MURAL MAY REPLACE TREES BY WALL

A group that wants to paint a more beautiful picture of Cape Girardeau's river heritage might have to remove several dozen trees to do it.

The River Heritage Mural Association has proposed painting a 1,500 foot section of the Mississippi River floodwall in downtown Cape Girardeau to commemorate the city's association with the river.

The mural will cover an area north of the Broadway floodgate south to Independence and would employ the trompe l'oeil style, which is designed to look real instead of like a painting.

But in order to paint the mural and have it visible to onlookers and tourist groups, the trees lining the river wall would have to come down.

"Few people go down to see the trees," said Tim Blattner, president of the mural association. "But they would come from far distances to see the mural."

The trees -- Bradford Pear -- are planted on city property in an area between the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks and the floodwall. The land is maintained by the Main Street Levee District, the group that planted the trees.

About three of the 30-plus trees are withered or dying. Another couple are shedding leaves or have no leaves on their branches.

Paul Schnare, an adjunct professor of horticulture at Southeast Missouri State University, said the average lifespan of a pear tree is 20-40 years but these particular trees have been stunted in their growth by some wiring around their branches. That could account for their withering and brown leaves, he said.

While the trees have helped enhance the area, the levee district would support any project that could help beautify downtown, said David Knight with the levee district.

"We would be in favor anything that would improve the appearance" of the downtown area.

The levee district has heard separate proposals about what would happen to the trees -- one would leave them there, another takes them out entirely.

"We would evaluate it on the basis of what the proposal is," Knight said. "We'd rely on the presenter to make that proposal."

Blattner said no decision had been made about whether or not to remove the trees. He's not even certain who to ask since the strip of land involves the city, levee district, railroad and U.S. Corps of Engineers.

The River Heritage Mural Association, a group that operates independently of the city, has asked for help in paying for the mural project. The group requested recently that the city submit an application to the Missouri Department of Transportation seeking assistance with the project.

Cost estimates are $190,000 for the project, which includes hiring an artist and paying for the paint. The mural association has asked MoDOT to fund 80 percent of the project. That money would come from federal funds set aside specifically for beautification projects.

The remainder would be paid for with donations collected by the mural association.