TWO SURVEYS FOR DOWNTOWN AREA ARE UNDER WAY

How have downtown businesses fared in the past five years?

How would you rate Cape Girardeau's downtown shopping area in merchandise selection, price, parking?

What hours of the day do you prefer to shop?

What type of businesses does downtown Cape Girardeau need?

These and other questions are included on a Downtown Cape Girardeau Consumer Survey, one of two being conducted by the Downtown Revitalization Committee of the Cape Girardeau Community Pride Coalition. The other one is a Business Needs Survey for businesses within the Downtown, Upper Broadway and Haarig-Midtown areas.

The surveys are sort of a prerequisite in the Community Pride Coalition's quest for a Main Street designation for downtown Cape Girardeau. Main Street Cape Girardeau, which has been discussed in past years, has never advanced beyond the discussion stage. The coalition hopes the program can proceed to fruition this time around.

Some coalition members were among a group of 17 Cape Girardeans who visited Columbus, Ind., last weekend to see Main Street Columbus at work.

The business survey seeks data concerning the types and history of business and shopping hours provided to consumers. The surveys are the first of two sets of surveys to be conducted.

"These surveys will be forwarded to the University of Illinois-Champaign for study and evaluation," said Greg Williams, director of the Regional Commerce and Growth Association in Cape Girardeau and a downtown property owner and member of the coalition.

The University of Illinois will do its evaluations and come into the area for an on-site evaluation, said Williams.

A later set of surveys will be conducted by a Southeast Missouri State University marketing class, said Williams. The local university survey will be more personal, he said.

The coalition hopes for heavy participation in the consumer survey.

"If you shop in this town, let us know what services you want," said Williams. The business needs survey is primarily directed toward the owners or managers of businesses. "This business survey will help us find some gaps and fill in some of the needed services to Cape Girardeau," he said.

The downtown designation doesn't refer only to the river district of the city: it also includes upper Broadway and the Haarig-Midtown area.