RCGA PLANS FOURTH ANNUAL HERE NOV. 7

The Regional Commerce and Growth Association will hold its Fourth Annual Banquet Nov. 7, to be launched by a news conference announcing the start of a federally funded feasibility study for the I-66 Project.

The news conference and banquet will be held at Cape Girardeau's Drury Lodge.

The engineering firm slated to conduct the coast-to-coast interstate highway project feasibility study will be announced at the news conference. The firm also will present the program at the banquet, which will begin with a social hour from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Banquet sponsors include Capital Bank, CyberTel, Dana Corporation, Drury Company, Jerry Lipps Trucking, Mid-America Hotels, and Procter and Gamble Paper Products Company. Sponsors of the social hour include Penzel Construction, R.B. Potashnick and Delta Companies.

The news conference will begin at 5 p.m. at the Drury Lodge Lincoln Room.

Walt Wildman, executive director of the RCGA, said at least two politicians associated with the new federal highway bill will participate in the news conference via a satellite connection with Washington, D.C.

"We have arranged to have, via satellite, at least Sen. Wendell Ford of Kentucky and Congressman Bill Emerson," Wildman said. "They will be on a two-way hookup from the Senate Media Service in Washington, D.C."

Wildman said persons at the news conference will be able to ask questions of Ford and Emerson, who plan to discuss the highway bill and I-66 from 5-5:30 p.m.

I-66 was conceived by the RCGA two years ago, and Congress this year approved feasibility study funding for the project. Wildman and other local officials are hoping the project will be developed as part of this year's new federal highway bill.

The east-west highway is intended to connect Washington, D.C. with California, with its corridor passing through the Cape Girardeau area and Southern Illinois.

For more information on the news conference or the banquet, contact Wildman at 334-4142.