PLANNING: VISION 2000 PASSES JOB TO VISION 2020

No one truly knows what lies ahead for Cape Girardeau as a community, but plenty of people are excited by the possibilities.

A new strategic planning committee already has drafted an original plan for how to take Cape Girardeau through the next 20 years, but changes could be made. That committee, Vision 2020, will take its cues from the work Vision 2000 did but come up with its own unique goals.

Vision 2000 was a strategic planning organization that began in 1988 to help Cape Girardeau look at future growth and development issues. The committee, which accomplished 19 of its 25 objectives, will end its work in Cape Girardeau Saturday.

Vision 2000 is hosting a "return to the riverfront" parade at 1 p.m. Saturday, much like the one it sponsored in 1988 to kick off its planning efforts. The parade will start at Capaha Park and continue to the Broadway floodgate. Later that day, the group will present its final report to the community during a banquet at the Show Me Center.

A Vision 2000 memorial garden dedication is set for 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon at the garden area behind City Hall, 401 Independence.

Just being part of the plan and seeing the difference it made in Cape Girardeau was worth the effort, said Julia Jorgensen, a Vision 2000 member.

"We all have pride in our city and recognize there are things that could enhance our life," she said.

Vision 2020 wants to work on things that will improve life in Cape Girardeau. The group's draft plan addresses arts, culture and leisure; community services and enrichment; economic development; education; and transportation and infrastructure.

The latest strategic plan is broader and more expansive than the annual reports Vision 2000 has given to the community, and that is intentional, committee members say.

They say it's difficult to compare the two reports and committee work because Vision 2000 is a finished product as compared to the plan for Vision 2020.

"It's somewhat vague because that's what a vision is," said Nancy Jernigan, a member of the Vision 2020 planning group. "Every time we started talking about specifics we backed off because we are not to that point yet."

The Vision 2020 plan lists goals and objectives and some far-reaching "strategies for success." There will be specific aspects of the plan that require more definition, Jernigan said.

The committee will begin its intense work in January when key organizers are identified and given a task, said Kathy Swan, a Vision 2020 member.

"We need people to get involved. We are still working on the details of how to create the plan," Jernigan said. "There are still opportunities for people to incorporate their pet projects into the plan."

Some of the objectives listed by Vision 2020 are measurable and others are a little more difficult to quantify. The specifics of the plan will be added in action steps, Jernigan said. "Otherwise we won't know if we've accomplished anything."

Even though Vision 2000 has accomplished 75 percent of its work, there is still more to do, Jorgensen said. "We can make an even bigger difference in the next two decades."

The Vision 2020 plan will be divided among the projects that can be accomplished in five years and those that require a longer time frame, Swan said. In the later years of Vision 2000, much of the work had been accomplished.

"We will have a more active role in the implementation because it's going to be brand new," Swan said.

Yet some of the Vision 2000 work will continue primarily in the area of public meetings. With people becoming busier and stretched for time, it's important that Vision 2020 work hard to get community involvement, Jernigan said.

"People want to get involved in something proven, and we have to be creative in how we approach the next step," Jernigan said.

Jorgensen said that public meetings are essential to developing another strategic plan for Cape Girardeau.

"It's about polling people and going to as many different groups as you can. You have to go to them rather than them coming to you," she said.

Melvin Gateley, a key organizer of Vision 2000, hopes that the new committee will be more visible in their work. When people can see all the changes being made in the city, they are more apt to respond, he said.

Jernigan said, "Letting people see that the vision is happening, that will be the real challenge."