STRICTLY BUSINESS: CAPE GIRARDEAU CONSTRUCTION HAS BEST YEAR EVER

It's not official, but 1996 just may be the best year ever for construction in Cape Girardeau.

More than 500 permits have been issued, in the amount of almost $50 million.

As of Dec. 27, permits had been issued by the Cape Girardeau Inspection Service for $49,585,320.

These are not official totals, points out Rick Murray, supervisor of the local inspection service. "But this just may be the best year we've ever had."

The best previous year was 1992, when two multimillion-dollar projects -- Health Services Corp. of America and Southeast Missouri Hospital -- provided big boosts to a construction year that totaled $47,996,699.

The permit lists include single-family residences, apartment buildings, commercial buildings, additions to residences and commercial structures and public buildings.

Family housing was a big item for 1996.

After a so-so year of single-family homes in 1995 -- only 57 starts -- a total of 85 permits have been issued this year. Housing, including single-family homes, 14 duplexes and 24 apartment units, accounts for more than $15 million in 1996 construction.

Commercial construction provided a boost to the total, highlighted by such projects as:

-- $7.5 million clinker-storage building at Lone Star Industries.

-- $1.5 million Shawnee Park Sports Complex.

-- $2.5 million Osage Park Community Center.

-- $1.5 D&K Wholesale Drug warehouse.

-- $1.6 million, Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield building.

-- $3 million Sam's Wholesale Club, expected to open in March or April.

-- $2 million Wehrenberg Theaters 14-Cine.

-- $2.8 million church construction.

More than $5.8 million in construction permits were filed the first three weeks in December, to shove the year's total past the $49 million mark, surpassing 1995 totals by more than $5 million. Last year's final totals showed $44,367,286.

"1996 was a good year," said Murray. "Housing was up and a lot of commercial projects are on the list. It's been a busy year."

Construction in the 1990s:

-- 1996 (to date): $49,585,3204.

-- 1995: Total: $44,367,286.

-- 1994: Total: $38,989,446.

-- 1993: Total: $33,169,258.

-- 1992: Total: $47,996,699.

-- 1991: Total: $31,704,468.

-- 1990: Totals: $25,626,901.

Total new Cape Girardeau construction in the 1990s, $271.7 million.

168 new businesses open

A total of 168 new businesses opened in Cape Girardeau during the first 11 months of 1996.

Eighty-six closed for a gain of 82.

That's a better average than the past three years, when more closings were reported than openings.

Records from the Cape Girardeau merchants permit office show a combined total of 474 new businesses opened here during the years 1993, 1994 and 1995, almost keeping pace with the 489 closings during the same three-year span.

Openings for the past year include a variety of merchant operations, from a small one-person gun shop operation to giant merchandiser K's Merchandise, which employs more than 100 full-time and numerous part-time employees.

In between were a couple of antique stores, an office supply store, clothing and shoe stores and a number of restaurants.

Some of the merchant license transactions represented change-of-ownership. The National Food Store at William and South Sprigg became Schnucks Midtown, and number of small business went through closing and opening processes for new owners.

Employment declines

Employment declines in construction and other weather-sensitive occupations resulted in employment decreases in Missouri in November.

Total employment in the state was at 2.7 million, down 3,200 from the previous month. But the November employment figure is still 34,000 ahead of the same month in 1995.

Unemployment was a record at 4 percent in the state, up 0.5 percent from October. That translates into 116,100 people without jobs.

The increase in unemployment is due in part to cold and wet weather, said Sandra M. Moore, Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations director.

Unemployment nudged up a bit in a number of Southeast Missouri counties, including Cape Girardeau, Perry, Scott, Stoddard and Mississippi.

Cape County, at 3.5 percent in October, moved to 4 percent in November. That reading is down from the county's lowest reading of 2.8 percent in November 1995.

Perry County moved from 2.5 percent in October to 3.1 percent in November, Mississippi County went from 6.l percent to 7.l percent, Stoddard from 8.5 percent to a double-figure, 10 percent and Scott from 5.8 percent to 6.6 percent.

In Illinois, the unemployment rate is down 0.2 percent, to 4.5 percent, from the 4.7 percent reading of October.

Nationally, the unemployment rate for November was 5 percent, up 0.1 percent from the October reading but down from the 5.3 percent of a year ago.

The November unemployment picture was basically a good one in Southern Illinois, said Charles M. "Mike" Vessell, labor market economist for the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Fifteen of 21 counties had declining rates in November, including Alexander and Pulaski, at 8.1 and 7.8 percent respectively.

Union County unemployment was up, to 8.8, from last month's 6.5 percent, and Massac was at 4.2 percent, up from the October 4 percent listing.