CAPE WILL GROW WITH TWIN LAKES

Voters Tuesday authorized expansion of the city limits westward with approval of a measure to annex Twin Lakes subdivision.

The annexation issue was approved by a vote of 1,584-302, or by a margin of 83-16 percent. Twin Lakes voters approved the measure 94-37 (72-28 percent).

The measure required passage both in the city of Cape Girardeau and in Twin Lakes.

Ray Miller, president of the Twin Lakes Homeowners Association, heard the election results at his home, where the homeowners association board of directors was gathered Tuesday night.

"Terrific," Miller said. "Everybody here is happy to hear the news.

"We believe that this is a mutually advantageous move on the part of the city and on our part. It will help make Twin Lakes a better place to live, and Twin Lakes will be a good addition to the city."

The subdivision, situated west of Interstate 55 off Hopper Road, includes about 92 homes and more than 200 residents.

Voter turnout in the subdivision was substantially higher than in the city, where only about 10 percent of registered voters went to the polls Tuesday.

Miller said residents of the subdivision "had to be interested" in the issue.

City utilities will be extended to the subdivision at property owners' expense. City officials have estimated the improvements will cost property owners an average of $6,000-$7,000 per acre to be financed over 10 years.

"It's going to cost the people a significant amount of money for these improvements and city services," said Miller. "But the people realized that by investing in water and sewers, they're going to make their own property more valuable and quality of life better."

He said Twin Lakes residents also are happy to get Cape Girardeau fire and police protection and other city services.

Cape Girardeau City Manager J. Ronald Fischer said water will be the first utility extended to the subdivision. That's because an existing water main now lies just east of Twin Lakes along Hopper Road.

"We just did a small extension of the water main here in the last two or three weeks," Fischer said. "Water would be the first, and sewers are in position to be extended, because there is a trunk sewer just north of Route K already west of the interstate."

The city now will begin right-of-way acquisition and engineering and design work for the sewer and water improvements.

Fischer said he was concerned that a low voter turnout might hurt the chance for passage of the annexation issue. He said he was pleased his fears turned out to be unwarranted.

"The annexation was a very important thing for the orderly growth of the city," Fischer said. "This is something that we started five years ago with a five-stage plan of annexation.

"This is one of the first major steps in that annexation plan."

The Twin Lakes annexation process began last fall when owners of 75 of the homes in the subdivision signed a petition requesting the city annex the 155-acre tract.

Miller has said most of the residents of the subdivision see annexation as a solution to potential water and sewer problems. Each of the homes in the area has a septic tank, and the subdivision is served by 12 wells.

With approval of the measure Tuesday, the city has guaranteed to provide essential services to Twin Lakes within three years.