TOURISM PROPOSAL DEBATED; PARK BOARD TO VIEW `SPORTS THEME' PLAN

A divided Cape Girardeau City Council Monday voted to direct the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to develop a "sports theme" proposal for use of excess city tourism funds.

The council's action came at the recommendation of the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau Advisory Board, which spent the past six months studying eight proposals for use of the tourism funds.

The CVB board refused to endorse a single project, but recommended the "community would gain the most benefit from expending Convention and Visitors funds on a project with a sports theme."

Two of the eight projects were sports-type facilities, and the board asked that the "best features of each sports theme project be combined to achieve the highest and best use" of the funds.

Councilman Al Spradling III made a motion to refer the matter to the park board as recommended by the CVB board. The motion also requested that representatives of the CVB board attend the council's next meeting to discuss their recommendation.

But Mayor Gene Rhodes said he wanted to delay action until after the council had an opportunity to discuss the recommendation with the CVB board.

Councilman Melvin Gateley also objected to referring the issue to the park board without additional public comment. He said the item should be included on the agenda for the council's next meeting in two weeks.

"I'm really disappointed that this item would be presented this way," Gateley said. "It's not an agenda item, and I thought we had a consensus in the study session to delay this until our next meeting.

"I really feel that this motion is out of order."

Gateley said during the council's study session that he wanted to hear "qualified representatives of all the aspects" of the tourism proposals.

But Councilman David Limbaugh said Spradling's motion wasn't to endorse a specific sports complex proposal, but only to send the issue to the park board and city staff for further study. He said the council last year "got flak" over its attempt to bypass the CVB board and study the proposals itself.

Council member Mary Wulfers said the council had to be "very careful about the message" it sent to advisory board.

She said the council asked the CVB board to recommend one of the eight projects, which it's done.

"If we're simply going to ignore their recommendation and head in another direction, why even ask for their recommendation in the first place?" she said. "They're going to think, `Why even be on the board?'"

But Gateley said the use of the excess tourism funds which are financed by a quarter-cent sales tax on restaurants and motels is something many citizens are interested in.

"I just know that in the city of Cape Girardeau there's a great interest in this topic," he said. "But I doubt if there's a single person present in this room that came to discuss this item because it was not on the agenda."

Rhodes also said he was uncomfortable endorsing a sports complex when voters have twice voted down tax measures to fund a softball and soccer complex at Shawnee Park.

"This sports complex was voted down twice and we're not listening to the public," he said. "We're jumping the gun and ramming it down their throats, in my opinion."

But Wulfers said a vote for Sprad~ling's motion wasn't an endorsement of a sports complex. The measure would only enable the park board and city staff to further study the idea and come up with a proposal for the council to consider later, she said.

"We're still in the homework stages. Let them finish their homework, let them get it back to us, and then when we have a public hearing, we have (a proposal)," said Wulfers.

Limbaugh added: "We have not made a decision. Why are you all saying we have when he have said repeatedly that we haven't?"

Limbaugh, Wulfers, and Melvin Kasten voted for Spradling's motion, while Rhodes and Gateley voted against it. Councilman Doug Richards wasn't at Monday's regular session.

In other business, the council voted 4-2 to spend $50,000 annually for the next three years to become a member of a regional economic and industrial development council.

Rhodes made the motion to earmark the funds provided other member cities and counties also pay their share. The group would be comprised of representatives of Cape Girardeau and Perry counties and the cities of Cape Girardeau, Perryville, Jackson and Scott City, Rhodes said.

Rhodes, Spradling, Wulfers and Kasten voted for the motion, while Limbaugh and Gateley were opposed.

Gateley again said he didn't think it was appropriate to vote on the measure because it wasn't on the agenda for Monday's meeting.

The council also approved changes in the city's weed abatement laws. One of the changes will allow the city to assess stronger penalties in the case of property owners who fail to remove excessive weeds.

A new section of the law makes each day a violation occurs a separate offense that can be punished separately in court.

During the council's study session, Gateley asked that the council consider adoption of "graduated" penalties that would be stiffer for repeat offenders.

The council also approved the request of Craig Felzien on behalf of the United Way to again conduct its Youth, Education, Literacy and Learning (YELL) campaign Sept. 15. Participants "hawk" newspapers on street corners to raise money for the United Way and youth literacy programs.