What do you want in a marina? City of Cape hosts open house for input on marina project

Could Cape Girardeau sustain a marina? If so, where? What amenities should the marina include?

These are all questions City of Cape Girardeau leaders and staff from Klingner & Associates have, and they want the public's help in answering them.

City officials and Klingner engineers hosted an open house at Cape Girardeau City Hall on Thursday night to discuss with interested residents the feasibility of a marina in Cape Girardeau.

In December, Cape Girardeau City Council approved a contract with Quincy, Illinois-based Klingner & Associates to execute a feasibility study for a marina within the city's limits.

Thursday night's open house was one of the study's first steps.

The goal of the study is to determine whether Cape Girardeau could sustain a marina.

So far, the proposed marina is envisioned to cater to smaller transient vessels and have multiple docking facilities.

Klingner & Associates engineer Cullan Duke heads the marina feasibility study as project manager.

"We're identifying some potential sites, but we want to hear from the public," Duke said. "Are there other sites you'd like to see us look at?"

Three sites have been proposed for a marina. One site resides adjacent to Century Casino Cape Girardeau, another downtown near the riverwalk.

A third proposed site would place a marina just north of the Red Star Access boat ramp.

The study will include an analysis to determine the best use of publicly-owned parcels in the Red Star neighborhood. The city procured these sites through flood buyout programs from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The proposed site above Red Star Access would be near Red Star Park, a possible future development with funding earmarked through Cape Girardeau's Parks and Recreation Stormwater Tax.

Two of the three proposed sites reside in Ward 1 where the Mississippi River borders its entire western edge.

"Being as closely tied to the river as we are in Ward 1, you see the river traffic, especially the pleasure craft river traffic for recreational boating," Ward 1 representative Dan Presson said. "You notice there are a lot of people that would stop in Cape Girardeau who don't stop because we don't have a place for them."

Where the marina may be placed is in part determined by water depth and sedimentation, according to Duke. He said the two sites farthest downstream may see less of these issues.

"If you're in a location where the river sediments deposit, then you have to maintain dredge it all the time, which is an ongoing cost," Duke said.

The total budget for the feasibility study and land-use analysis is $75,000. An 80/20 matching grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) will assist with funding.

The city will pay a $15,000 local match through the Riverfront Development Fund. No other funding has been designated for the project.

"We don't have funding right now other than the funding for these studies," city planner Ryan Shrimplin said. "Part of this [the study] is going to determine what we should be looking at and how much it is going to cost."

Attendees of the open house had the option to leave comments on which amenities they'd like to see near a marina. Proposed amenities included camping sites, nature trails, restrooms, picnic areas, playgrounds and more.

The study will conclude May 31, according to a timeline provided at the open house.

Couldn't make Thursday's meeting? Direct any questions or input to Alex McElroy, Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization executive director, at amcelroy@cityofcape.org.