Old Town Cape honors Langs for commitment to downtown

Old Town Cape honored Roger and Judith Anne Lang with the Charles L. Hutson Visionary Award for their commitment to Cape Girardeau's historic downtown during the organization's annual banquet and awards ceremony Thursday night at the Isle Casino Cape Girardeau.

The Charles L. Hutson Visionary Award recognizes individuals who have provided dedication, commitment, leadership and opportunities to the downtown area. Family-owned Lang Jewelry and Fine Gifts operated in the same building in downtown Cape Girardeau for 96 years until the Langs retired at the end of last year. The Langs were long-standing supporters of the Downtown Merchants Association, and Judith Anne Lang helped establish Old Town Cape, serving as its first president. They couple received the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business Award in 2007.

Old Town Cape presented five other awards to recognize local people and businesses committed to the preservation, promotion and revitalization of Cape Girardeau's historic center.

Volunteer of the Year

Bill Dunn was recognized as Volunteer of the Year for his "long-term love and care for downtown and work on the organization's Scholarship Garden." Dunn has been lead garden volunteer for more than ten years and has worked to plant, tend, harvest, sell and promote the garden and its produce. He also has taken care of the ground-level planters surrounding the trees on Spanish Street and the mulching, weeding and planting around the riverfront area. Dunn's work alongside other volunteers resulted in enough sales to endow a $10,000 Southeast Missouri State University scholarship in 2007, and the garden is well on the way to endowing a second scholarship, said Marla Mills, executive director of Old Town Cape, by news release.

Business Excellence

Lee Schlitt and Kevin Wood, owners of Broadway Prescription, were awarded the Business Excellence Award. The award recognizes "a great business that also demonstrates community involvement and a strong or long-term support of downtown."

"When Schlitt and Wood recently purchased the business they vowed to carry on the extraordinary commitment to their customers and the community that was established by the original owner over the past 80 years," said Mills by news release. "They have worked hard to grow the business and doubled their sales in their first year of ownership." Mills said the pharmacy was the first to help neighboring businesses with parking, promotion and ideas about how to thrive during the construction phase of the Broadway Corridor Enhancement Project. In 2012, Broadway Prescription was recognized as the No. 1 Pharmacy in the Southeast Missourian's People's Choice Awards.

Excellence in Revitalization

The City of Cape Girardeau, Horner & Shifrin Inc. of St. Louis, SWT Design of St. Louis and Fronabarger Concreters Inc. of Oak Ridge were awarded certificates for Excellence in Revitalization through Placemaking for improvements made as part of the Broadway Corridor Enhancement Project. The project was completed in a six-month period for a cost of approximately $4.5 million. "In true spirit of placemaking, the Broadway streetscape improvements have made it a destination worth visiting and not just a thruway to and from the Mississippi River," said Mills by news release.

Judith Ann Crow Residential Historic Rehabilitation

Centurion Development LLC was awarded the Judith Ann Crow Residential Historic Rehabilitation Award for the rehabilitation of residential buildings in the Old Town Cape district. Its restoration of 203 S. Middle St. cost approximately $225,000 and used state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits. The property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in October 2009 as part of the South Middle Historic District. The house is currently rented, and Centurion Development will begin work on another house in the district in the near future. Judith Ann Crow was the former archivist at the Southeast Missourian.

John Boardman Excellence in Historic Rehabiliation

Kenny Pincksten, owner of Prestige Development, was announced as the John Boardman Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation Award winner for his work on the Julius Vasterling Building at the corner of Broadway and Sprigg Street. The award recognizes projects that "demonstrate best practice in the preservation of historic commercial structures and that enhance the city's built environment through the successful rehabilitation, restoration or adaptive use of historic properties." Pincksten received a $400,000 grant from the city and consulted with architectural firm Keystone Design to restore the deteriorating building into a two-story commercial space.

2013 officers and board members

Outgoing Old Town Cape President Dr. Lisa Bertrand announced the organization's new officers, president Cory Daniel of Montgomery Bank, vice president Lee Schlitt of Broadway Prescription, secretary Donna Denson of the Southeast Missourian and treasurer Kent Zickfield of Zickfield's Jewelry and Gifts. Dr. Steven Hoffman of Southeast Missouri State University will serve as adviser to the executive committee.

New Board members were announced, including local artist Don Greenwood; Michael Hess, owner of Hotshots; Tim Ingram, vice president and general manager of KFVS12 and The Heartland's CW; and Joan Jones, Neighborhood Connections liaison. Current Board members are Doc Cain, owner of Port Cape Girardeau; Meg Davis of the Cape Girardeau City Council; Kelly Green of the City of Cape Girardeau; Thomas Higgins, owner of Thomas R. Higgins Accounting LLC; Chris Hutson, co-owner of Hutson's Fine Furniture; Dennis Meyer of Meyer Supply Co.; and Sally Owen of SoutheastHEALTH.

Stan Penn of U.S. Bank, retiring board member, was recognized for his service.

salderman@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

777 N. Main St., Cape Girardeau, MO