STRICTLY BUSINESS: ALBERTSON'S BUILDING PLANS UP FOR BIDS

Plans for Albertson's Grocery may already be in the Cape Girardeau Division of Inspection Services office at 401 Independence St.

Preliminary plans were expected to arrive here over the weekend.

Plans for the 57,560 square foot, one-level building to house Albertson's Grocery have already been placed out for bids by the Dodge Report, a McGraw Hill Companies Inc. publication for the construction industry.

The report, issued March 3, calls for bidding on the project in early May with a construction start in early June, with a target completion date of January 2001.

Final plans for the building, to be constructed near the Kingshighway and Independence intersection, are expected to be ready in May.

The real estate transaction for more than seven acres was completed in September of last year by Lorimont Place, Ltd. Realtor.

The property includes the former Wolohan Lumber property -- 4.68 acres -- and the Pollack property, a vacant 2.7-acre site that previously housed a salvage operation.

The preliminary site plan for the retail re-development of the properties had been presented to the city last year on behalf of Albertson's, and the latest invitation for bids by the Dodge Reports, indicates that Albertson's is ready to move forward on this multimillion-dollar retail project.

Albertson's Grocery has more than 2,400 stores in 38 states, with sales of more than $16 billion.

The new Albertson's at Cape Girardeau will provide an estimated 150 new jobs.

Building permits up

"People are still building," said Tarryl D. Booker, director of the inspection services.

Permits have been issued for 11 single family houses, two duplexes and two 12-unit apartment buildings during the first two months of the year.

A total of 50 permits were issued in January and February, in the amount of $4.6 million.

Both of these totals surpass 1999 totals, when 44 permits in the amount of $3.3 million were issued the first two months.

The largest permits were issued for the two 12-unit apartments, to be constructed at Pear Street Courts at costs of $600,000 each.

1999 totals established a new construction record in Cape Girardeau, with 446 permits in the amount of $64,418,172.

These totals did not include the city's street and sewer improvements and the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge. They also do not include two major commercial expansions near Cape Girardeau last year: Procter & Gamble Co.'s $350 million plant addition and BioKyowa Inc.'s $85 million plant expansion, both outside the city limits.

Construction activity was down about 30 percent statewide in Missouri in January.

Missouri construction totals were down in January, according to reports from the F.W. Dodge Division of the McGraw-Hill Cos., which keeps tabs on state construction projects. February totals are yet available statewide.

Commercial construction was up 11 percent in Missouri in January, at $173,151,000, but overall totals, including commercial, streets and highways were down.

Total numbers show construction at $382.2 million, down 4 percent from the figure of $399.2 during the same month a year ago.

"Top Employer" list

Add the Lutheran Home, which includes the Saxony Village and Lutheran Home Health Agency, to the "Top Employer" list of Cape Girardeau.

The Lutheran Home campus, with 430 employees, is number eight on the list, which appeared recently in the Southeast Missourian.

Three lists were published -- "Top 60" industries in Southeast Missouri, "Top 20" of all employers in Southern Illinois and the "Top 15" list in the City of Cape.

Companies eligible for any of the lists, or who may have been left off of a list, are urged to submit company name, type of product, how long in business and total employment to: B. Ray Owen, Strictly Business, Southeast Missourian, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63701.

We will quickly review some of the top employers in each category. If some numbers have changed, call (573) 335-6611 ext. 133 and leave message on voice mail.

Some 8,485 facilities provide employment to 461,632 employees statewide, with Cape Girardeau County ranking 11th among Missouri's 114 counties in manufacturing facilities.

The 132 Cape County plants provide employment to more than 7,000 people.

"Closed/Open"

General Sign, located in Nash Road Industrial Park, has not closed its doors.

Broadway Video is still open in a new location, at 437 Broadway.

These two businesses, and a few others, were listed as some of the 150 businesses on the City of Cape Girardeau's "Business Closing" list, which were published recently in the Southeast Missourian.

Because business licenses are required for new businesses, operations which changed ownership, but not company names, could easily show up on new business and closed business lists, said a city spokesperson.

In the case of Broadway Video moved from 511 Broadway to 437 Broadway. The store was listed as "closed" on one list, but a new license was issued for the new address.

A new license was not necessary for General Sign, which is no longer located in the city limits.

"We did renew our city licenses a number of years after moving to the Nash Road location," said a company spokesman. "But this year did not renew the license, which was not necessary."

During the year, a total of 180 new businesses received permits and 149 permits ended, resulting in an increase of 31 new businesses.