RUST COMMENTARY: ST. LOUIS IS STILL ONE OF MY FAVORITE CITIES

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal overlooked many positive aspects of Downtown ST. LOUIS while praising the Downtown Loft District.

Reporter Robert Rose of the WSJ wrote, "A trouble spot in many American cities, St. Louis's downtown is worse than most."

NANCY MILTON, director of public relations for the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission responded with a column in this week's St. Louis Business Journal in which she focused on some of the many positives of St. Louis ... one of my favorite cities (and she didn't touch on half of my favorite sites).

"The St. Louis I see does not have 'spiraling crime' as Mr. Rose claimed in his piece. In fact, in the most recent FBI national crime statistics, St. Louis was listed as one of the top 10 cities in America showing the largest decrease in crime. Additionally, the data on downtown crime shows this to be one of the safest areas of the city.

"According to the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission's advertising conversion study for 1996, 62 percent more visitors who responded to our advertising came to St. Louis last year than in 1995. Those visitors also spent 76 percent more than they did the year before -- $144.7 million. Conventions and meetings held in St. Louis are up 125 percent since 1992, and multiday group tours coming to St. Louis are up by 17 percent over 1995.

"Each year 6 million people visit St. Louis for three reasons: 1) leisure trips, 2) conventions and meetings and 3) business travel. And 4 million people, from out of town and from the St. Louis region, visited the Gateway Arch last year. Deryl Stone, the park's chief ranger, has called crime on their National Park Service property in the heart of downtown St. Louis 'almost nonexistent.'

"Five million St. Louisans and visitors each year make trips to St. Louis Union Station, the festival marketplace located in our grand 1894 passenger rail terminal. They're drawn by the downtown landmark's beautifully preserved Victorian architecture, a variety of interesting retail stores under the massive indoor train shed and a series of popular special events. According to the Station's Kevin Farrell, crime is also 'not an issue' for their visitors.

"The St. Louis Cardinals are defending their National League Central Division championship title in Busch Stadium -- downtown -- and drawing large baseball-loving crowds into the newly renovated venue. According to front-office statistics, nearly 30 percent of the crowd for each game is visiting St. Louis from out of town.

"St. Louis' overall hotel occupancy is up this year to nearly 70 percent. That's the highest hotel occupancy we've seen in St. Louis since we began tracking in 1988. With 5,000 rooms in the downtown area and nearly 20,000 in the city and county combined, it's clear that those hotels are being filled up with somebody -- convention and meeting attendees and group and individual leisure visitors coming to see the sights of St. Louis.

"A $300 million expansion to the America's Center convention facility -- the Trans World Dome at America's Center, where the St. Louis Rams play NFL football -- also hosted nearly three-quarters of a million people last year for non-NFL events including national religious and corporate conventions, concerts, national college football games, corporate training sessions, social events, special event shows and large public consumer shows.

"Two other major league sports facilities are located downtown, including just-renovated Busch Stadium and the Kiel Center, which opened in the mid-1990s as a venue for NHL's St. Louis Blues hockey team and the Saint Louis University Billikens NCAA basketball team. How many other cities can boast of all three of their sports venues located within a brief walk or a quick train ride of one another?

"St. Louis' clean, efficient light-rail system -- Metro Link -- which opened in 1993 and expanded to the airport in 1995, carries a much higher percentage of riders, especially one-day riders who are presumed to be visitors to St. Louis, than planners ever envisioned.

"There are new developments in the Laclede's Landing entertainment district along the Mississippi Riverfront just north of the Gateway Arch. In late September, Planet Hollywood will open in the Landing, within sight of the Trans World Dome. Such developments inevitably attract similar construction such as All Star Cafe and Hard Rock Cafe developments.

"The International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum has just merged with the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame across the street from Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis. The facility is being looked at for an NBC "Today Show" feature on America's most unusual museums. It also attracts bowling and sports enthusiasts from around the world. Does it sound strange? Absolutely. But is it a terrifically interesting museum? Without a doubt.

"There are so many reasons to visit St. Louis both in downtown and beyond: Free cultural attractions in Forest Park, a new Butterfly House opening at Faust Park, an expanded Magic House children's museum, the new Gateway International Raceway in the Southwestern Illinois part of our metro area, special exhibits, special events and much more."

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When private, free-enterprise business (the tobacco cigarette manufacturers) agree to a $360 BILLION settlement to prevent future class-action lawsuits ... along with accepting more tax increases and more rules and regulations ... we should pause and reflect to what extent lawsuits and fear of same are starting to set the agenda and timetable of business and government.

Why would the tobacco companies agree to this precedent? We know why ... but can't believe this is what we've come to.

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PASSING THE HAT: Zurick Sellers of Palmdale, Calif., was awarded $30,000 in a settlement with the Antelope Valley Mall. Sellers had filed a federal lawsuit questioning the constitutionality of the mall's "no backwards hats" policy. -- Los Angeles Times

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Many churches are presently holding or planning their Vacation Bible School sessions. What a bright-eyed, innocent group of young, enthusiastic people. They are the future and deserve our focus.

LaCROIX church members just concluded a three-week blitz on a Habitat for Humanity home and took it from a slab of concrete to a four walled, roofed, wired, dry walled, windowed and doored status to be completed sometime over the next six to eight weeks.

If every church in Cape did the same (the homeowner-to-be also has to provide sweat equity and take out a zero-percent loan to help pay for the construction of other Habitat homes), over 50 such homes could be built in Cape over the next three to five years.

In DYERSBURG, TENN., some major industries have adopted this project.

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This is a big week for GOV. MEL CARNAHAN and some area funding projects to be signed in the recently passed appropriations bills.

Included is the $5 million for vocational education and technology appropriations for the Southeast Missouri region including $2 million for the Southeast Missouri State University technology building; $1.5 million for the Cape Area Vocational-Technical School and $1.5 million for the Sikeston vocational program.

Also ... Governor Carnahan will have to select the two final prison sites from the community finalists which include Charleston, Mo.

It's my understanding that the Hearneses have led the charge on this, and the BOOTHEEL geographic location (we unfortunately have many more area inmates in distant Missouri prisons than other areas of the state) and the Charleston package should make this an attractive choice.

It's not always fun being governor (or leader of any group, for that matter). Choosing prison sites; to sign or not to sign partial-birth abortion bills; meeting the transportation needs of the state ... which first will require more explaining and data, secondly will require a tax proposal and thirdly will again transcend political party lines and divide the state along rural and urban area geographic argument ... but someone has to lead, and there's no shortage of those who'd like to and those who like to criticize a leader's choices.

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Having all six children and 11 grandchildren (plus two friends) visit us last week stretched the facilities which put some of the kids in a tent (which they thought was great).

Early to bed, and early to rise at 5:15 a.m. to the sound of the birds makes some remember the simple life. (The 70-degree nights were a help.)

However, I'll stay with air conditioning, a solid roof, modern conveniences and my new second-floor cave which I personally am outfitting as my secluded area within my own home.

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Cape was the safety harbor last Saturday evening for a vintage military two-seater jet which overnighted because of thunderstorms on the way to an air show in Pittsburgh, Ohio. The pilot and his daughter were part of a three-jet performance team with some of their funding coming from Peter Busch.

The father also flies the BUSCH BEDE laser jet and said that he and the other performers were former BLUE ANGEL, AIR FORCE THUNDERBIRDS or NASA pilots.

There are few thrills or challenges that can replace becoming an accomplished pilot and the joys and conveniences that come with proficiency.

I landed Saturday (after visiting Blytheville and Dyersburg and other close points) at the same time that TRUMAN COLE made his final landing after a 5 hour and 40 minute flight from Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Truman said it took longer than normal because he had to fly around some thunderstorms.

I've never been that far to the Northeast, though I've flown to the southern waters and the Pacific Ocean. I'll make that trip someday.

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Rep. Jo Ann Emerson has announced that she is pleased to welcome Speaker Newt Gingrich to visit with the folks of Southern Missouri. This event serves a twofold purpose. First, it is a great opportunity for a member of the House to bring us up to date on what is being done to advance the agenda of growth and prosperity for the American people. Second, and the most important, Speaker Gingrich's visit is a unique chance for one of our most prominent leaders to see and touch and feel rural America.

The event is scheduled for Friday at the Holiday Inn. A charity event for the Safe House for Women will be held at 4:30 p.m., and a general speech featuring Speaker Gingrich will be at 6:00 p.m. The cost is $8 per person.

~Gary Rust is president of Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian and other newspapers.