Capaha Park construction projects are underway

Construction continues at Cape Girardeau's Capaha Park as multiple projects are completed.

Members of the City of Cape Girardeau's Parks and Recreation Department have completed the construction and renovation of the park's new permanent restroom and amphitheater or bandshell. Workers have moved their focus to constructing the shelter and playground area before working on replanting the Rose Garden in the park.

Brock Davis, parks division manager, said the department has encountered a few setbacks during the park project.

"We were short-handed," he said. "We still haven't filled all of our positions yet, and then of course mowing season came. We have 25 parks with 620 acres to maintain, and of course rain, weather, is always an issue. Just all those things that come up just doesn't help us get those things done very fast."

Davis said members of the Parks and Recreation Department plan on finishing the shelter and playground by the end of July before moving on to the Rose Garden, which should be completed by this fall. He said the department will perform a fall planting of the garden.

"We're hoping to be done by September or October. We'd like to do a fall planting and plant some fall plants in there too," Davis said. "Make it look pretty good for November, the holiday season and stuff for Christmas coming up."

Along with the Capaha Park project, the department also is continuing work on stormwater projects in the city as well as the Jefferson Civic Center project. Davis said the stormwater projects will continue until 2030.

Davis said the improvements being performed at Capaha Park will greatly benefit the outdoor destination.

"Everything will be replaced brand new and we've added some new features. It will be a great place," he said. "It is almost in the middle of the city, so it's walking distance for most places and it has pretty much everything you can imagine. We've got the three community centers and a sports complex that are pretty well spread out. The park gives people something else to do while they are waiting in the wings of Cape."

The project is funded by the parks and recreation stormwater tax funding, which was voted on and passed in 2018.

Davis said he hopes the community will remain patient as the department continues the construction and renovations.