Cape City Council welcomes plan to connect courthouse, annex for use as city hall

Cape Girardeau City Council members welcomed a plan Monday to turn the Common Pleas Courthouse and Annex into a new city hall featuring an addition that would connect the two downtown historic structures.

Ward 1 Councilman Daniel Presson said, “This project really excites me.”

Ward 5 Councilman Ryan Essex said, “Now, we can say we have a plan.”

Mayor Bob Fox said “people like the idea” of moving city hall to the courthouse and annex.

The project is expected to cost an estimated $12 million with $6 million coming from a capital improvements sales tax that will be decided by voters in August and possibly $6 million coming from casino revenue, city officials said.

Deputy city manager Molly Mehner said the city is looking at issuing some $15 million in bonds to allow the city hall project and improvements at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport to proceed sooner.

A space-needs study by St. Louis-based Chiodini Architects concluded in the fall the courthouse was not feasible to renovate for use as a city hall and likely would require construction of a costly parking structure.

The firm recommended the city construct a new city hall on the grounds of the existing city hall at 401 Independence St.

But city officials in recent months have taken a second look at using the courthouse and annex as a city hall.

Mehner told the council at Monday’s study session constructing a new city hall would have cost an estimated $19 to $20 million.

Given the city’s current budget constraints, Mehner said such a project would be too costly.

“We know we are going to have to simplify things and the way we provide services,” she said.

City officials said they were already looking at having to make major renovations to the historic buildings once the Cape Girardeau Circuit Court moves out of the courthouse.

Mehner said it makes more sense to move ahead with the city hall project now rather than put money into just maintaining the old buildings.

“We believe this is a win-win proposal,” she said.

It would keep city hall downtown, save the historic buildings and preserve the existing city hall, Mehner told the council. The existing city hall is housed in a former school building local historic preservation officials have said should not be torn down.

Relocating city hall to the courthouse and annex would allow the city to sell or lease the Independence Street building, Mehner said after the meeting.

Architect Christopher Chiodini presented conceptual drawings Monday calling for renovating the courthouse and the annex, and adding a 10,670-square-foot addition connect the two buildings.

The project would provide for a city hall that would have more than 27,000 square feet. It would not accommodate customer service offices. City officials have suggested they could be elsewhere in the community to better serve the public, including utility customers.

As part of the latest concept, a new entrance to city hall would be built on the north side of the site as part of the addition. It would feature a two-story lobby.

Plans include secured office spaces for city staff and shared conference rooms. The upstairs courtroom would be converted into a meeting area. The city manager’s, information technology and finance offices would be upstairs, too, with some of that office space contained in the addition.

Engineering and planning, and inspections offices would be in the Annex.

City officials said they wanted to outline the project in advance of the tax vote in August.

Last fall, Chiodini concluded converting the courthouse into city hall likely would require construction of an expensive parking structure. But Mehner said an existing parking lot and on-street parking spaces should be sufficient if customer services are housed elsewhere.

Under this plan, the new city hall likely would have fewer public visitors, Mehner said.

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