PROGRAM FOR YOUTHS OUTLINED

Business leaders got their first glance at Planet X-Treme, a new initiative designed to increase social opportunities for Cape Girardeau youths, during the monthly Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee at the Show Me Center Friday.

Dan and Nora Ross, Planet X-Treme founders, have been working since January to develop a place young people 12 to 19 can safely go to socialize. They said school shootings and juvenile crime are not just inner-city problems anymore; crime is on the rise in small towns because there aren't any constructive activities for youths.

"We want to provide a stable environment for our kids that has things they want to do in it," said Dan Ross. "It's time for the schools, it's time for the community and it's time for the businesses to come together and solve everything together."

Ross said he is seeking business and community support to purchase and redevelop a building to house Planet X-Treme, a community center that would have everything from a roller-hockey arena to activity courts to a sound studio for teen-led bands. He is seeking not-for-profit designation for the organization, and an application for a state program that provides 50 percent tax credits for companies making charitable donations is being processed.

A prime site for the center would be the former Wolohan Lumber Co. building, a 75,000-square-foot structure near the junior and senior high schools, said Ross. The building is big enough to provide a variety of activities, and its proximity to schools would mean students wouldn't have far to go for lunch or after-school recreation.

"Skateboarding is not a crime, and yet many of our churches and businesses have signs up prohibiting skateboarding and rollerblading," he said. "If we don't give them something to do they will find something destructive to do."

Ross said the building would be managed by adults, and electronic security measures would be in place to monitor attendance. Phone calls would be made to keep parents informed if a child decided to leave after being dropped off, he said.

"We all know how they do it at the mall: The parents drop a child off, and they wait until their parents leave, then get in a car and go somewhere else," he said. "We can't keep them from leaving, but we can call mom and dad and make them aware that their daughter left 15 minutes after arriving."

Planet X-Treme could cost up to $2 million, but that figure could be reduced by donations for labor, equipment and supplies. Ross said he has received favorable responses from local government, school and civic organizations in support of the project.

"I just want people to see Cape Girardeau before the shooting," he said, referring to school shootings that have occurred during the past 18 months. "I want people to see Cape Girardeau residents aren't trying to play catch up; they're trying to prevent it from happening."