COLD WEATHER SLOWS PERMITS

Sales of new single-family homes in the nation could go down as the second best in history.

The new home market, sluggish through most of first half of 2000, rebounded the final half of the year nationally and could emerge with about 900,000 in sales, second only to 1999, when a total of 907,000 new homes were sold, at a medium price of $160,000.

But, not in Cape Girardeau.

"New home activity was down here," said Tarryl D. Booker, director of the city's inspection services. "We had some good months here, but we had some bad ones."

December was a bad month. Not one new-home permit was written.

In 1999, 56 new-home permits worth $8,937,149 were written, matching the national average of $160,000.

However, the 2000 home total pales to the 71 permits and $10.8 million for 1999.

Still, 2000 will go down as one of the "Top 10" construction years for the city, with more than 400 permits and more than $42 million in construction.

Long, cold winter

Hampered by extreme cold and icy conditions in January 2000, followed by another dash of cold and snow in December, builders hesitated to make applications for permits.

January numbers from the Cape Girardeau Division of Inspection Services last year experienced the slowest January construction start in more than five years. It wasn't any better the final month of the year.

In between, however, contractors kept busy, averaging about $4 million a month to hit $42,644,272, only the sixth time in Cape Girardeau construction history that levels reached the $40 million mark.

The 2000 totals placed last year's figures at sixth on the overall list.

In 1999, fueled by a $9.8 million contract to build the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational Career Center at 1080 S. Silver Springs Road, and a $15 million city project, the city's construction numbers soared past the $60 million mark for the first time.

A plus in 2000 was the start of a number of apartment structures. Twenty-two permits were issued for 166 apartment units at a cost of $8.1 million.

Commercial building permits were also big as 33 new-building permits worth $7.2 million were issued and 867 permits worth $15.9 million were issued for additions and expansions.

"We're pleased with the 2000 totals," said Booker. "I think we did real well considering the weather of January and December, and we're hopeful that things will continue good."

January 2001 was off to a so-so start. Heading the activities was St. Francis Medical Center, which received two permits, a $307,000 permit to build a maternity center, and $150,000 for the medical center's new sleep center.

Some new home starts were also recorded in January.

The city has experienced only six $40 million-plus years in its construction history -- all of them during the past decade. In 1992, a total of 522 permits were issued, topped by big expansions by both St. Francis and Southeast Missouri Hospital, shoving the year's total construction to $47.9 million. Other $40 million years of the 1990s list were $47.6 million in 1996, $44.5 million in 1995, $49,785,496 in 1998, $64 million in 1999, and last year's 42.6 million.

A look at the past decade

The annual permit totals here do not include some nearby major commercial expansions, like BioKyowa in Nash Road Industrial Park. Nor does it include the city's sewer and street work. The city's construction permits also do not include work on the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge, under construction across the Mississippi River between Missouri and Illinois.

A lot has happened in Cape Girardeau during the 1990s and first year of the new millennium.

Statistics show more than 5,813 building permits, in the amount of $448,572,249 for the 11-year period.

Included in those project have been the making of Cape West Business Park.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the strip, Wal-Mart purchased land and prepared to open its 168,000-square-foot retail center in 1991.

Cape West Park includes Sam's, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, Target, a new movie house, a major auto retailer and a number of restaurants.

During the same era, industries settled areas surrounding Westfield Shoppingtown West Park, including new restaurants, a bookstore, a professional building and other businesses.

To the south of the city, more industries moved in or expanded into 630 Industrial Park, Nash Road Industrial Park and 730 Industrial Park.

Over the past couple of years, more than $450 million in expansions has been completed at two area manufacturing facilities -- more than $350 million at Procter & Gamble north of Cape Girardeau and about $85 million at BioKyowa in Nash Road Industrial Park.

The Crossroads Retail and Professional Center opened at Kingshighway and Independence, and this month, a food supercenter is expected to open across from the Crossroads.

The Town Plaza Shopping Center, which includes Sears Roebuck & Co., and headquarters for Plaza Tire, has experienced a couple of major overhauls during the past decade.

Downtown Cape Girardeau is getting in on improvements. The area recently adopted the Main Street Program, complete with new executive director and office.

With new businesses and expansions over the past decade, the workforce and jobs have increased in Cape County during the 1990s.

The labor force totaled 39,289 in December, a gain of nearly 7,000 jobs during the decade. There were 32,877 people employed in 1991. Jobs have increased even more, with 38,315 people working in the county in December, compared to 30,998 in 1991.

STARTS IN LAST DECADE

A decade of construction

City of Cape Girardeau

Year Amount Permits

2000: $42,644,272 442

1999*: $64,481,172 446

1998: $49,785,496 550

1997: $33,332,059 513

1996: $47,639,192 505

1995: $44,367,286 593

1994: $38,989446 637

1993: $33,169,258 538

1992: $47,996,699 522

1991: $31,704,468 494

1990: $25,626,901 573

Totals: $448,572,249 5,813

*New construction record