OLD TOWN CAPE BOARD READY TO REVAMP DOWNTOWN AREA

Although a group has already formed and committed themselves to making the downtown area of Cape Girardeau more attractive, they have yet to determine just where to start.

"We will have a plan," said Judith Lang, a downtown merchant. "It will not be a case of the blind leading the blind."

Lang is heading up the local board of 15 people who are involved in getting a Main Street program set up in Cape Girardeau. The Main Street program helps communities find ways to revitalize their downtown area to preserve the history of the town. Because there already is a Main Street in Cape Girardeau, the project is called Old Town Cape.

Getting started is a challenge. The problem is that there is no single area in Cape Girardeau that can be designated as the downtown area. This is because there are really three areas: the riverfront, Haarig district and upper Broadway.

Because there are three distinct downtown areas, "where do you put all of your priorities?" said John Bry, executive director of the Main Street program in Columbus, Ind.

Bry is putting together a report on the strengths and weaknesses of the three areas and what he would recommend for improvements.

The boundaries of the riverfront area extend from the Mississippi River to Independence street and Lorimier and Broadway streets. The Haarig district is the area around Route 74 and Good Hope Street, the riverfront, Pacific and Independence streets. The upper Broadway district includes Broadway with borders along Lorimier, West End Boulevard and Independence Street.

The goal for Old Town Cape is to tie the three areas together, which is why the boundaries overlap. City Manager Michael Miller, also a member of the Old Town Cape board, said the real strength of the program is that it will bring the areas together.

"This is something that will tie in the three downtown areas and make them function as one force," he said.

The best way to bring unity is to find ways to attract businesses that will spark more economic development.

"The main focus will be business," Miller said. "I think the residents will benefit by businesses being the economic driver."

Miller said much has already been done especially in the riverfront area where businesses have worked together to make the area more attractive. But the improvements were done several years ago, and the area is showing some wear and tear.

"It is starting to peel," Miller said.

Once the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge is complete, one of the first priorities should be bringing improvements to the Haarig district.

"Haarig is the first thing people will see," Miller said.

First impressions can make a big difference, especially for potential businesses moving to the area.

But it's not as though the projects have to start from the ground level. John Mehner, president of the Chamber of Commerce, he doesn't want to give the impression that the area is in dire straits.

"I hate to hear people say finally something is happening,'" Mehner said. "There are things going on now. This is just something to kind of bring it all together."

Mehner said the community is trying to find ways to restore some older buildings like the Marquette Hotel, and there are new businesses opening all over town. He wants to see the Old Town Cape project as the mechanism to coordinate the efforts.

But that's a huge task.

Lang thinks the first three to five years should be a test of what the organization can do. The goal is to raise enough money to hire a manager who can orchestrate the project. But that takes time and paperwork.

So far the city, the chamber of commerce, Southeast Missouri State University and downtown merchants have agreed to donate either money or in-kind contributions to get the project started.

An organizational meeting is tentatively planned for Sept. 22. During that meeting, committees will be formed and a game plan will begin to unfold.

One of the most important things the board has to do is find projects for the volunteers who might get discouraged when they don't see results right away, Lang said

"It is kind of like rebuilding a house," she said. "A lot of the groundwork won't be seen right away. But that does not mean that the volunteers have not been busy."