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NewsSeptember 11, 2000

Cape Girardeau's newest floodwall mural would reflect the city's river heritage and serve as both a tourist and educational attraction, supporters of the project say. The city could get the new floodwall mural and a scenic overlook if two funding applications to the Missouri Department of Transportation are approved. Both projects have already been endorsed by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce and hope to use federal transportation money set aside for beautification projects...

Cape Girardeau's newest floodwall mural would reflect the city's river heritage and serve as both a tourist and educational attraction, supporters of the project say.

The city could get the new floodwall mural and a scenic overlook if two funding applications to the Missouri Department of Transportation are approved. Both projects have already been endorsed by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce and hope to use federal transportation money set aside for beautification projects.

The project applications are due Friday for consideration in the coming funding cycle.

The Cape Girardeau City Council passed resolutions Tuesday in support of the River Campus terrace project for Southeast Missouri State University and a floodwall mural design submitted by the River Heritage Mural Association.

The $190,000 mural would be one of the best designed and well-painted in the city, said Tim Blattner, president of the River Heritage Mural Association. A local match of $38,000 would be funded by the association.

"This will be fantastic," Blattner said of the project. The mural will include as many as 24 panels depicting various aspects of the city's river history.

"It will be everything that happened in that one-mile stretch of the river known as Cape Girardeau," he said.

The mural will likely depict 500 years of history from Marquette and Joliet to Lewis and Clark and the steamboats used during the Civil War. Ultimately, the mural will end with the construction of the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge, Blattner said.

"It's a historic timeline of the activities on the Mississippi and on the shore of the Mississippi," he said.

The association has plans for the mural to be painted in a trompe l'oeil style in a 1,500-foot section of the existing floodwall along North Water Street.

The planning stage has taken about two years to complete, and it's likely to take another two years "before we can pick up a brush," Blattner said.

The association is still working to find an artist qualified to paint in the trompe l'oeil style, a painting technique that uses long-lasting paints that can hold images for 100 years. A German brand paint will be used for the project.

"It takes some hard work to locate" an artist but there are people qualified, Blattner said. The list of potential artists has been narrowed to about six so far.

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The mural association has done seven other projects in the city, including the "Wall of Fame" mural just past where the proposed mural will go. All of those projects have included some historical aspect, whether important events and developments in the city or famous people in the state.

Using a thematic approach has proven to be a good way to address mural design, Blattner said. "If anything this will be historic and educational."

Southeast Missouri State University is hoping to enhance the look of the riverfront with a scenic overlook and terrace at its River Campus.

The university plans to transform a former seminary campus into a performing arts center. The terrace project would include developing an overlook of the river, a parking area, a pavilion and a walkway and trail improvements.

The walkway and trail would supplement the city's proposal to create a trail along the Mississippi River from Sloan Creek, which starts in an area near Lexington Avenue, south to the River Campus.

The city is seeking federal funding from MoDOT to pay 80 percent of the estimated $1.5 million cost for the trail. The mural application could either be filed separately or in conjunction with the river walkway request.

Both projects would likely be funded through the Transportation Equity Act, a federal program that provides $20 million per year to the state for use in enhancement and beautification projects. The $20 million in funding lasts from 1998-2003 and is divided among the states 10 highway districts.

Each district gets an allotment based on census data, said John Miller, traffic studies and corrections engineer with MoDOT. "We have found that certain areas have not turned in enough applications and their money goes to other districts."

Urban areas have little trouble finding projects worthy of the applications and have the staff to handle all the paperwork and requirements involved, he said.

The projects take a lot of work because the city or agency submitting the application has to get all clearances and right-of-way easements before any construction can begin. Once the construction begins, the city can be reimbursed by MoDOT.

The number of applications continues to grow but in some areas there is a "need for projects" and a lack of excitement, Miller said.

The TEA-21 program requires that 10 percent of a state's surface transportation budget -- not its entire transportation budget -- be used for recreational facilities, scenic or historic sites, tourist or welcome centers, landscaping or beautification projects.

The program began in 1991 under a different name but was continued by Congress.

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