COLONIAL CAPE PROJECT WAITS ON STUDY FUNDING

Although progress in the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation's plan to purchase St. Vincent's Seminary seems idle, the foundation's director said he's confident the project is on the right track.

"I feel very confident," said David Murphy, executive director of the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation. "I think there's a lot of good accord on the city council for our project."

Earlier this month, the Cape Girardeau City Council considered a recommendation from the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation Task Force a citizens advisory group that the city pay $10,000-$12,000 for a feasibility study.

And although the council members apparently are ready to at least share in the cost of the study, they refused to allocate the funds without assurance that the seminary won't be sold until the study's completed.

The council unanimously approved a motion directing the city staff to put together a contract detailing the scope of services for an architectural and environmental study of the site. That action boosted Murphy's optimism that the city is behind the project.

"It was after that meeting that I had a much better feeling as to the route we're taking and the assistance I think we can expect from the city," he said Tuesday.

The council agreed to pay half the cost of the feasibility study provided the Provincial Administration of Vincentian Fathers, owners of the seminary, agree to grant the foundation the "right of first refusal" on the property.

But the property owners have refused to consent to the condition.

Murphy said the foundation task force now will have to go back to the city council to try to get the funding anyway. He said he's unsure when the item would be back on the council's agenda, but it might not be until the April 19 meeting.

"The fine accord we had the last time, I think tells me we have a city council that wants to work with us and that's not going to stand in the way of this project," he said.

"In the final analysis, this is a project that will really benefit the city of Cape Girardeau, and I think they want to be a very viable part of this project."

Murphy said the foundation recently funded an environmental study of the property and is awaiting the results.

But he said funding and completion of an architectural survey is crucial for the project to continue. "The costly part of it would be the architectural survey," Murphy said. "That's been the big stick that's held us up."

It's expected that the survey would indicate what could be done with the property and at what cost. The foundation hopes to convert the seminary property into a national historic museum and Civil War interpretive center.

The renovation work could cost $4 million to $5 million, which proponents say underscores the need to assure the project is feasible before funding is sought.

Murphy said that if the architectural and environmental studies are favorable, the executive council of the Colonial Cape Girardeau Task Force a citizen advisory group will meet to "map out where we want this to go" in other words, the best way to finance the project.