COUNCIL OKs FUNDS FOR SPORTS PROJECT

By a 5-2 vote Monday, the Cape Girardeau City Council approved spending excess tourism funds on a proposal that would expand sports and recreation facilities in two areas of the city.

The action came after proponents of a proposal to purchase and renovate St. Vincent's Seminary essentially conceded their claim to the tourism funds.

A crowd of more than 100 people packed the council chambers to hear the issues discussed at a meeting that lasted more than three hours.

Barbara Rust, president of the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation proposing the seminary project, told the council that the recreation project would give the city a faster return on its investment.

She called the seminary project a "tortoise" that would bring a long-term return once it's realized.

"It takes less time and resources to transform flat land into a soccer field than it does to carefully restore a 150-year-old historical structure," Rust said.

But she asked the city to commit to the project and help find available financing.

"The seminary could become the centerpiece for tourism in Cape Girardeau," she said. "We the foundation feel there must be city government participation in this project.

"Help us find available ways beyond the funds at hand to preserve this most historical site for Cape Girardeau."

The crowd burst into applause when the council unanimously approved a motion to appoint a task force to develop a financing plan for the acquisition and development of the seminary property.

The foundation has said it wants to convert the site into a national and local historic museum and Civil War interpretive center.

The proposal was one of two in contention for the excess tourism funds, after 36 such proposals were submitted to the council last year.

With the seminary project apparently resolved, it appeared the council would willingly approve the recreation proposal a combination of two projects.

The city's Convention and Visitors Bureau Advisory Board had recommended the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board combine a Shawnee Park softball and soccer complex proposal with a similar plan by Mid-America Hotels for a site at the corner of Mt. Auburn Road and Kingshighway.

The compromise led to a plan that includes:

20Construction of an five-field softball complex at Shawnee Park with room for three additional fields as funds become available.

20Construction of five additional soccer fields at Shawnee Park.

Acquisition of the 90-acre tract of land at Mt. Auburn and Kingshighway for development as a "general-use community park," and construction of a 32,000-square-foot, multi-use building on the site.

Completion of a fitness trail through Arena Park and the new park site.

20A shift in emphasis by the Convention and Visitors Bureau toward recreation in the city and the development of that component of tourism.

But the council Monday was divided when CVB board chairman Robert Hoppmann asked that the board have an opportunity to "sign off" on the proposal before the council's approval.

Council members Al Spradling and David Limbaugh said they thought it was important to move ahead with the project.

Limbaugh said he was prepared at the outset of the meeting to delay action, but changed his mind when he saw the apparent cooperation among the groups involved.

"If we wait another three weeks, we're going to have another slew of people with a dozen other concerns," he said. "The council ultimately has to make these decisions. ... I think we're beating this to death."

Mayor Gene Rhodes said he supported the project, but thought it was appropriate to send the proposal back to the CVB Advisory Board one more time. He and Councilman Doug Richards were the only two to vote against its authorization.

Jim Grebing, chairman of the park board, presented the recreation plan to the council. He said the project would enable the city to achieve one of the three components of tourism that include recreation, conventions and tourist attractions.

"This will establish a new industry in Cape Girardeau of recreation," Grebing said. "This recreation industry is going to lead to more motel rooms being built, which will make more conventions possible.

"As the tortoise of the foundation comes along," he quipped, referring to Rust's earlier analogy regarding the seminary project, "we'll have all three niches of tourism."

Bob Hahn of Mid-America Hotels discussed plans for the multi-use building on the site. He said the building would house the CVB and would be used for recreation programs and activities, athletic events, meetings, and other community purposes.

He said the best thing about the project is that it's affordable with existing funding.

Assistant City Manager Al Stoverink said that by bonding the excess tourism funds, the city would be able to issue bonds within a month for $3.5 million to build the $4 million project.

The remaining funds would come through private donations via the city's parks foundation.

"It's feasible, it's realistic and it's fundable with available money," said Hahn. "This project can be completed within one and a half to two years."