Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for June 6, 2006 WELCOME TO CAIRO

From the WPSD Channel 6 website...

IL: Cairo Gets Big Grant for New Welcome Center

Brooks Ware,
WPSD NewsChannel 6

Cairo, Illinois, will get more than $673,000 to turn the historic toll house at Fort Defiance Park into a tourist welcome center.

Some people who live in Cairo say a welcome center between two heavily traveled bridges would corral people from Kentucky and Missouri, and direct them to the city's historic buildings.

Miranda Farris has lived in Cairo for nearly 20 years. She believes the welcome center could entice people to visit this sinking river town.

Farris, "If it would help bring people in to look more around the area, and be more interested, it might boost interest in the area."

Josie Brim has lived in Cairo her entire life and believes a new welcome center is the last thing Cairo needs.

Brim, "What they really should be doing is bringing in some business in here. That's what I think. They should take that money and bring some business here because this place is just gone."

The problem is, the $673,000 grant can only be used for specific projects, like bike trails or preserving historic transportation resources.

Matt Vanover, Illinois Department of Transportation, "It can't be used to redo a road. It has to be used for these specific purposes."

Miranda Farris says any money coming into Cairo is a good thing, even if some believe it could be better spent somewhere else in the city.

Cairo was one of 105 cities chosen for the grant. Work on the welcome center must start within one year to be eligible for funding.