TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT FOR GAMING DECISION

Gaming, go-carts, capital improvement and the go-ahead to proceed on the Cape La Croix Creek/Walker Branch Flood Control Project will pace the Cape Girardeau City Council's busy agenda tonight.

Two resolutions are on the city council's agenda for the selection of a developer for riverboat gaming in the city.

Such resolutions will serve as the vehicle by which the council can designate its choice for a gaming developer. The resolutions are alternate measures. That is, the selection of one necessarily implies the rejection of the other. Thus it's either Boyd or Lady Luck for the right to develop riverboat gambling in Cape Girardeau.

"After the council makes its selection by adopting the appropriate resolution, the (city council) staff will continue the process of generating a development agreement with the council's designee," said City Attorney Warren Wells.

Another key item will be the 1994-99 Capital Improvement Program. In accordance with the City Charter, a public hearing on the Capital Improvement program has been set for 7:30 tonight.

A resolution for adoption of the proposed Capital Improvements Program, with any amendments the council wishes to make, will be on the agenda for Monday, March 21. The City Charter requires that this program be adopted no later than March 31, 1994.

Two corrections will be noted to the council and two changes in cost figures are being recommended by the staff. The corrections are that the source of funding for the North Sprigg Main Extension should be changed from B to C (bonds: issued to bonds: pending). The same for the Middle Street Drainage System, which should be changed from I to A (from "other" to "general funds").

The cost changes being recommended are : $230,000 for 1994-95 and $730,000 for 1995-96 for the new raw water supply facilities at Plant No. 1. For the wastewater treatment plant area : $142,600 for 1994-95 and $333,400 for 1995-96.

These changes occured with submission of the formal pre-applications to the U.S. Economic Development Administration for grant funding for these two projects. During this process, funding was included for emergency power facilities for both the water plant and the wastewater plant.

If approved, EDA will provide 75 percent of the funding for both projects. The revised cost figures were outlined in the staff memorandum to the council on Feb. 7, 1994.

The only other input to date is tht Councilman Al Spradling III asked that the extension of Kent Street, south from its present terminus to Lexington Avenue, be included in the third fiscal year. The staff's estimate is that the cost of this extension would be $55,500, including right-of-way.

Another key item will be second and third readings of an ordinance approving a special use permit for construction of a public go-cart amusement facility.

A noise test to determine the decibel level of go-carts by Kart Inc. is scheduled to take place at the corner of North Kingshighway and Lexington, the proposed site of a go-cart track, today at 1 p.m.

More than 100 signatures were on a petition brought to the last city council meeting opposing the go-cart track.

However, this petition is not sufficient to invoke the super-majority vote requirement for passage of the ordinance, since it does not include signatures of owners of at least 10 percent of the area within 185 feet of the project property boundaries.