MAIN STREET: CAPE HOPES TO QUALIFY FOR PROGRAM (LAST OF TWO PARTS)

Becoming a Main Street America participant doesn't happen overnight.

Cape Girardeau, like many communities its size, is well ahead of the Main Street concept in the development and revitalization of downtown commercial districts, said Mike Miller, Cape Girardeau city manager.

Groups throughout the areas involved -- Downtown Development Corp., Downtown Merchants Association, Downtown Neighborhood Association, Haarig Area Development Corp. and others -- have long stressed revitalization of downtown commercial districts.

A new movement headed by some downtown merchants and city and university officials is under way to seek Main Street status for Cape Girardeau. A group of Cape Girardeans interested in the Main Street program visited Columbus, Ind., last weekend to hear more about it.

Main Street Columbus was born a year ago with a $100,000 budget when two previous revitalization organizations -- Downtown Columbus Association and Mayor's Task Force on Development -- merged to create the new Main Street program.

It was a good experience, said Dr. Dale Nitzschke, Southeast Missouri State University president, in reference to the Columbus visit. "We gained some insights on the program. It's something we'd like to see happen in Cape Girardeau."

Randy Gray, coordinator of the Missouri Main Street program, said Monday that a big advantage of the designation is technical expertise, design assistance for property owners and volunteer training programs.

"We send consultants into areas selected for Main Street program to provide training and help in architectural assistance," said Gray. "Over a three- or four-year period, a community will receive between $40,000 to $50,000 worth of services"

The Main Street program has been discussed in Cape Girardeau over the years, said John Mehner, president and chief executive officer of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce.

I'm totally in favor of any concentrated effort to address the downtown effort that has the approval of everyone concerned, including businesses and, or owners of buildings," said Mehner. "A lot of these efforts have already been successful."

The Main Street program appears to be a good one, said Mehner. "I'm interested in seeing more about the program."

Plans are to further discuss the program at a future date.

"We still have a way to go before we can apply for the Missouri Main Street program," said Judith Lang, downtown merchant and former president of the Downtown Merchants Associatio. She is a supporter of the program.

An application has been submitted to the National Trust Main Street Center in Washington, D.C. "This is an initial step in obtaining a Main Street program," said Lang.

Other criteria include community and business surveys to determine interest in the program. Arrangements for the surveys have been completed.

"We're still in the early stages of preparations," said Lang. "We're trying to build enthusiasm and get the ball rolling. We need to get an organized board and discuss a full-time manager."

Cape Girardeau is ripe to become a Main Street participant, said John Bry, executive director of Main Street Columbus, Ind. Bry, a Southeast Missouri State University graduate, lived in Cape Girardeau for four years and is familiar with the city.

"You have the downtown section near the river, the Haarig area and the upper Broadway area," Bry said of Cape Girardeau. All three of the areas and the university should be included in a Main Street district under one director, he said.

Boundaries are established for the Main Street district prior to application to the state. An official application must be made to the Missouri Main Street program, which is coordinated by the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

"We're currently working on the next application cycle," said Gray. "We'll be requesting applications soon."

Two new Missouri Main Street participants will be selected from as many as 15 to 20 applicants in July, joining the 11 cities already involved in the program.

Gray revealed the latest statistics concerning the program in Missouri Monday. Since being adopted in Missouri in 1989, Gray attributes 600 new businesses, 1,800 new jobs, 600 building renovations and more than $61 million in reinvestment to the program's presence in the state.

Criteria for joining the program is involvement of groups and individuals throughout the community and commitment of a broad based coalition of public, private, and civic groups, local government and consumers. It also requires a large number of volunteers to implement activities.

Organizers figure that running a Main Street program costs about $50,000 a year on average. Funds for a Main Street program typically comes from three sources: fund raising, private donations and city funding.

Criteria include public and private support for the commercial district revitalization process; vision and mission statements for a local Main Street group; an active Main Street board of directors and committees and membership in the National Main Street network.