To the editor:

My family roots are in Cape Girardeau County, and I am very happy to know that historical preservation of Cape Girardeau is gaining momentum.

However, I am more that a little ticked off that no one seemed to notice that the town has so many historical structures until now. I was in school at Southeast Missouri State University from 1970 to 1973. I had not lived there before then and had only spent a few hours in Cape until then. I was fascinated by the town and was always finding these wonderful buildings, wondering about the history of them and wondering why they were not being maintained.

After I graduated with a master's in urban planning from the University of Arizona in 1976, I was in Cape for a couple of weeks. I talked to people at city hall about the possibility of being hired in the planning department. They had no such department and were not interested in talking with me. So I got a job in McAllen, Texas, and wrote the historical preservation plan for the Rio Grande Valley. Now, 30 years later you all are waking up.

I am wondering about the other issues that you are not addressing now and in 30 years will find that a window of opportunity has passed. Just some food for thought.

AUDREY CRAFTON, Spring, Texas