New Gateley garden work set to begin in spring

A former Cape Girardeau city councilman's honorary rose garden will be re-created starting this spring.

Melvin Gateley, who served in Ward 2 for eight years, said he wants the garden to become "a community affair."

Plans to relocate the rose garden named for Gateley that was behind city hall at 401 Independence St. began last summer when the city determined it needed to run a utility line through the old garden space. The garden is moving to an area west of the Red House Interpretive Center on Main Street, where the city recently doubled the size of an existing park by filling in the former Aquamsi Street.

"I considered it a blessing," Gateley said of the move during a presentation to the city council earlier this month, "because the garden was in a location that not many people were aware of its existence."

Plans for the garden call for lighting, benches, a fountain and rose bushes, but Gateley said the community's help is needed to make that happen. To fund the new garden and its maintenance, the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Foundation soon will offer engraved bricks that may be placed in the garden, along with opportunities to sponsor its other amenities, such as the benches and fountain.

Engraved bricks that were bought and included in the old garden also are being redone to be included in the new garden.

Gateley also said he expects the new garden will have educational kiosks that will tell visitors the garden's story and recognize people who were involved in implementation of the Vision 2000 plan. One of Gateley's roles in Vision 2000 was that he worked to plant more than 5,000 rose bushes throughout the city during the 1980s and '90s.

Mayor Harry Rediger calls Gateley "Mr. Cape Girardeau" and said at a recent city council meeting the city owes Gateley for his contributions to the community, particularly through his work on a strategic plan, because it helped beautify the city.

Rediger also said he hopes the rose garden's move will draw attention to Murtaugh Park -- named for the Rev. James A. Murtaugh, former civic leader and head of St. Vincent's College, and the downtown area that includes the Red House.

Information on engraved bricks can be obtained by calling the parks and recreation foundation at 339-6340.

eragan@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

William Street and South Main Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.