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In the fall of 2006, Governor Blunt designated the City of Cape Girardeau as a DREAM Community. Governor Blunt created the DREAM Initiative program (Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri) to help communities strengthen their downtowns. Since the designation as a DREAM Community in 2006, stakeholders of Old Town Cape, Inc., the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Cape Girardeau along wth the Missouri Department of Economic Development, the Missouri Department of Finance Board, the Missouri Housing Development Commission and consultants from PGAV (Peckham Guyton Albers & Viets, Inc.) worked together on gathering information that led to the development and adoption of a downtown strategic plan.
The goal of the DREAM Initiative was to identify the opportunities and constraints in the existing downtown and develop a plan for future improvements, growth and sustainability. The DREAM Initiative began with a wide-ranging assessment of existing conditions and functions of Downtown Cape Girardeau. The assessments were used as the basis for the various tasks of the plan, and are what ultimately ended with the Downtown Strategic Plan. The Downtown Strategic Plan serves as a supplement to the City of Cape Girardeau's adopted Comprehensive Plan.
Since the designation, Cape Girardeau's downtown (Old Town Cape District) has seen an increase in State technical assistance and grant funds. The DREAM designation has brought in over $2.5 million in grant funds.
While the designation has been extremely beneficial to the downtown area, it would not be possible without the partnership between Old Town Cape, Inc., Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Cape Girardeau. By working collaboratively, these organizations have brought resources together to make the program successful.
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Funds received with the assistance of the DREAM Initiative:
| $ 400,000 |
Community Block Grant Funds for Fountain Street Extension |
| $ 185,000 |
MODOT Enhancement Funds for Fountain Street Extension Project |
| $ 102,000 |
Home Repair Opportunity (HeRO) Program funds to repair five homes in the DREAM Initiative Boundaries |
| $ 5,000 |
Missouri Arts Council DREAM Art Builds Communities Grant funds for Storytelling Festival (Money was specifically earmarked for DREAM Communities) |
| $ 5,000 |
Missouri Arts Council DREAM Art Builds Communities Grant funds for Tunes at Twilight |
| $ 600,000 |
State & Federal tax credits from the Missouri Housing Develpment commission for the private renovation of the Schultz School into affordable senior housing |
| $ 250,000 |
Community Development Block Grant Funds for Schultz School for conversion into affordable senior housing |
| $ 70,000 |
Missouri Heritage Properties Program grant funds to help replace the HVAC system in the Common Pleas Courthouse |
| $ 370,800 |
Community Development Block Grant funds for Riverfront Parking & Public Restroom Facility |
| $ 126,235 |
Preserve America Funds (although not DREAM funds, Federal designation in which DREAM was leveraged for grant funding) |
| $ 228,000 |
Redevelopment planning funds for the entire DREAM process |
| Total - $ 2,592,035 received for projects |
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