ADVISORY BOARD LENDS SUPPORT TO $11 MILLION SEMINARY PLAN

Convention and Visitors Bureau Advisory Board members Wednesday said they support an $11 million proposal to develop St. Vincent's Seminary but are reluctant to commit funds to the project.

The Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation last month unveiled plans to purchase the 150-year-old property and convert it into a national and local historic museum and Civil War interpretive center.

The proposal is one of five still under CVB Advisory Board consideration for tourism fund financing.

The board Wednesday continued discussion on two of the proposals the St. Vincent's project and a plan to build a west-side convention and visitors center in a special study session. No formal action was taken at the meeting.

Although board members said they thought the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation project held promise, they indicated reluctance to commit tourism funds.

"It's a visionary program, and if it gets off the ground, great, we ought to support it," said board member David Ross.

"But we can't be the ones to get it off the ground. I'd like to see it operating and running before we sink some money into it."

Board member Juan Crites said she didn't want the CVB to be responsible for funding the project and possibly incurring a large debt if the effort is unsuccessful.

Board member Dan Drury said representatives of the foundation have told him the proposal would need all the excess tourism funds for annual operating costs.

Drury said he didn't want the CVB restricted by putting all its available funds into one project.

"I think we're all saying the same thing," said Crites. "We don't want to commit all the money.

"We don't even want to commit a large amount, but we do want to be part of this project and contribute something. It may not be this year, but we do want to contribute something."

According to a report from John Gary, architect for the proposal, the project would be completed in seven phases. The first phase would include renovation of the seminary for museums; parking and landscape improvements; and administrative offices and a gift shop, at a projected cost of $5.7 million.

Eventually the site would house a museum of items and documents of national and local historic interest, a U.S. Grant library and Civil War re-enactment areas.

Plans also include a walkway across the Burlington Railroad tracks to a dock on the Mississippi River and other long-range plans.

At Wednesday's meeting, Chairman Robert Hoppmann reported that the foundation already has offered $600,000 for the property, which its owners are asking $1.1 million for.

He said he would hate to see the project happen without CVB support of some kind.

During a break in Wednesday's meeting, Hoppmann telephoned Barbara Rust, president of the foundation, for additional information.

When the meeting resumed he reported Rust said people want to donate to the project, but they're waiting until "some other person makes that big donation, probably to purchase the land."

Hoppmann also reported that Rust thought the foundation only needed "start-up" operating funds for a couple of years.

"They're looking for someone to get them started," he said. "We've got all this money, and they want us to start it up."

The convention and visitors center proposal would include about 3,000 square feet for a tourist center and 25,000 square feet for a convention center. The center would be situated in the vicinity of Interstate 55 and Route K.

Board members said that, like the St. Vincent's proposal, they were reluctant to sink a lot of money into a building. Others questioned whether the proposal would be a good investment of the tourism funds.

Ross said only about 10 percent of convention centers across the nation operate profitably.

Board member Beverly Estes said she thinks the city needs a visitors center, but not one that's part of a convention facility.

"I think they put the visitor center in there to entice us," she said. "I don't think a visitor center should be in there with all the motels. It should be on I-55."

Other proposals still under consideration for use of excess tourism funds include a recreation facility at Kingshighway and Mount Auburn and Shawnee Park improvements; a Shawnee Park softball and soccer complex; and annual funding for advertising of the SEMO District Fair.