The City of Cape Girardeau pinpointed a list of early projects it will fund with revenue from the new Isle of Capri Casino.
The list includes new Broadway parking, demolition of dilapidated buildings near Good Hope and Sprigg Streets, new warning sirens and a space design for a police station.
Assistant City Manager Heather Brooks says the facility needs at the police department are great.
“It’s something that has been on the radar for the city for a while,” Brooks said. “And this is probably the step in trying to get our hands around what exactly is needed and what that might look like.”
Other projects include a dog park, lighting improvements along Hopper and Main Streets, demolition of the old CVB building and a traffic signal power backup.
Brooks says other cities with casinos have stressed the importance of completing highly visible, immediate projects with casino funds.
“A lot of these might have been projects that have been on the radar, we just have not had a funding source for them,” Brooks said. “But they are also projects that can have an immediate impact. They’re projects that hopefully be seen by the residents sooner than maybe some other types of projects.”
The projects total over $2.2million dollars. The biggest ticket item is $750,000 dedicated to Broadway parking.
The city will work on these projects concurrently.