Cape Girardeau council to vote on design-build teams for police, fire station projects

The Cape Girardeau City Council appears ready to move forward with two design-build teams for a new police station and a new fire station.

The city staff will recommend the council approve two resolutions Monday night that would authorize city manager Scott Meyer to negotiate contracts with the teams. City staff are recommending hiring the Kiefner Brothers team for the design and construction of the new police station and the Penzel Construction team for design and construction of a new fire station.

The city plans to build a $11 million police station, municipal court and jail at 2530 Maria Louise Lane on the site of a former Naval Reserve Center near Arena Park.

The $3 million fire station would be built on the southwest corner of Lexington and Flad avenues in the Laurel Grove neighborhood. It would replace a much smaller fire station built 42 years ago at 1459 Kurre Lane.

Both of the major contractors recommended for the two projects are local. Kiefner Brothers is in Cape Girardeau; Penzel is based in Jackson.

Anna Kangas, the city's code-enforcement manager and project manager, said the two design-build teams were chosen after city staff reviewed the finalist teams. In the case of the police station, the recommendation was made by city hall staff and police department officials. Fire department officials and city staff chose the design-build team for fire-station project.

"We chose the teams based on who is the most qualified," she said.

The Kiefner firm has handled construction work on the Cape Girardeau County Jail and large building projects for both hospitals in the community. Keifner's partner in the project, Chiodini Architects of St. Louis, has designed several police stations in St. Louis County that are similar in size to the proposed police station.

The Kiefner team was among four teams to submit proposals for the project. The Kiefner team has estimated it could build a 33,000- to 38,000-square-foot structure within the city's $11 million budget. The Kiefner proposal did not specify a completion date, but other proposals have said the work could be finished in 2017 or 2018.

In a report to the city council, Kangas wrote the current police station on Sprigg Street is deteriorating and "does not serve the police department well."

She added the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems are "outdated, inefficient and, in some cases, are failing."

The municipal court, located in city hall, would be moved to the new police station.

"Combining the municipal court with the jail facility will increase security as prisoners will no longer need to be transported between buildings," she wrote.

As for the new fire station, Penzel Construction is partnering on the project with Holland Construction Co. of Swansea, Illinois, and Dille and Traxel Architecture of Cape Girardeau and Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and FGM Architects of St. Louis and Chicago. The Penzel team's proposal was among five design-build proposals received for the project.

The design-build team has proposed constructing a 10,225-square-foot structure with a walkout basement. The project is expected to be completed by spring 2017, Kangas said.

Kangas said city staff want the new fire station to blend with the surrounding residential neighborhood. City staff has suggested a brick exterior and called for the project to include landscaping to screen the station from nearby homes.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

2530 Maria Louise Lane, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Lexington and Flad, Cape Girardeau, Mo.