COUNCIL WILL HEAR CAPE GIRARDEAU BUSINESS INCUBATOR REPORT

The City Council tonight will hear a report on the Cape Girardeau business incubator.

Linda Cochran of the Small Business Development Center at Southeast Missouri State University will present the report to the council.

It will include results of a study conducted by the city and the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce to determine the feasibility of a business incubator in Cape Girardeau. The council isn't expected to take action on the report.

The idea for a business incubator in Cape Girardeau has been discussed for a number of years, and in January a research team at Southeast completed a feasibility study of an incubator.

Business incubators are facilities that provide small, entrepreneurial businesses with the exception of retail stores with affordable space, shared support and business development service, while helping them grow during the vulnerable start-up period.

The feasibility study included a recommendation that the Chamber of Commerce pursue plans to develop an incubator.

Start-up costs for the facility could be as much as $800,000, and the research team recommended one of three buildings in Cape Girardeau for the facility. They include: the Bunny Bread building at 310 Christine, 44,000 square feet; Paramount Liquor building at 2333 Rusmar, 30,000 square feet; and the Mid America Distributing building at 2101 Highway 74 South, 45,000 square feet.

Cochran has said in the past that based on survey data gathered by the research team, the Cape Girardeau area might be more conducive to small-business success than the average community.

Nationally, about 80 percent of businesses fail within the first five years, but the survey for Cape Girardeau showed the failure rate here is only 54 percent.

The success rate of incubator businesses is about 80 percent nationally, exactly the reverse of non-incubator businesses.

There are 346 incubators in 41 states, and the National Businesses Incubation Association estimates that by 1995 there will be 1,000 such facilities. During the past three years, incubator programs have opened in two area cities Poplar Bluff and Carbondale, Ill.

In other business, the council will consider nomination of a historic district on the campus of Southeast Missouri State to the National Register of Historic Places.

The city's Historic Preservation Commission approved the nomination application April 15.

The area included in the district would be bounded to the south by Normal Street, north by Cheney Drive, east by Pacific Street and west by Henderson.

City Planner Kent Bratton wrote in a letter to the council that the district will include six buildings five of which are considered "contributing" to the historical district.

The contributing buildings are: Academic Hall; the art building; the social science building; Joseph A. Serena Building of Industrial Technology; and the Rosemary Berkel Crisp Hall of Nursing. The sixth building in the district is Memorial Hall.

"If approved, this will be the first historic district established in the city," said Bratton. "The staff is recommending that the council approve this nomination."

The council also will consider:

An ordinance that would create an offense for incidents where an individual falsely identifies himself in order to mislead the police.

An ordinance to make city codes consistent with state law with regard to unlicensed motor vehicle operators.

Ordinances accepting construction easements from a number of property owners in the area of the College-Jefferson Community Block Grant Sewer Project.

Appointment to the Airport Advisory Board.