NEW VO-TECH SITE MAKES SINESE -- AND IT'S A BARGAIN AS WELL

With what amounts to another display of competent leadership, the Cape Girardeau Board of Education has picked a site for a new vocational-technical school. That same site is likely to be used for a new high school in the district's master plan, provided voters approve another bond issue down the road.

The new vocational-technical school was authorized by voters April 1 when they approved a $14 million bond issue that also includes a new elementary school and other district improvements. The elementary school will be constructed on a site the district already owns near the intersection of Sprigg and Bertling.

There were many considerations in choosing the site for the new vo-tech school. First and foremost was cost. The district is spending $1.375 million for the 75 acres near the intersection of Kingshighway and Southern Expressway. This price is lower than land values in that area. Thanks to the generosity of the current landowner, Earl Norman, the price was reduced by a $100,000 gift to the district that shows strong support for the district and its new school.

Other considerations included access and visibility. The district estimated some 2,000 students a day will be going to and from the new vo-tech school. Moving the school out of primary congestion areas should be a plus for traffic patterns in general. Access to Interstate 55 is only a short distance away. And the extension of Southern Expressway along the edge of the school site will provide yet another access.

The new school wil be visible from I-55. District officials, like businesses that are drawn to the interstate corridor, understand the importance of visibility, particularly for something as important as a new school that serves surrounding districts as well as the Cape Girardeau district.

Taken with all the other recent good news -- school bond issue, the city's water and street improvement projects, retail expansion and industrial development -- the selection of the vo-tech school site is but another step in this area's continuing progress. Hats off to the school board for its efforts to make the most of the voters' endorsement.