CITY MAY STILL BUY SOME SEMINARY GROUND FOR PARK

The city of Cape Girardeau may still buy part of the old St. Vincent's Seminary grounds for a city park even though it failed to secure federal funds for the project.

In February Cape Girardeau applied for $440,000 in federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act money to buy 16 acres of the old seminary property from the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation. The city also planned to use a $150,000 payment from Boyd Gaming Corp. to buy the land.

Under the plan, the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation would have kept 2.5 acres, including the seminary buildings and a one-acre tract south of the new Mississippi River bridge right of way.

The foundation would have used the money to get out from under its land-purchase debt.

But the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission Tuesday turned down the city's request for ISTEA money.

City Manager Michael Miller said Thursday the city still has the Boyd money that it could use to buy a smaller piece of the seminary grounds, which overlooks the Mississippi River.

Miller said the gambling company and the city had earlier agreed the $150,000 would be used to buy seminary land.

Miller said he will discuss the matter with the City Council.

Foundation officials said the lack of ISTEA money won't end efforts to preserve the seminary.

Diana Steele, vice chairman of the foundation board, equated it to losing a ball game. "That doesn't mean the season won't turn around," she said.