KASTEN VOTES FOR STADIUM FUNDING

JEFFERSON CITY - After a lot of careful consideration, Rep. Mary Kasten, R-Cape Girardeau, voted Wednesday against removing $5 million from the state budget to help fund construction of a new stadium-convention center expansion in St. Louis.

"I finally concluded it was a vote for progress," said Kasten, who is also a member of the House Budget Committee that prepared the budget bills now being considered by the full House.

"You can argue the merits of spending state money for a project in St. Louis both ways, but I swallowed hard and voted to keep it in the budget," said Kasten. "Look at the Show Me Center in Cape; had we not had some help with that, we would not be enjoying the fruits of that facility."

Kasten said she believes the Cape Girardeau area will feel some of the benefits from the convention center, and noted the central location of St. Louis in the country puts it in position to attract some major conventions. Supporters of the project point out that once finished, St. Louis would have the seventh largest convention center in the nation.

Another reason for supporting the funding, noted Kasten, is that there have been a lot of layoffs in the St. Louis area and this will help create jobs and boost economic development. When people are unemployed, the economy of the entire state suffers and everyone shares in the cost, she said.

Under the bill approved last year authorizing the state to share in the costs of the project, the state will pay half the cost of bonds for the convention center, while St. Louis city and county will pay the rest. The project will cost the state about $12 million a year for up to 30 years.