Leadership Cape

There is always much interest in the projects the Leadership Cape groups propose each year. Leadership Cape is a program of the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce for professionals who want to learn more about Cape Girardeau and learn leadership skills.

Judging by a handful of Speak Out comments, it seems the public takes these ideas seriously. Some are quick to criticize, especially the large-project ideas that would require financial support from the public.

But it's important to remember the primary purpose of the exercise. The primary roles of the projects are to gain experience in team building, research, presentation and leadership. Secondary benefits are the people of Cape Girardeau are presented with good ideas worth pursuing. Over the years, some ideas have come to fruition -- the Discovery Playhouse children's museum, semoevents.com and Cape Splash, for instance. Regardless of whether the ideas become a reality, Cape Girardeau improves just by having smart and motivated people working together in small groups to build relationships and thinking about the future.

Twenty-nine people participated this year. Here is a rundown of their proposed five projects:

Pavilion

A proposal for a 60-feet-by-120-feet pavilion containing a combination sand volleyball court and ice rink for the Osage Centre. The plan included a seating area with a fire pit for visitors, designed to be welcoming and comfortable for families. The project would be paid for through a lease with Rink Management Services Corp. of Mechanicsville, Va.

Adopt-a-siren

A campaign to bring electronic, voice-commanded siren systems to population-dense areas of the city. Compared to traditional mechanical sirens, the electronic warning systems would have the capability to issue specific alert messages and updates, including all-clear signals, in emergencies such as tornadoes, floods, train derailments, chemical spills, active-shooter scenarios and terrorist attacks.

Boardwalk

A wooden riverfront boardwalk on the river side of the levee wall from downtown to the Isle Casino Cape Girardeau. The walk would include local sports hall of fame attractions along its length and cost approximately $1.2 million, which group members hoped to gather through corporate sponsorships and donations.

Broadway Theater

Rehabilitating the Broadway Theater to create a cabaret-style venue that would seat about 700. A complete rehabilitation cost analysis of the proposal was not completed by the group. Ideas for funding included using contributions, appropriations from local and state governments, grants, tax credits and special-event fundraising.

Speaker's bureau

One project, already created and executed at no cost to the public, was a speaker's bureau. More than 150 people were registered to be available to present information on a range of topics and most offer their expertise at no charge. To join the bureau or access the searchable database of speakers, visit semissourian.com/speakers. It is free to register and use the database.

The projects are time intensive, and we appreciate all those, past and present, who have gone through Leadership Cape.