Panel explores possibilities of projects funded by motel, restaurant taxes

The City of Cape Girardeau/Midamerica Hotels Corporation Feasibility Study joint committee met with consultants Friday to discuss the pros and cons of three of four proposed facilities that could be funded by hotel/motel and restaurant taxes.

Planning Design Studio, JACOBS and Ballard*King & Associates will provide studies and analyses for an indoor sports complex, indoor aquatics facility and an agricultural expo center. The committee will meet with a different consulting firm to discuss the fourth proposed facility -- a combined hotel and convention center.

The consultants offered examples of successful facilities in other communities and a few cautionary tales.

They began with the sports complex. Some examples featured facilities focused more on turf fields, ideal for soccer, football and golf practice. Others predominantly included hardwood floors used for basketball, volleyball or pickleball.

Whatever focus the committee finds most suits the area's needs, consultants said selecting materials is another important factor. Artificial turf versus grass and synthetic floors versus hardwood are decisions that will depend on budget and whether the facility will be used primarily for practice and recreation or for competitions.

Amenities dominated the conversation about an aquatics facility. Darin Barr of Ballard*King said a facility with a 50-meter pool would attract a "specialty market" of competitive swimmers, while a leisure pool would bring more general revenue from families and more recreational swimmers.

While the 50-meter pool would only serve a small group, Barr and members of the committee noted most families with children participating in competitive swimming are typically of a "higher economic bracket" and are willing to travel and spend more money. And bringing in out-of-town visitors to stay in local hotels and eat in local restaurants is a key goal for the committee, said project facilitator Julia Thompson.

An indoor aquatics facility comes with a high cost because "you never turn it off," Barr said. If the committee decides to renovate the Central Municipal Pool, which is outdoor but covered by a bubble, the expenses would be less but would require significant expansion to provide adequate space for spectator seating.

Similarly, the agriculture expo center could feature indoor or covered outdoor components. It would be placed at Arena Park, in the same area as the SEMO District Fair. Consultants discussed uses for the expo center previously explored by the committee, such as farm or car shows, but pointed out other facilities that included classroom areas and arena space for music acts.

The consultants wrapped up the presentation with a discussion of the service area. Ultimately, those numbers will determine what facility will be met with the most success.

The "designated market area" -- which included populations most likely to travel to Cape Girardeau -- extended north nearly to St. Louis, covered the entire Missouri Bootheel, reached west beyond Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and covered a small area of western Kentucky and Southern Illinois. The area encompasses a population of slightly more than 1 million people with a median age of about 40 and a median annual income of about $37,000, according to data provided by the consultants.

If the service area is extended to a 150-mile radius, that population jumps to 6.6 million. That area reaches to St. Louis and into Tennessee.

Consultants said it's possible to pull people from larger surrounding cities if the facility fills a need not being met in those areas.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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