City should seek drainage solutions

About 50 Cape Girardeans who turned out at a city meeting on storm-water drainage problems heard about a list of six large drainage projects the city hopes to carry out instead of being given solutions to drainage problems in their neighborhoods.

It was obvious from the tone of the meeting that those who attended wanted the city to do something about their specific problems rather than hear about $1.8 million in long-range improvements the city is contemplating.

As one man put it, "I understand there's a big picture, but I'm just looking for the guys with the shovels who will dig these ditches out."

City manager Michael Miller said although the city and the residents were there for different reasons, the city staff gained by hearing firsthand about their concerns.

While some of the projects planned by the city may improve storm-water drainage in the neighborhoods represented by residents at the meeting, immediate solutions might also be possible.

Hearing about the problems is the first step in finding those solutions.

It would good if the city were to meet with the citizens again to determine if some of the neighborhood problems can and should be corrected as soon as possible.