BETTER YEAR AHEAD? CONSTRUCTION PERMITS OFF TO A GOOD START

If January is any indication, the local construction industry is on track for healthy growth this year.

During the first three weeks of 1998, more than 30 permits were issued by the city inspection services. The permits were worth more than $3.1 million.

"We've had good activity," said Richard Murray, inspection services director. "We didn't hit $3 million until March last year."

Only 59 permits were issued during the first quarter of 1997, primarily because of cold and snow.

But last year ended fifth best in the city's history, with $33,332,059 in construction from 2,278 permits and 5,424 inspections.

While Cape Girardeau had a good 1997, construction at Jackson set a record. Unofficially, permits for housing, home improvements, commercial buildings and educational facilities were valued at $21,655,276, eclipsing the 1994 record of $18,598,453, when building was fueled by more than 200 residential starts, including single-family houses and duplexes.

Statistics provided by Lisa Floyd of Jackson's public works department show that last year 93 new-home permits were issued with a construction value of $10.1 million.

Murray said, "The level of activity at Cape Girardeau last year was as good as any year and better than some. The dollar valuation per permit was down."

A third of the construction value in 1997 was for single-family residences -- 68 permits valued at $11.2 million. Another $1.1 million also went for living quarters, with a total of seven apartment or duplex permits being issued for 17 units.

Commercial buildings accounted for almost another third of the construction valuation in the report prepared by Brenda D. Schloss of the city's inspection services. Thirty-three commercial building permits were issued for new buildings at a value of $10.9 million; another $8.4 million went for commercial building expansions and remodeling.

"Overall, we had a good year, and we're looking to a good year in 1998," said Murray. "We expect house construction to continue, and some major school construction is on the horizon. We could see an increase in construction for the year."

Construction in the area exploded in July and continued through the remainder of the year.

Going into July, construction totals were at $10.4 million. During, July more than 50 building permits were issued, boosting the July total to $7.2 million. During the final half of the year, permits in the amount of $22.9 million were issued.

"We haven't had the really big permits this year, but we've been busy," said Murray.

A dozen permits issued in 1997 topped the $500,000 mark, including a motel, a couple of medical office buildings, two banks, a couple of churches and two retail buildings.

During the record year of 1992, when construction value was put at $47,996,699, fewer permits were issued than the 2,278 in 1997, but two major medical building permits that year accounted for about half of the commercial dollar evaluation.

Construction in the Cape Girardeau area during the 1990s has averaged $37.4 million a year, with more than $300 million from Jan. 1, 1990, through Nov. 30.

Cape Girardeau construction totals for 1997 do not include the $90 million Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge being built across the Mississippi River. Neither do the totals include a number of city and street projects.

Construction across Southeast Missouri is expected to increase in 1998, with some monster projects on schedule. Two of the newest projects are the $35 million expansion at BioKyowa in the Nash Road industrial area and an expansion of Gates Rubber Co. that will double the size of the plant and its workforce at Charleston.

Other previously announced projects include the $350 million Procter & Gamble expansion in Cape Girardeau County; the Associated Electric Cooperative-Pan Energy Trading and Market Services' $100 million power generation facility in Dunklin County; the multimillion-dollar house factory already in operation by Holigan Family Investments Inc. at Sikeston; a $35 million Good Humor-Breyers Ice Cream Co. plant to open at Sikeston this spring; and a $56 million improvement to the Noranda Aluminum plant near New Madrid.