Cape Girardeau County commissioners updated on project progress

During their regular meeting Monday, Dec. 11, the Cape Girardeau County commissioners received updates on the county's jail, courthouse and emergency operations center (EOC) projects.

"(For) the jail, the structural steel is going up. The foundation work on the main part is probably 90-95% complete," Associate Commissioner Paul Koeper told his fellow officials.

He said work on heating, ventilation, air conditioning and electrical work was the current focus for the 1908 courthouse project.

Sam Herndon, the county's emergency management director, said work on the EOC was progressing smoothly. Workers are hoping to have the concrete floors poured within two weeks, he said.

Herndon also told the commissioners more about a quote they were considering approving from Jonesboro, Arkansas-based ARCO Towers & Contracting.

The quote was for a communications tower to be installed at the EOC.

"We were able to talk to ARCO Towers. The original bid was $112,000, I believe it was. We talked to them and they had a used tower on their lot that they said would work fine for what we were doing. They said they could come up and get it installed," Herndon said.

The new quote was $46,330, which Herndon said was the original quote minus the cost of concrete. The commissioners unanimously approved the quote for the used tower.