Jackson traffic top concern of citizens

Traffic congestion appears to be a business and community concern in Jackson.

More than 75 percent of the people surveyed by the Jackson Chamber of Commerce during a special "Community Survey," expressed concern over the city's traffic problems.

The survey included 400 members of the chamber and more than 500 randomly selected citizens.

Other priorities listed in the survey included the city's growth in population; annexation and zoning; infrastructure, including sewer, streets and utilities; education; business and industrial recruitment; and city and school taxes.

"This is no surprise," said Ken Parrett, executive director of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce. "Traffic has been a growing concern for a while."

Seventy-five percent of chamber survey forms listed traffic concerns, and almost 90 percent of citizens topped their surveys with traffic concerns.

Although survey participation was light, it qualified for an official survey.

The survey asked that participants select five issues they felt were most important for Jackson.

City plans action

Parrett said the survey results had been shared with the chamber board and city administration.

"The mayor has promised to take a look at traffic congestion issues," said Parrett.

The city intends to contract with a group early next year to conduct traffic surveys and suggest ways traffic congestion can be alleviated now and for the future.

The community and chamber surveys differed on one topic.

"They were asked about their concerns on availability of workers," said Parrett. "More than half of the chamber members had workforce concerns, but less than 10 percent of the community participants expressed a concern."

Latest workforce statistics show unemployment at 3.2 percent in Cape Girardeau, down from the 3.7 percent the previous month.

"We look at our survey results in two ways," said Parrett. "This is our first big survey. We'll use the results to build our priorities and formulate our business plan for the coming year."

He said it will give chamber members a chance to provide input on what directions take.

Although there was no questions on the ballot concerning the chamber's overall rating, a number of comments were received, favoring the chamber's performance of the past year.

The Jackson Chamber has reached its goal of 30 new members for the year.

"Our 400 members is the highest total we've ever had," said Parrett.