Combined fire/police station rejected by voters

There continues to be a lot of talk in Cape Girardeau about replacing the police department headquarters with a more commodious structure. Comments pro and con have sprinkled this web site and have kept Speak Out buzzing.

Had city voters bought into an ambitious plan in 1969, the debate we now face would be different. Instead of looking to replace just the police HQ, we would be considering replacing a fire station as well. I don't know what the solution is to the present situation, but I do think it's interesting to look at the 1969 plan for insight and inspiration.

The drawing above was an architect's concept of a combined police and fire department headquarters. Now, don't laugh. Up until the city purchased the old Grace Methodist Church at Sprigg and Independence streets in 1959 and converted it into a police station, both firemen and policemen worked quite harmoniously from the same structure at Independence and Frederick streets. That building still stands, but now houses the River Heritage Museum.

Part of the 1969 plan was to raze that building, constructed in 1909, and build at the same corner. The caption for the drawing, published June 5, 1969, explains: "This is the architect's drawing of the proposed Cape Girardeau police-fire headquarters, part of the city's $1,665,000 capital improvements program. The building would be erected on the northeast corner of Frederick and Independence. The street to the left is Frederick, where the police wing fronts, and the street to the right is Independence. The building would take up 14,736 feet of space, the frontage on either street filling the quarter block owned by the city. An L-shaped open area will be left in the rear for parking. The drawing was made by Henry Creighton, architect designing the facility."

As the caption points out, the PD-FD HQ was only part of a $1,665,000 capital improvements proposal the city eventually put before voters. A breakdown of the costs associated with the program went like this:

* Two residential fire stations to serve outlying areas and firefighting equipment, $222,000.

* Acquisition and development of park property in the south part of the city, and purchase of park land near Cape Rock Drive and Perryville Road, $150,000.

* Acquisition of equipment and land to operate a refuse collection and disposal system, $375,000.

* Police and fire complex, $823,000.

* Fire equipment for the main station, $130,000.

The City Council proposed a $1,600,000 bond issue. Another $65,000 in costs would be raised through the sale of the Grace/police station on Sprigg Street, and $150,000 was expected to come from federal grants for park purposes.

The article added: "Cost of the two-story police wing, which would include a jail and a firing range, is estimated at $467,500; the fire department's section's cost was put at $450,500." (Those figures changed slightly by August, with the police wing estimated at $402,500 and the fire section at $300,500.)

In addition, the new police wing would house a courtroom area and garage on the second floor; enclosed garage for storage of municipal vehicles and unloading prisoners; an elevator from the basement area to the second floor; laboratory and photographic areas and private offices for handling of interrogation of prisoners; separate area for dispatcher, away from the public; locker room and classroom space; and room for future expansion.

The complex's fire wing would contain living quarters for 12 persons on duty 24 hours a day; its own emergency power source; a dormitory area, lounge facilities, kitchen and dining areas directly on the apparatus floor for easy access; 8,400 square feet of floor space, with 3,470 square feet of basement area; space for two aerial units and three pumpers; and space for an equipment repair bay where two emergency, or second-line units, could be housed for emergency use.

Once announced to the public, the city went about trying to sell the multi-pronged proposal to the people. After holding a large promotional meeting in June, to which representatives of 21 civic, fraternal and veterans groups were invited, city representatives appeared before the memberships of those bodies to promote the bond issue. Speakers emphasize the need for new fire and police facilities, showing slides of the deteriorated conditions of the buildings then in use.

An Aug. 5, 1969, article pointed out some of the shortcomings of the old fire station: "Discussing the present fire station, built at least 56 years ago, (City Manager Paul F.) Frederick cited what he described as its dangerous and dilapidated condition, an awkward and crowded situation with regard to storing and deployment of five trucks, and the living arrangement that puts the firemen a story above their equipment.

"His report included these statements on the condition of the present fire building:

"Mr. Frederick said the building wall on the west, or Frederick Street side, has bulged until the cornices extend approximately six inches out of plumb.

"'At one point steel rods were run through the building and bolted on the exteriors in order to hold the building together,' he stated.

"'A restoration project many years ago included the pouring of concrete to make a second floor. Now the bulging walls have pulled away from the concrete slab, and this slab hangs over the operational and administrative areas with very little support.'

"'In addition, the mortar used in the brick work has deteriorated over the years, even with continued maintenance, to the point where it is possible to pull bricks from the wall with bare fingers,' Mr. Frederick added."

The same article enumerates the deficiencies found in the church-turned-police-headquarters, which was built in 1890 and expanded in 1939:

"Mr. Frederick's description of the building, in summary, is that it is not suitable for modern police operations... It is cut up into many small rooms, none of which are readily adaptable to police use.

"The jail portion was constructed in the basement of the building where ceilings are low and the cells could be fitted only into the available space.

"Mr. Frederick stated that besides being completely unusable for proper jail operations, the area is extremely small and on numerous occasions, the jail area has been so crowded that prisoners could not even lie on the floors.

"An old brick structure, maintenance and tuck pointing is a constant problem, and the roof is in such condition that new leaks are discovered with each rain."

A series of articles ran in the Missourian in August 1969, outlining the various projects included in the ballot measure. In addition, the newspaper editorialized twice about the campaign, the second time on Aug. 18, 1969, the day before the election. In both editorials, the newspaper strongly recommended "yes" votes for the fire/police headquarters, the residential fire stations and equipment issues, and the park expansion. It turned a thumbs-down, however, on the garbage-trash proposal.

The following day, the voters had their say, soundly defeating all five issues that made up the package. For the garbage-trash system issue, the vote was 1,623 for and 3,020 against; parks, 1,286 for and 3,248 against; residential fire stations, 1,603 for and 2,962 against; other fire equipment, 1,558 for and 2,984 against; and for the combined police/fire HQ, 1,361 for and 3,184 against.

In 1976, the police department moved into its current facility at Sprigg and Merriwether streets. Then, in domino-like fashion, the Grace/police station was demolished in 1977, and a new fire station was constructed at that site, opening in 1981. The old station at Independence and Frederick became the home of the River Heritage Museum that same year.