Cape's shame is on full display

To the editor:This is an open letter to Irene Stevens.

Dear Ms. Stevens:

You certainly are not wrong. You have accurately described the deterioration of the east part of Cape Girardeau. If there are any concrete plans to correct this situation other than vague, long-term goals and lofty platitudes, they are poorly publicized and rarely discussed. I certainly am unaware of them, and I daily read the Southeast Missourian cover to cover and always listen to Channel 12 news.

Though this has been a long-term concern of mine, I have been reluctant to speak out. I am a lifelong resident of the Cape Girardeau area, but technically I am not a resident of the city of Cape Girardeau. My home has been, for over 30 years, just outside the city limits.

On Broadway, from Southeast Missouri State University to the river, Cape Girardeau's shame is on full display. Anyone who remembers it from not very many years ago can only cry over it. Broadway should be renamed Blightway.

Is it too late? Can anything be done at this stage? I don't know. We have heard nothing specific, definitive or hopeful from anyone who might know. I do not know if this is a lack of discussion and planning or a lack of reporting.

When you return to Cape Girardeau, I will be applauding you and support you however I can.

Dr. CHARLES T. HERBERT Jr., Cape Girardeau