Cape city hall plans include parking structure

Plans to transform the historic Common Pleas Courthouse and Annex into Cape Girardeau’s new city hall will include construction of a two-level parking structure, city officials said Monday.

It’s one of the reasons why the City Council approved an agreement Monday with Penzel Construction Co., in partnership with architecture firm TreanorHL, to renovate the 165-year-old Common Pleas Courthouse and the adjacent annex and construct a connecting addition at 44 N. Lorimier St.

Deputy city manager Molly Mehner said the contractor has concluded a two-level parking structure could be built south of the courthouse complex, which would utilize the sloping ground.

She said there had been public concerns about whether the site had sufficient parking.

The lower level would be reserved for city employee parking while the upper level would provide parking for the public, Mehner said after the council meeting.

“We are getting a lot more for our money,” she told the council.

The council’s action clears the way for the $12 million, design-build project to proceed.

In a report to the council, Mehner wrote city staff chose Penzel as the “top qualified design-build entity” from among three design-build proposals and then negotiated the project agreement.

The Common Pleas Courthouse will be reconditioned to be compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and will be a “secure facility,” according to a city news release issued in advance of the council meeting.

City Hall customer-service employees will be relocated to other public offices across the city in an effort to “free up space at Common Pleas,” and will provide customers with “more options citywide,” the release stated.

Mehner told the council Monday design work has not been finalized, along with looking at “square footage needs.”

The architectural firm involved in the project has experience renovating historic structures, according to Mehner.

Ward 4 Councilman Robbie Guard said, “I really feel good about this process.”

Construction could begin as early as next summer with completion by September 2021, according to city officials.

Hasheider

In other action, the council recognized assistant fire chief Mark Hasheider, who is planning to retire after more than 34 years of service with the fire department. Hasheider recently served as interim chief.

“None of this could have been done without the support of firefighters,” he said of his career with the city’s fire department.

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