WEED AND SEED INTERVIEWING FOR NEW SEEDING COORDINATOR

Coordinators of a federal crime fighting program in Cape Girardeau are interviewing candidates this week who would like to organize community programs for the city's south side.

Organization of some programs has slipped since the former seeding coordinator, Debra Hamilton, chose not to renew her contract in March, said Lisa Lane, executive director of Southeast Missouri Weed and Seed.

"The hardest part is finding someone who can reach out to the community and find out what the people want," Lane said.

Weed and Seed is a U.S. Department of Justice initiative designed to weed out violent crime, drug use and gang activity in targeted neighborhoods while funding grass-roots improvements in those areas.

Hamilton said that she decided to allow her one-year contract to expire because the Weed and Seed board needed someone who could make a full-time commitment. Family responsibilities only allowed her to work part time, she said.

Six people from Cape Girardeau have been interviewed between Monday and Wednesday, Lane said. A possible seventh candidate who recently moved here from Memphis, Tenn., could also be interviewed, she said.

The hiring committee will make a recommendation to the Cape Girardeau Steering Committee next week, which will then make its own recommendation to the Weed and Seed executive board on April 27.

A new seeding coordinator should start work by May 1, Lane said.

Some of the past seeding programs that Weed and Seed has supported include day programs for children living in the target area and a clean-up crew organized by residents.

The Weed and Seed target neighborhood for Cape Girardeau is bordered by the Mississippi River, William Street, West End Boulevard and the Southern Expressway.

Lane is looking for a new seeding coordinator who will be a "go-getter."

"The person has to be instrumental in coming up with seeding programs," she said. "I would want them to lead the seeding committee."

Southeast Missouri's Weed and Seed board has made the seeding coordinator's position more attractive by increasing the annual salary to $18,500.

The prior coordinator had been paid only $12,000. This was the smallest salary for a seeding coordinator among the five Southeast Missouri cities that participate in Weed and Seed.

Southeast Missouri Weed and Seed is made up of five cities: Cape Girardeau, Caruthersville, Charleston, Poplar Bluff, and Sikeston.

According to the job description, which was created this year, the person must have either a bachelor's degree or four years of equivalent experience, prior work with youth and families, among other qualities.