CVB FUNDS SOUGHT FOR SEMINARY

A month after missing out on a transportation grant to buy St. Vincent's Seminary, the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation is looking for another way to get money through the city.

This time members approached the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

At a CVB Advisory Board meeting Wednesday, director Mary Miller said the foundation wants $250,000 that the CVB has budgeted for a new building. In return, the bureau could locate its offices inside the seminary.

The foundation is in a lease-purchase agreement for the seminary property with the Vincentian Fathers in St. Louis. In February the city of Cape Girardeau applied for $440,000 in federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act money, which would have helped clear the title to the buildings and land.

City officials justified their request for the grant because the seminary property will be next to Highway 74 when it is relocated.

The request didn't make the state highway department's first cut, but foundation members aren't giving up.

About $45,000 of the $250,000 in CVB money would go toward a development plan for the seminary and to promote a 6 percent increase in the city's hotel tax. That would raise the tax from 3 percent to 9 percent, with the additional funds going to operate the seminary.

Miller said she was assured by the foundation that the $250,000 would be repaid.

While some on the advisory board expressed strong support for the idea, all of them wanted a condensed, written proposal from Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation before going to the City Council.

"I think it would be wise for this board to get whole-heartedly behind the seminary project," member Walt Wildman said. "I've felt that way for a long time. You can talk about soccer fields all day, but the river is our best tourism opportunity."

Port Cape Girardeau restaurant owner Dennis "Doc" Cain said it was the CVB Advisory Board's duty to "be of assistance however we can."

Board vice-chairman and hotel owner Dan Drury agreed, but differed with the group on a hotel tax hike. He said it wasn't fair to pass a discriminatory tax when tourists spend money at more places than just hotels.

Drury also questioned loaning money to the seminary project when another city tourism project, Osage Park community center, is underfunded.

"We're looking at a convention center and meeting facility that has a minimum number of chairs and tables, and who knows what kind of expenses we'll have once we get in there?" he said. "I'm in support of saving the seminary, but that's a private business."

The city may end up using some of the budgeted building fund on Shawnee and Osage Parks, Mayor Al Spradling III said, adding that the city isn't in a position to loan money to any group.

As for the tax increase, Spradling said the foundation was getting ahead of itself. Without the city owning the seminary, it can't allocate tax money to fund it.

"Before we go and just increase the CVB tax, there has to be an arrangement worked out as to the ownership and operation of those buildings," Spradling said. "That hasn't been done yet. I'm not as opposed to an increase if there is an arrangement worked out as to the ownership."

Foundation President Mary Robertson said her group may be willing to give the city ownership of part of the land and buildings to get some of the money.

They would like to see CVB located inside the seminary, a visible location in downtown Cape Girardeau, the city's biggest draw for tourists. Robertson said more hotel tax wouldn't keep those tourists away.

"We would like to help create tourism in this city," she said. "When I go to another city, do you think I care what their hotel tax is? You could pull people off the interstate and ask them the hotel tax rate for various cities, and none of them would know."

The CVB Advisory Board decided Wednesday to reserve discussion on the issue until the foundation presented its official plan.