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Engler ‘distraught’ at possible loss of Tour of Missouri funding From news releases FARMINGTON – Ste. Genevieve County’s representative in the Missouri Senate said he is "distraught" at the prospect of having the 2009 Tour of Missouri cancelled. Two of the ‘Host Cities’ in this year’s bicycle race are in Senator Engler’s district: Ste. Genevieve and Farmington. Late Thursday afternoon, after learning of the possible loss of funding, Sen. Engler released this statement: "I am distraught after learning of Gov. Jay Nixon's irresponsible actions to jeopardize the future of this year’s Tour of Missouri. This race is a smart investment during tough economic times. The state’s $1.5 million investment yields nearly $30 million in revenue. The cancellation of this race will result in the breach of numerous contracts, leave the state susceptible to millions of dollars in legal fees, and waste the effort and money already put forth by organizers, cities, private citizens, and the state. For more details on this issue, I urge Missourians to visit http://savethetourofmissouri.blogspot.com/ and to call 573-751-3222 and urge Gov. Nixon to save the tour." The Missouri Bicycle Federation has also reacted strongly to word that the Department of Economic Development, under direction from Governor Nixon, has proposed cutting $1.5 million in funding from the 2009 Tour of Missouri professional bicycle race. The proposed cut appears to be confirmed in a copy of a memo from Linda Martinez, Director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, posted to the web site http://savethetourofmissouri.com A Missouri Bicycle Federation official said if that crucial funding is cut it will likely stop the 2009 Tour. "The Tour of Missouri is strongly supported by the two million bicyclists in Missouri," said Missouri Bicycle Federation Executive Director Brent Hugh. "It is an exciting event that has brought tourism dollars to large and small towns across the state, including lots of smaller cities and towns--like bringing the Rams to Branson or St. James." "The Tour has put Missouri in an amazingly good light on an international stage--and is one of the few investments of this type that actually more than pays for itself in the state tax revenue it brings in." The 2009 Tour's funding was approved by the General Assembly as part of the regular budget, signed by the Governor, and approved by the Missouri Tourism Commission. "We thought the Tour funding was safe for 2009," said Hugh. "It's very disappointing to find out that is not true." The Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation encourages its members and others who support the Tour of Missouri to call the Governor's office at 573-751-3222 to let him know about citizen support for the Tour. |
