Downtown survey

When Gov. Matt Blunt announced his DREAM Initiative last year, he hoped the effort would be a useful resource for Missouri cities trying to revitalize their downtown areas. DREAM stands for Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri. Cape Girardeau was one of the first 10 cities selected to participate in the program. The intent of DREAM is to help cities take full advantage of the community and economic-development assistance programs offered by the state.

As part of the DREAM process, each participating city is required to do an assessment of downtown potential and objectives. A St. Louis firm is coordinating surveys for DREAM cities, and some 3,000 residents of Cape Girardeau, selected at random, should have received a mailed questionnaire this week. The questionnaire is an attempt to get as much community involvement as possible in the overall DREAM process.

Ordinarily, mailed surveys tend to get a low response. But Cape Girardeau officials are hoping residents here will understand the importance of the survey results and will take the time -- just a few minutes -- to fill out the questionnaire and return it in the postage-paid envelope that came with the survey.

This is an opportunity to have a direct impact on a major undertaking in Cape Girardeau. If you received a questionnaire, please fill it out and mail it back. And thank you for being interested in the future of downtown Cape Girardeau.