ZONING SNAG FORCES BUS-SERVICE SUSPENSION

Cape Girardeau again is without regularly scheduled Greyhound bus service to St. Louis and Memphis.

Bus service in and out of Cape was suspended indefinitely after the 3:50-p.m. St. Louis-to-Memphis bus left Cape Girardeau shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday.

Tom Clayton, customer service manager for Greyhound Bus Co. in St. Louis, said the company suspended service because it could not find an alternate site for the bus station that was closed earlier this week because of a city zoning conflict.

The station, at Spanky's convenience store, 353 S. Kingshighway, was operated by City Councilman David Barklage, who also owns the store.

Clayton said Greyhound buses will continue to make unscheduled stops here to drop off and pick up shipments of blood for the local American Red Cross blood bank. But passengers will not be permitted to board or get off the bus here, he said.

"Our regulations do not permit us to discharge passengers on the street, and the Red Cross in Cape told us they cannot be liable for people getting on or off the bus while it is on their property in Cape Girardeau," Clayton explained.

Clayton said his staff will continue to look for other suitable sites for a bus station. "I just received a copy of the city zoning map in the mail, so I'll have my staff continue working with the Chamber of Commerce in Cape to see if we can come up with a location for a bus station," he said.

Clayton said he asked City Manager J. Ronald Fischer and Mayor Gene Rhodes to grant a two-week extension to continue to operate the buses at Spanky's until a new station is opened. But Thursday afternoon Fischer said, although the city is very concerned about having a bus station here, hands are tied.

"The law is the law," said Fischer. "Certainly we are concerned about bus service to Cape because of the number of people who need bus service, the number of small businesses that depend on bus freight and parcel transportation, and the Red Cross for their blood supplies. But neither I nor the city council can set laws aside.

"Common sense says I would love to just turn my back and tell them they can go ahead and operate there for two weeks, but I can't, and the council cannot."

Fischer said the city staff did not look for the zoning violation at the South Kingshighway site. "We received a complaint Monday morning after the article on the new bus station appeared in the paper," said Fischer. "We checked the zoning map and then notified Mr. Barklage."

The South Kingshighway station was the latest of four bus stations to open in the city in a little over a year. It opened on July 18 but was closed Monday night after Barklage was notified by the city of the zoning violation.

Even with the bus station closed, Barklage said he could not allow Greyhound buses to continue to pick up and drop off passengers because it would be a violation of the zoning regulation.

"I realize it is very important for community and economic development that we have passenger and freight service for Cape Girardeau," said Barklage. "I certainly do not want to hurt Greyhound or its customers, but I cannot allow my company to be put into the position of violating any ordinance. Being on the city council I have the obligation to obey the rules better than others."

The convenience store is in an area zoned C-2. Bus stations must be in either a C-3 or M-1 area or an area of higher classification, according to the city planning office.

Barklage had the option of closing the bus station, asking for a special-use permit, or seeking a higher rezoning of the property. But he said that would take at least two and one-half months.

"It would be unfair to Greyhound and the passengers to have bus service to Cape cut off for that amount of time," said Barklage. "We do not plan to approach the city at this time for either a special-use permit or a rezoning of the property."

Clayton said South Kingshighway was an ideal spot for a bus station. He said Greyhound liked it because it was on a four-lane street with easy access in and out of town. For passengers or businesses shipping or receiving parcels or freight, it was easy to find at the intersection of Bloomfield Road and South Kingshighway, he said.

"It's really a shame, " said Clayton. "Here you have an ideal location for a bus station, and someone who wants to operate it, but cannot because of the zoning requirement."

Clayton said he deals with 105 bus stations in towns in Missouri and Illinois. "I have yet to find a zoning problem like we have in Cape," he said.

Ironically, a former bus station at a William Street convenience store was also operating illegally in a C-1 zone. The station was closed because of complaints from neighbors about traffic and noise problems before it was discovered the site was not properly zoned for a bus station.

Clayton said passengers at Cape Girardeau who want to ride Greyhound will have to go to Sikeston or Perryville to purchase their tickets and get on the bus. He said the same applies for parcel or freight shipments to and from Cape Girardeau.

Clayton said the loss of bus service will cause inconvenience to college students going back to school at Southeast Missouri State University or other schools.

Peggy Moss of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, who is helping Clayton find another spot for a bus station, said it is imperative bus service be restored as soon as possible.

"We no longer have train transportation, so we must have an economical form of transportation such as buses, " she said. "It is also terribly important to be able to move freight and parcels in and out of the city. We are big enough to have a bus station."

Clayton said ticket sales here have always been strong and the freight and parcel business here is also viable.

"We will continue to search for a site for a new bus station, but for now we have no choice but to suspend service to Cape Girardeau until then," said Clayton.