Cape delays plans to 'mothball' hotel

A Realtor representing the owners of the deteriorating Marquette Hotel on Broadway Street in Cape Girardeau asked the city council to postpone "mothballing" the building because a purchase price, which remains undisclosed, has been reached to sell it to Prost Builders Inc.

A representative from Prost attended the council's study session Tuesday night to confirm that a deal is near completion, but all the terms cannot be met until the state gives word if it plans to lease the space for offices.

According to Thomas M. Meyer, the Realtor representing owner Ruby Bullock, the sale is not contingent upon the state leasing the building, at least not yet.

Stephen Perry, a project manager representing Prost, said it will take up to 120 days to get word from the state, though a state representative said word on the lease could come by April.

Perry also said the restoration could take up to nine months.

During the city council meeting, the council granted a 120-day postponement on the mothballing process, which consists of boarding up windows, repairing brick walls and reinforcing beams.

$71,650 could be saved

The city would save an estimated $71,650 if the buyer and seller come to an agreement soon.

Only councilman Frank Stoffregen voted against the measure. He was opposed to mothballing the building, saying the building's structure is strong and that it's "not the city's place" to single out one building when other such dilapidated buildings exist in the city.

Prost's plans to renovate the Marquette will compete with another developer's plan to renovate Louis J. Schultz School and lease it to the state.

Bullock, who lives in Maryland, has been given several extensions after ignoring city requests for plans. The most recent one expired Jan. 8.

A report said the building's windows should be boarded up because the metal frames are rusted and the wood framework is deteriorated and unprotected. The hotel's ballroom has holes in the roof, and the brick on the east side of the building needs repair.

The council discussed the mothballing procedure at the last council meeting, which prompted Bullock to reveal her plans of a sale, which according to Meyer, has been in the works for some time.

At least one councilman was a bit pessimistic upon the completion of the sale.

"We've spent several years trying to figure out what to do with this place," said councilman Butch Eggimann. "Something always seems to come up."

bmiller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127