Quality of life discussion hosted by Cape chamber

Quality of life was a topic Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Rob Gilligan identified in December 2022 as one of the "pillars of emphasis" in the chamber's ongoing strategic planning process.

To that end, Gilligan arranged a "quality of life" panel discussion at the Jan. 6 First Friday Coffee event at Century Casino Event Center.

Four invited panelists were unanimous in touting Cape Girardeau as an appealing place to live and work.

"I lived elsewhere -- in Columbia, Missouri; St. Louis; and New York City -- and it's incredible the opportunities we have to just enjoy life and to thrive, and I hear from visitors and residents alike that we do indeed have a fantastic quality of life," said Liz Haynes, executive director of Old Town Cape.

"I love that (now) people are staying local," said Penny Williams, recreation division manager for the City of Cape Girardeau. "In the past people might say they need to go to St. Louis or Memphis (Tennessee), but that's changed."

She noted the more recent development of recreational facilities at Shawnee Park Center and SportsPlex.

"Particularly from the outside perspective, I'm always really surprised to hear people say how beautiful this place is," said Jeff Rawson, director of rustmedia. "We hear it a lot, especially from people coming from the West Coast and from the Southwest, when we bring in athletes and musicians. They say, 'everything is so green (and) not dirty.' We may take for granted the natural beauty this area has."

"There is something always new to discover. You don't need to escape to St. Louis or Memphis," added Nate Saverino, senior associate director of athletics for external affairs at Southeast Missouri State University.

Other thoughts

"When we build good quality facilities, when we invest in them, we don't fail and it lends to success," Williams said. "In the Parks and Recreation Department, we have a program guide that comes out three times a year with 48 pages of things people can do."

Asked about the Cape Chamber's emphasis on quality of life as a primary focus over the next three years, Haynes reminded attendees not to forget employment opportunities.

"I think job creation is key. We have this amazing university and a great quality of life here, but there's got to be the jobs for folks to want to stay here," she said.

Of note

Jeff Glenn of GlennView Strategies and former president of the Cape Girardeau School Board asked the panel about Census trends.

"For the last 20 years, (Cape Girardeau's) population has not grown significantly, and if we keep doing the things we've always done, we're going to keep getting the results we've always gotten. With that in mind, what needs to change?" Glenn queried.

"I think we wait too long to attract young people to our community," Rawson responded. "I think we wait until they're juniors and seniors [in high school] to convince them to stay in terms of retention. I think we can start in junior high school. There's opportunity here. I grew up in Dexter, Missouri, and I ran away from this place as fast as I could because I thought then I couldn't build the things I wanted to build. I was wrong (and) I think it's really important to start earlier. It's a long game but we can start now with sixth graders, work with them to help implement their ideas and experience opportunities for growth."