The Cape Girardeau City Council met on May 18 and discussed the goals of the SEMO REDI program and amending ordinances regarding downtown billboards.
Southeast Missouri Regional Economic Development Inc. (SEMO REDI) is a local organization led by CEO Shad Burner that aims to increase population and economic growth throughout Southeast Missouri.
Burner presented the 'SEMO REDI' Apprenticeship Program at the meeting to illustrate how apprenticeships within local businesses can help develop Cape Girardeau and the surrounding region.
He aims to make Southeast Missouri the number one region in the country for apprenticeships.
“Missouri is a top-five state for apprenticeships, has been for a long time. Southeast Missouri shares a little bit more than our population per capita in the number of apprenticeships we have", said Burner.
He emphasized the real-world application of the program.
"We have a little over 1500 apprentices in southeast Missouri. There are a lot of them that already exist, so it's not as far-fetched as you think that we could be the number one region in the country,” Burner said.
He described a three-pronged approach to increasing the number of apprenticeships in the area, starting with networking with community colleges and businesses.
'SEMO REDI' will also create its own certification that honors the Department of Labor apprenticeship. The third and final goal of 'SEMO REDI' is to be a resource for businesses.
Cape Girardeau City Planner Ryan Shrimplin discussed Bill No. 26-40, which would amend Section 25 of the Code of Ordinances regarding billboards, and Bill No. 26-41, which amends Section 40 of the Code of Ordinances, which regulates billboards in the Central Business District and the General Commercial District.
Both bills would allow more billboards in Cape Girardeau’s downtown, subject to certain regulations.
Shrimplin said one of the regulations would require billboards to be a certain distance apart. Originally, the bill proposed a distance of 500 feet apart. There was concern that would allow for too many billboards downtown, so now downtown billboards must be 1000 feet apart.
However, monument-style billboards whose sizes range from 4-6 feet to 8-12 feet are limited and can only go on quarter lots at intersections along the street section, not including intersections with alleyways.
Councilman Dewayne Schaaf brought up safety concerns he had with the billboards. He felt that the billboards may obstruct stop signs and may endanger people downtown.
“I just think that this is something that adds another layer, because it's allowed me to look 10 feet wide, and the monument is up 12 feet tall. It's just a lot of space that can potentially obstruct someone, whether it's at an immediate stop sign. I just, I really have pause whenever it's not at a four-way stop, take the time, because if you have the motion going downtown and there are people that go flying through there, it's supposed to be a speed limit, 30, which honestly I think should be 25, because I think that’s more sensible but at 30 miles an hour, I guarantee you, every day there is no less than 20 drivers that go almost 50, and if you have a child that's at Discovery Playhouse, and somebody doesn't see them because the monument sign, and they get hit at 50, that's very different than if they get hit at four or five coming off a stop sign.”
Newly sworn-in Mayor Robbie Guard argued that accidents would be avoided with the monument signs by requiring special use permits before their construction.
Ultimately, the council voted to approve the bills allowing billboards downtown.