SPORTS COMPLEX, COMMUNITY CENTER STAY WITHIN BUDGET

Cape Girardeau city officials have scaled back plans for the Osage Park community center and Shawnee Park sports complex. At this point, the reductions don't appear to have diminished either project. It was only common sense to scale back both projects to fit within cost estimates, since only a limited amount of funding is available.

Excess tourism money from the quarter-cent sales tax on motel and restaurant receipts is paying off bonds for park improvements, along with donations to the city's Parks Development Foundation. The projects make good use of motel and restaurant tax dollars by bringing more tourists to town.

The city plans to spend about $2 million each on the softball/soccer complex and the multi-use community center. The city issued $3.5 million in bonds, and the parks foundation has raised another $300,000 in pledges toward its goal of contributing $500,000.

Initial bids for the Shawnee Park project came in about $600,000 over the architect's estimate, so that end of the project was rebid. City officials worried that the Osage Park project would come in high as well and scaled back those plans.

In the community center, plans for an elevated track have been cut, and less-expensive flooring has been chosen. Showers and locker space have also been cut, but the overall size of the center remained at 34,000 square feet.

The sports complex will still contain five softball fields, concession stand and four soccer fields. The lights and fencing have been kept in the project. But the concession seating area will no longer be enclosed, and the parking area may be gravel instead of paved. Warning tracks for the softball fields also have been eliminated.

The scaled-back version not only brings the projects within budget, but it also complies with the terms of a 1993 agreement between the city and businessmen Jim Drury and Robert Drury.

It settled a longstanding lawsuit against the city in which the Drury brothers paid their taxes under protest. The city agreed that equal amounts of money would be spent on both projects. The agreement spelled out some details of the projects including a minimum of 32,000 square feet for the community center. Without the agreement, the city wouldn't have been able to proceed with the parks project, because the lawsuit froze a portion of the tax receipts.

It is good to see the projects are moving ahead within budgetary constraints. Good government always learns to live within its means.