CITIES OVERCOME DIFFERENT HURDLES ON ROAD TO SUCCESS

Ask community leaders from anywhere what makes their cities special and they will tell you the same things.

They talk about the malls, the parks, the airports, the schools.

There's some truth in that -- all those things are important. But one thing makes cities different from each other.

Their people.

In Jonesboro and Cape Girardeau, it's the people's volunteer spirit. Nothing can take away Jonesboro residents' pride in their community, Mayor Hubert Brodell said. They band together to make the city a beautiful, progressive place to live.

Mayor Al Spradling of Cape said his city's unusual blend of people all want a common goal: "a vibrant, progressive, happy place to live."

In Carbondale, the city manager points to the people's diversity. A large percentage are foreigners who came to Southern Illinois University and stayed to make a life for themselves. Their presence allows Americans to learn more about the rest of the world.

Paducah's mayor, Gerry Montgomery, complimented her city's residents for their value systems. Those who have achieved their goals feel they should give back to the community that helped them.

But no matter how great the people are, all of these cities have dilemmas to face. Officials don't like to use the word "dilemma" -- they prefer "challenge" or "opportunity" -- but all the cities have them..

Spradling spoke about dealing with growth problems, like getting sewer service and water to undeveloped areas and expanding the city's almost-to-capacity water system.

While opposing public housing, he wants more affordable homes for people.

And perhaps the most pressing is the division of Cape's south side. The new route to the Mississippi River may bridge a gap but end up alienating some residents.

"How do we keep the south side feeling a part of the community with the new bridge route?" Spradling said. "We can't let that become a dividing line."

Jonesboro's Mayor Brodell also cited difficulties in dealing with growth. He wants to get the street paving system in place and then look to a drainage program.

And he recently appointed a commission to look at Jonesboro's parks and recreation.

"We have a tremendous amount of people who help us, but we need to make improvements," Brodell said. "This is something I'll be pressing very hard."

Carbondale's and Paducah's challenges are completely different.

For a long time, both Carbondale's city manager and chamber director will admit, the city relied on Southern Illinois University to support the city. Trouble is, students graduate and may have to leave the city to find jobs. And SIU only can support so many people.

The unemployment rate in Jackson County is a respectable 5.4 percent, Carbondale City Manager Jeff Doherty said, but it's not low enough.

"Promoting economic development is our number-one goal here," he said. "If you talk to people in the community, creation of better jobs is probably the most important thing."

Paducah's mayor wants to see better, higher-paying jobs come to her city, too. While Paducah has been successful in attracting jobs, economic development also presents a problem.

"One of our biggest challenges is working with the revitalization of inner-city neighborhoods," Montgomery said. "As more industries move in, more people move outside the city, leaving neighborhoods that need to be revitalized."

A close study of all aspects in life in Cape Girardeau, Paducah, Jonesboro and Carbondale would take months, but even the casual observer can see they all have some attractions and some pitfalls.

And as society moves further into the Information Age, a closer link between the cities may allow them to learn from each other and progress together.

LAST IN A SERIES

Today: Challenges faced by four cities.