Below is a Q and A for Boonville Ward 2 Councilwoman Susan Meadows, Q-The Kemper Campus has been a recent hot topic. What is your goal and future desires for the campus? I think Boonville has a golden opportunity to continue to develop Kemper Campus into a thriving center for education and recreational activities. I hope we can find a way to make this happen. I have heard discussion of the redevelopment plan for Kemper Campus, and while it would take several years, and a good deal of financial investment to implement some or all of those ideas, it is an exciting plan nonetheless. I think it will be necessary to identify partners and investors in order for us to achieve these goals, but I would like to see the plan moved forward to create something really good for our community. With regard to my thoughts about our Boonville campus for State Fair Community College, first I would like to be clear that I teach two evening courses at the Boonville campus. That said, I believe Boonville should feel proud of its efforts to bring the College to our community. I have taught a little over two years on this campus, and during this time, I have observed young and older students coming to this campus to begin a degree program or to gain new skills so they may then go out into the workforce and compete for jobs. If the Boonville campus were not in existence, I think there would be several students who might not even attempt to enroll in college programs simply because demands of family and job constraints would prevent them from trying to travel elsewhere to attend classes. Offering education and training at a local level can only benefit our community in the long run; I would like to think that if we educate and train people on a local level, hopefully, we create well-qualified, trained individuals who will choose to take or create jobs right here in Boonville. With regard to the historic Kemper buildings, I believe our city administrators are taking into consideration all options to preserve as many of the buildings as possible. The costs are substantial, to be sure, but through grant funding and other sources, such as Gaming revenue, I believe preservation and use of these buildings may be possible. Q-What needs are the most important in Ward 2? Bringing new job opportunities to Boonville is the top priority. I am hopeful that with our new Economic Development Director, Dr. Jim Gann, and our collaborative partnership with the University of Missouri, we will see good prospects for: attracting new businesses, business growth and retention, as well as opportunities for entrepreneurial business development. It is also important to support the city’s stormwater/wastewater projects. These projects have a high price tag, but I believe our city administration has prepared a well-planned approach to seeing these projects to completion over the next several years. I also think Boonville has many wonderful, interesting sites and points of interest, and I would like to see more support for tourism in our area. We need to attract visitors and out-of-town dollars to Boonville, and I want to see more promotion of our town to the outside world, and encourage new ideas that might bring visitors to the community. Q-How do you plan to get involved with committees and events around Boonville? I will accept whatever appointment(s) are given to me as a City Council Representative, and I will continue to take part in various community activities. Q-What are you currently involved with in the community? In addition to teaching and shopping locally, and as time allows, I try to attend and take part as a volunteer for such events as the Big Muddy Festival, and events sponsored by the Friends of Historic Boonville. I am a member of one of the Boonville PEO chapters, (a women’s philanthropic and educational organization that provides scholarships and donations at both a local and international level). I enjoy participating in various festival events, and I’m happy to say that I will be taking part in Pick-up Boonville this coming weekend. At this point in time, I am ready and able to participate, so I will look forward to becoming more involved in community activities. Q-What do you feel is the biggest obstacle facing our town and how do you plan to overcome it? The difficult economy has had a major impact on everyone, and Boonville has experienced its share of job loss and loss of local industry. The economy is now beginning to recover, and I want to work to help bring new job opportunities to the Boonville area. We have good resources for doing so: hiring the new Economic Development Director, partnership with University of Missouri to open up business and entrepreneurial opportunities, and the Kemper campus redevelopment plan which will make education and training available to folks who are looking to join/rejoin the workforce. Q-Why should citizens of Ward 2 vote for you? My goal as a city council representative is to take an active role in working to stimulate growth of jobs, education and training for our citizens, and tourism for Boonville. If folks in Ward 2 agree with these priorities, then I hope they will come out and vote for me. Q-Is there anything else you would like to add? I love Boonville—it has been my hometown for over 21 years now, and I care about what happens here. I think my town has the potential for providing: good jobs, good education, and wonderful tourism and recreational outlets. If you put all of these ingredients together, you end up with a town that offers good quality of life for individuals. As a citizen of Boonville, I hope we will see many good things happen that will strengthen this quality of life for our community in the future.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 19:25:29 +0000
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