Courthouse steps now safer thanks to commission's action

Those venturing downtown don't need to tread as lightly on the Common Pleas Courthouse steps anymore.

Upon hearing that runners had complained about the condition of the century-old steps on the courthouse terraces, the Cape Girardeau County Commission and city officials said they had no plans to fix or replace the steps.

A story published June 10 in the Southeast Missourian pointed out the state of the stairs and outlined a major underlying issue: The city of Cape Girardeau owns the land and the courthouse annex. The city and county each have half ownership of the courthouse itself. Under a lease agreement, the county maintains the building and grounds, and in exchange, the city allows the county to use the buildings and grounds at no charge. The county's position was repair of the steps was "more than maintenance," while the city contended the safety of the steps was the county's responsibility.

The commission decided less than a week after the story was published to patch the crumbling steps.

About 20 of the 54 steps were visibly cracked or crumbling. First District Associate Commissioner Paul Koeper said the concrete patching is only a temporary solution: "It is just like taking icing and putting it on a cake," and doesn't address the underlying foundation. Removing or replacing the steps will be the next step, Koeper said. However, officials said they don't want to spend thousands of dollars to replace the steps when they are planning to move to a new county administration building within five years.

The steps are used every day by walkers, joggers, tourists, people who work downtown and others. Not only is the county now less suceptible to a lawsuit, but everyone who takes the stairs is now safer thanks to the county's action on this matter.

We commend the county commission for taking on the repairs.