HAARIG GROUP SEES FUTURE IN DEVELOPMENT OF OLD FORTS

If the old St. Francis Hospital is torn down, rebuilding Civil War Fort C would make a great attraction in its place, members of the Haarig Area Development Corp. said Monday night.

The Haarig group established four committees to address concerns about revitalizing the neighborhood.

In addition to a committee for developing and promoting the Civil War heritage of forts C and D, committees were set up to identify property eyesores, to establish regular litter control and cleanup efforts and to push for either the reuse or elimination of the old hospital building.

Dick Withers, a member of the Haarig group and the committee to revitalize the forts, said he isn't necessarily in favor of tearing down the old hospital. "But a tourist attraction would mean more to the area," he said.

Keith Brennecke, a member of the forts committee, said Fort C, which stood on the grounds of what is now the old St. Francis property, could be rebuilt fairly inexpensively.

Rebuilding Fort C and revitalizing nearby Fort D would give the city a valuable tourist attraction, Brennecke said.

"It's there for something to be done with, if we choose to do something with it," Brennecke said.

Union forces also set up two other forts in the city, one on Bellevue overlooking the Mississippi River and another on what is now the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. Fort C was strategically placed to control troop movements along Bloomfield Road into the city.

The Cape Girardeau City Council voted last month to begin condemnation procedures on the old hospital.

The hospital was purchased earlier this year by 801 Good Hope Inc. Trent Condellone, a member of the corporation, has said investors plan to renovate the old building into housing and office space for non-profit agencies.

Condellone also has promised to begin cleaning up and securing the property, which has stood vacant for many years.

Ted Coalter, president of the Haarig group, said the four committees tie into the group's main goal of cleaning up and revitalizing the Haarig district.

"Our whole objective is to try to get our area cleaned up so that when the new bridge route opens, people who have maybe never visited Cape Girardeau before won't get a bad impression of the city as they drive by," Coalter said.

The Haarig group either wants the old hospital renovated or torn down, Coalter said. The new committee would be geared toward keeping the group informed on developments regarding the property.

The committees on the forts and the old hospital will work closely together, as will the committees to identify eyesores and to set up cleanup and litter control programs, Coalter said.

The committee to identify eyesores will supply city staff with information about derelict properties, trash and weeds in order to get those problems corrected, he said.

As the new bridge route is completed, several new businesses should spring up along it, Coalter said.

He also expects the university's project to turn old St. Vincent Seminary into a performing arts campus to revitalize the downtown and South Cape areas.

"I really believe in 10 years you'll barely recognize the area," Coalter said.