, Dennis Vollink and Ruth Knote.

Ford has been a state representative and lobbyist in Jefferson City. He also is a musician and plays with the Jerry Ford Orchestra.

"I know the legislative system well," Ford said. "I think that I will be able to give some input to people in the Legislature and get some help for the city with this project."

Also appointed was Dennis Vollink, an engineer with Drury Southwest, Inc. He also has spent time serving on the Planning and Zoning Commission and has helped with historical renovations in the past.

Mayor Al Spradling III said Vollink is the person who will meet the requirement to have a board member from the hotel/motel industry. Spradling said his experience as an engineer also will help the board as well.

The third appointment is Ruth Knote, who has worked for 36 years with the now defunct Community Concert Association. She is a deacon at the First Presbyterian Church and has been involved in community organizations such as the Girl Scouts.

Knote said her main concern is to make sure that the River Campus project really does encourage the arts and brings some culture to the area.

"We do get quite a bit of culture from the university," Knote said. "But it will be even better if we have more facilities for it."

Both Knote and Ford said their goal is to make sure that the campus has plenty of parking and that it is consistent with the river theme.

"This is a river campus," Ford said. "I want to make sure that the river is not covered up by buildings."

Ford said he wants the place to be an asset to the community. He said the area will change dramatically because he thinks the campus will be a catalyst for people to begin to restore the area.

"I would think that in 10 to 15 years, most people will be surprised what it looks like," Ford said. "I think this is a win-win situation for the city, the university and the area."