RIVER CAMPUS BOARD MEMBERS PROPOSE MUSEUM CHANGES

Members of the River Campus Board of Managers have proposed major changes to plans for a museum at the visual and performing arts school the university wants to develop in Cape Girardeau.

Under the proposal, the museum would be built on the northeast side of the old St. Vincent's Seminary grounds near Morgan Oak and Spanish streets. The original horseshoe-shaped design would be scrapped and replaced with a two- or three-story structure that would overlook the Mississippi River.

The original design had called for building the museum near the L-shaped seminary building, which dates to 1843. But board member Jerry Ford said Friday that placing the building away from the center of the River Campus would better accommodate museum and tourist traffic.

In addition to history and art exhibits, the museum could house a tourist center, he said.

The museum could be built in an L-shaped design, complementing the old seminary building. Ford said the museum could be built so the top floor is all that extends above ground level as viewed from the interior of the campus.

A second and possibly even third level could extend down the sloping grounds that lead toward the Mississippi River, Ford said.

Depending on the design, the building could include scenic overlooks at different elevations on the east side. Ford said such a design would give visitors a good view of the river and the scenic park that is planned on the tree-filled grounds.

Ford said the museum could have its own entrance off Morgan Oak. Once the old Mississippi River bridge is closed, the street would become a dead-end.

"It pulls the downtown area to the campus," he said.

Ford said the university could make use of the area, developing a circle drive for the museum and tourist center. The area could be enhanced with landscaping and lighting, he said. A parking area could be provided for both the museum and the park, Ford said.

Putting the museum in that corner of the River Campus also would open up the "great lawn" on the old seminary grounds, he said. Under the original plan, the museum would have taken up much of that space.

Ford said the project architects are considering the museum proposal.

Ford discussed the museum plan following a Friday morning meeting of the Board of Managers at Southeast.

Board members recommended the university publicly disclose the timetable for proceeding with the River Campus development.

Board members Dennis Vollink and Ford questioned when the university would break ground on the project.

Dr. Pauline Fox, vice president of administration and enrollment management for the university, said no firm date has been set. But she said the architects probably would have the design work done in less than a year. She said university officials have a schedule, but at this point the timetable is far from certain.

The project has received $16.55 million in funding from the state. The university is working to raise another $10 million.

The city's $8.9 million share of funding is being held up by a lawsuit brought by Cape Girardeau businessman Jim Drury and his MidAmerica Hotels Corp. The suit was filed against the city of Cape Girardeau. Both sides have asked for summary judgments in the case and are awaiting a decision from Associate Circuit Judge Robert Stillwell of Fredericktown, Mo.

Drury's lawsuit centers around a November 1998 election in which city voters approved a measure hiking the motel tax and extending the life of the motel and restaurant tax to Dec. 31, 2030. A hike in the motel tax was designed to pay off a proposed $8.9 million bond issue to fund the city's share of the project. But the bond issue proposal in the same election received 53 percent approval, short of the 57 percent needed for passage.

Since then the city and university have said bonds could be issued through a state agency rather than by the city. But Drury has argued that the city is collecting an illegal tax, and he has paid his motel taxes under protest.

He contends the ordinance setting the election didn't meet legal requirements. For one thing, the title of the city law doesn't properly describe the proposed financial arrangement, Drury argues in the suit.

Fox said the lawsuit has delayed plans for the River Campus project. She said the university wants the lawsuit settled before entering into a design contract. "We really thought the suit would be done in January or February," Fox said.

But Cape Girardeau lawyer Walter S. Drusch, who represents Drury, doesn't believe the lawsuit is holding up the project. Even without the city's share, the project could be financed with nearly $30 million in state and university funding, Drusch said Friday. He said that assumption is based on the university raising its share of the funds.