SUGGESTIONS FOR THE CAPE GIRARDEAU CITY RETREAT

In keeping with the season, the Cape Girardeau City Council finds itself this April in a period of renewal. Three people new to public office have this month earned seats on the council. A new mayor presides at meetings. A new arrangement for council representation stands in place. What this rebirth provides to the city is a fresh perspective on some old and evolving challenges. Council members will gather Friday and Saturday at a retreat, the agenda being to examine a broad range of issues facing city government. Here, we contribute some thoughts to the municipal agenda.

Lexington Avenue

In terms of infrastructure, we believe the continued development of Lexington Avenue is important for the city. With work completed in recent years, Lexington, tying into Mt. Auburn, creates an important semi-circular route from North Cape Rock Drive to Bloomfield Road. This council can take action that will help close the loop. The next phase is the construction of Lexington from North Cape Rock to Old Sprigg Street. In order to provide much needed northern access to Southeast Missouri State University, the northern expansion of Sprigg Street is also important. On the other end of this project, progress is being made on the design of the Mt. Auburn extension south to the new Highway 74. All around (and that is the nature of this project) Lexington is an important addition for the city.

Annexation

From a growth standpoint, the council would do well to review the possibilities for annexation. Certainly, bringing in new tracts of land within the corporate boundaries would carry a substantial expense to local taxpayers, since the provision of municipal services to annexed areas must be forthcoming within a few years. But the long-term benefits might be appealing. There are residential areas north and west of the city, not to mention a rapidly developing territory where Bloomfield Road heads southwest, that would increase Cape Girardeau's population in a significant way. Further, they are merely logical extensions of where we believe the community is going. Why not view annexation sooner than later and ensure that development takes place in a sensible fashion.

City inspection office

On the issue of development, we believe the council should spend time reviewing the perception that the city's inspection office hinders construction. Whether this is a valid assertion or not, it persists and needs to be addressed; if inspection services delay work or place needless hardships on contractors, development suffers and the city does, too. Mayor Al Spradling III expressed this concern during his campaign, and we look for him to initiate this topic.

Along these lines, we feel the new council members, a couple of whom have already voiced opinions on the subject, will get their first taste of the quandary that enfolds the question of minimum housing standards. Last week, the council acted to appoint a committee to study the issue; it won't be the first such review. Our view of minimum housing standards is that officials should make every effort to enforce laws already on the books before trying to support a new batch of regulations.

Our view of minimum housing standards is that officials should make every effort to enforce laws already on the books before trying to support a new batch of regulations.

Public housing

The question of public housing is bound to come up at the retreat. We believe the council should resist the temptation to tap into the federal well that generates money for such an undertaking but fails to fill the soon inflated needs and only results in long-range problems and expenses. Turning to this sort of government assistance would merely show business-as-usual thinking, and we hope the new council acts in a more reflective manner, specifically in encouraging some private and market-driven solution to the problem.

Civil defense

As an item that probably won't be brought up but should be, there is the matter of civil defense. Tornado deaths in the south last month provide a reminder that the city has no method for alerting its citizens to the approach of a threatening storm. A siren warning system that was tested in 1980 developed into a community laughingstock, never proving dependable enough to warn anyone of anything and finally being disassembled. Fourteen years have passed, and the community has been lucky. Hopefully, the luck will hold out. Still, some more advanced technology might be available 14 years after the last try that would provide Cape Girardeau with this valuable addition to public safety.

City lights

Finally, not an emergency issue, but certainly no less important, is the dirge of proper lighting in parts of Cape Girardeau. We would encourage council members to make sure all areas of town are well and properly lit.

The council members should have a full platter for its retreat, and that's terrific news. The busy nature of their work is a reflection of the thriving nature of the city they govern. We wish them well in their studies and respectfully submit the above ideas for consideration.