CITY MANAGER FORESEES GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT IN UPCOMING YEAR

Cape Girardeau City Manager J. Ronald Fischer expects 1993 to be a year of marked but orderly growth and development.

Financially, the city has emerged from last year's recession with a restored growth in sales tax revenue, which had become stagnant in 1991 and early 1992.

The strong retail sales base likely will lead to new industrial and residential growth in Cape Girardeau, Fischer said.

The city manager said 1993 will bring continued work on a major flood-control project, the Lexington Avenue extension to Cape Rock Drive and an extension of Sprigg Street, and annexation of new areas west of Interstate 55

"Lexington, of course, is a real priority for streets," Fischer said. "The construction of the portion from Perryville Road to the present Lexington will be built next year, which will take Lexington all the way from Route K and Kingshighway to Cape Rock Drive."

He said the next portion of the east-west arterial will be from Cape Rock east to a northern extension of Sprigg Street. "I have every reason to believe that will be bid and under construction this year," Fischer said.

Fischer said the Sprigg Street extension from Bertling to Lexington, and eventually Highway 177, likely will be under contract by the end of the year.

The city hopes to convince the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department to realign Highway 177 with Sprigg Street through Cape Girardeau, which would straighten the 90-degree turns in its Big Bend Road cor

ridor.

The new northside access of Lexington is expected to spur residential growth in the area. The Cape Girardeau School District also owns property in the area of the Sprigg extension.

Fischer said that if a spring school-bond issue is successful the district might consider a new middle school or elementary school for the Sprigg Street site.

"I think a key to the growth of this community is going to be the school-bond issue," he said. "If the school district can sell this to the voters, that will be a very positive thing for this community."

Fischer said construction of a new school north of Sprigg Street would prompt development in the area that now primarily is an undeveloped "gap" between Bertling and Lexington.

"If we can fill in the gaps, and not always build new infrastructure and constantly be forced to expand to the north, west or southwest, it's a much more economical and efficient type of growth," he said.

"We keep having to expand out when we've got vacant pockets of undeveloped land all over. It's much less costly to provide city services and utilities in those gaps."

Other capital improvements projects that will proceed in 1993 include:

Construction of the South Sprigg Street bridge.

20Widening of Route K to five lanes from Interstate 55 to the Wal-Mart Supercenter, and signalization of the Route K intersections with I-55 and Siemers Drive.

Extension of Whitener Street to Silver Springs Road, which will improve access to more than 200 apartment units.

Extension of Minnesota Street through Shawnee Park.

Another major project in Shawnee Park is a recreation proposal funded by excess tourism funds that will include construction of softball and soccer fields.

The proposal also includes the purchase of park land at the corner of Mount Auburn and Kingshighway and construction of a multipurpose community building on the tract.

Fischer predicted the recreation project won't be completed for 18-24 months.

"We'll probably see the site preparation mostly this summer and fall for the softball and soccer complex and site preparation for the building," he said.

"Once we get the financing firmed up and have the bonds sold, we'll bring an architect on board to work with engineering and design of the community building and softball and soccer fields."

A community development block grant program that's successfully improved housing for many low- to moderate-income residents in Cape Girardeau also will continue this year.

Through the state-funded program, qualified property owners are able to obtain grants to rehabilitate their homes. The program currently is being used to upgrade housing and sewers in the College-Jefferson streets neighborhood.

A long-awaited improvement at Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport is expected to come to fruition early in 1993 with completion of a $1 million terminal building renovation.

Fischer said the project plagued by federal bureaucratic delays is beginning finally to "shape up."

"I think we're all going to be proud of the new terminal building," he said. "In addition to that, there will be a new upgrade to parking facilities, lighting, and the entrance road. Also, the water system will be upgraded for better fire service and sewers."

The new year also will bring additional sewer improvements and extensions in Cape Girardeau. Only five years ago the most northwesterly trunk sewer was in Arena Park.

After 1993, sewers will be extended into the northwestern limits of the city, up Route W and North Kingshighway, west into the Ashland Hills subdivision, north to the area of the Jaycee Golf Course, and southwest on Bloomfield Road west of I-55.

Sewers and water also will be extended within three years to Twin Lakes subdivision off Hopper Road west of I-55 as part of a plan to annex the subdivision.

Fischer said the annexation is possible because of the city's purchase in 1992 of the water system from Union Electric and because of extension last year of sewers west of I-55 in the area of Wal-Mart.

"This is a very positive thing for the orderly growth of Cape Girardeau," he said. "We'll have services extended out Hopper Road down to Route K and Bloomfield Road. It's a natural area for expansion of the city.

"All this has been part of an orderly plan of annexation. I'm a firm believer that you don't just go out and annex to be annexing; you need to do it in an orderly manner or it can eat your lunch."

Fischer said he thinks the sales tax rebound in 1992 will continue this year. "I'm very optimistic," he said. "I think we have made the turnaround."

Capital improvements projects that might be funded with the additional general revenue from the tax include a Hopper Road extension and improvements to Perryville and Bloomfield roads.

But not all the additional income will be earmarked for capital improvements, Fischer said.

"Last year we went through without any increase in salaries," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, this will be a priority for the budget this year and what we recommend to the council.

"Also, we're going to definitely look at the manpower in the police and Fire department."

Fischer named several other city issues that will either proceed or emerge this year. They include:

20New landfill and solid-waste mandates, including closure of the Cape Girardeau landfill prior to October 1993 and elimination of all household hazardous wastes from Missouri landfills by January 1994.

20Completion of a water system master plan for the city.

Completion of the Cape LaCroix portion of the Army Corps of Engineers Flood Control Project in Cape Girardeau and start of the Walker Branch portion.

Celebration of Cape Girardeau's bicentennial.

20Preparation for ward or "zone" city council elections in 1994, which will include drawing the appropriate zone boundaries and drafting of a charter amendment that will enable the council to adjust the boundaries by ordinance.

Construction of the first phase of the new Route 74 Mississippi River bridge with dirt work at the intersection of the new route and I-55.