Cape Girardeau appoints new director of inspection services

Cape Girardeau has appointed Tim Morgan, 56, of Fredericktown, Mo., the new director of inspection services in the city's Inspections Division. Mike Conrad had been serving as the interim director since Robb McClary resigned from the post in March.

Morgan holds a master's degree in public policy administration from the University of Missouri in St. Louis and has served in a similar capacity in Perryville for the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission. There he oversaw all environmentally related programs from 1992 to 1998. He served as Fredericktown city administrator until May of this year.

City manager Doug Leslie made the appointment, choosing Morgan from 15 candidates. "He has had extensive administrative experience, so he stood out in terms of his overall city experience. We've worked with Tim on various projects in the past," Leslie said. "He also has an excellent background and good experience with housing and in construction, so he has a sense of both sides of the issue."

Morgan, who will relocate to Cape Girardeau, begins his duties Monday. He will oversee the work of six employees.

He says his aim is to make sure things stay fluid and orderly in the department. "I gather they need someone to coordinate various parts of the department and make sure plans and permits flow in a timely manner, so that'll be my overall goal," he said.

Morgan said code enforcement is made easier when builders understand the codes.

"When I came on at Fredericktown, there was no code enforcement in place, so I learned a lot during the first months," he said. "The thing I found most important was communication with developers and builders."

Morgan said likely the biggest adjustment will be handling the number of permit requests that will pile up in his office and readjust to the amount of time it takes to complete them.

He said a busy week in Fredericktown meant five requests but in Cape Girardeau it could be as many as 100. He also said the process takes longer. Whereas at his former job an application could be turned around in less than two months, in Cape Girardeau it often takes between six and 12 months due to larger buildings and longer construction times.

Morgan said he is accustomed to working on and inspecting older buildings like the ones on Main Street and has already spoken with Old Town Cape about its mission and historical preservation methods.

Morgan will be on the lookout, though, for signs of building failure. In May, the almost 100-year-old apartment building at the corner of Themis and North Ellis streets collapsed. Last month, a vacant building at 36 N. Main St. showed bricks bulging from its exterior. Morgan said he will be prepared for similar occurrences.

"There are some telltale signs, like crumbling mortar. That's the big one," he said. "If you see that on the building, it doesn't hurt to call that to the owner's attention. I have practice looking for signs like that, having worked in construction for 12 years."

tgreaney@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245