Leadership Cape 2022 presentations lean toward sports

Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee featured the 2022 Leadership Cape class, and more than half of the presentations made at Century Casino Cape Girardeau's Event Center were sports-themed.

Leadership Cape, founded by the Chamber in 1985, annually presents visionary project ideas before Chamber members.

Some of the ideas actually become reality, such as Discovery Playhouse at 502 Broadway, which began as a 2006 Leadership Cape project.

Five new ideas were presented Friday:

• Storm drain debris removal plan.
• Application process to connect people with qualified care options for pets, after-school care, elderly caretaking, among others.
• Cape Girardeau SportsPlex expansion for indoor racket sports — eight pickleball and four tennis courts.
• Family Fun Center, to include an 18-hole miniature golf course based on Cape Girardeau landmarks; roller skating and a go-kart track.
• Single person sports proposal — including skate park, wheel park and a pump track.

Each presentation attempted to provide cost estimates and to identify potential funding sources.

The Chamber describes Leadership Cape as a program "designed to identify and motivate emerging leaders to develop their potential for community leadership roles by exposing them to opportunities, realities and challenges of the Cape area."

The two main components of the program are monthly learning sessions and team projects.