CAPE COUNTY COMMISSION SOLICITING ROAD AND BRIDGE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

JACKSON - Cape Girardeau County 1st District Associate Commissioner Larry Bock is seeking names of county residents interested in serving on an advisory committee that will help draft a five-year capital improvements plan for roads and bridges.

Bock explained that the five-year plan would be updated annually and would enable the County Commission to establish priorities for long-range planning of the county's transportation system. The plan would also enable the commission to target realistic financing sources for implementation of the plan, he said.

"We have limited resources and must use care in choosing how those resources are to be used," Bock said. "We need to prioritize our funds to see that road and bridge safety hazards are eliminated and that our plan will help stimulate economic growth and development. Further, the county's funds should be used to guarantee that no parts of the county are neglected."

Bock said he hopes to have the nine-member committee in place by the end of this month or very early in March. Anyone interested in serving can contact the County Commission in Jackson at 243-1052.

"The only qualification for the committee is that you must be a resident of Cape Girardeau County," said Bock. "We want to give people who are interested in being part of this committee an opportunity to respond."

All three members of the commission will name the committee, and Bock will represent the commission on the group as an ex-officio member.

Bock stressed that in order to improve communications and planning on a countywide basis, he would ask the Cape Special Road District and the cities of Cape Girardeau and Jackson to have ex-officio members on the committee as well.

"If we are to serve the total needs of the county in the most efficient and economical way, we need to look at our transportation system as a whole and include all parties in the county," said Bock.

Members of the committee would also solicit presentations from Cape Girardeau and Jackson, the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department, and other groups interested in transportation in the area.

If the committee can begin meeting by early March, Bock said he believes it will be able to have a five-year plan in place by August, so the County Commission can consider it as part of the 1994 budget process.

Besides capital improvement projects like upgrading roads and building new bridges, Bock said the committee can also review the county overlay program. The program, organized by former commissioner Leonard Sander as a dust-control program on county roads, involves having property owners and the county share the costs of the overlay.

The program has grown in recent years, and Bock said the committee will need to look at how it has worked.

"Basically what we are trying to do is look at the overall picture of our road and bridge situation," Bock said.

Not only will the committee improve citizen input and provide the commission with a planning tool for roads and bridges, Bock said he hopes it will give citizens a clear understanding of road and bridge priorities, where funding comes from, and the cost of specific projects.

He explained the plan will have recommendations for replacement, repair or improvement of existing county roads and bridges; any ongoing overlay or repair programs; and acquisition of right of way or engineering.

In addition the plan will show projected revenues from federal, state and local sources and earmark those funds for recommended projects. Bock said the committee may also recommend additional funding sources or new road and bridge programs.

Bock acknowledged that some of the projects identified as needs will not be funded with existing revenues because there won't be enough money to go around.

"We need to list all projects that the county really needs and include them in the plan so that, if we get more revenues in the future, we have the projects in place," said Bock. "Further, this will allow us to get a clear view of how many and what projects we have no funding for."