CITY'S VISION 2000 MAKES ANNUAL REPORT

Vision 2000 continues to make progress toward its nine goals for community development.

The community service organization, founded in 1987, released its annual report Monday night at the Cape Girardeau City Council meeting.

Playing on the "Titanic" craze, Kathy Swan, chairwoman of Vision 2000's Community Relations Council, said, "The citizens of Cape Girardeau can rest assured that the S.S. Cape Girardeau is in good hands."

"1997 was another exciting year of the people of Cape Girardeau being very cooperative and interested in their city to serve as implementers," said Melvin Gateley, a city councilman and Vision 2000 volunteer.

Vision 2000 volunteers and city staff reported on achievements by group members, the public and city government toward the group's goals:

-- Developing and coordinating a city flag contest, a shared project with the Class of 2000.

The winning designs, picked by public vote, will be unveiled this summer, said Julia Jorgensen, who helped coordinate the contest. "The community voted on this flag, and the community will have this flag," Jorgensen said.

-- The Class of 2000's cleanup day in South Cape.

-- Planting 120 rosebushes and 1,000 tulips in 1997 as part of ongoing beautification efforts.

-- Continued development of a Community Information Network, a Web site which lists a variety of public information about a community.

-- Continued growth of the Caring Communities, Workshop on Wheels and Child Care Resource and Referral programs by Vision 2000's Early Childhood Work Group, and continued utilization of adult basic education and public library resources.

-- Partnership between the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce and other groups to remedy business and industrial concerns about shortages of available workers.

-- Informal establishment in 1997 of a labor-management cooperative entity.

-- Increased net employment in the region.

-- Attraction of new industry and business to the region.

-- Establishment of Operation Safe Home, a free, non-binding safety check offered by the city's Inspection Services staff.

-- The city's receiving the first ISO rating in the state for building codes. The city scored a 5, with 1 being the best and 10 the worst.

-- Paving of gravel streets, continued street overlay maintenance and continued repair of streets, curbs, gutters and sidewalks.

-- Continuing work by groups such as the Haarig Area Development Corporation and Downtown Merchants Association to beautify and revitalize historic areas of the city, and establishment of the Neighorhood Investment Program to identify goals and objectives to improve South Cape Girardeau.