CITY AGREES TO EXTEND SERVICES TO NEW SCHOOL

The city of Cape Girardeau approved extending water service to the new Notre Dame High School Monday.

Under the agreement, the city will pay $281,500 to Drury Southwest, Inc. for constructing the water line in lieu of the city providing fixtures and other equipment for the water line, and the high school site and several other parcels of property along Route K will be annexed into the city, including the James L. Drury and Wanda L. Drury Real Estate Trust.

In total, the city will annex approximately 138 acres once the water line is complete.

The agreement was approved in a special council session Monday afternoon.

Construction is progressing on the new Catholic school, located on Route K about two miles west of Siemers Drive.

Hillary Schmittzehe, chairman of the school's building committee, said he hopes work can start on the new water line as soon as possible.

"We're having decisions to make with the weather and everything," he said. "We're glad they approved it."

City and school officials said the agreement benefits everyone: The high school and other property owners get city water service, and the city gets to extend its corridor for growth and development westward.

"That's good expansion west for the city," Schmittzehe said. "Since they have their infrastructure in place, they should have many opportunities for development."

Drury Southwest will construct a 14-inch water main from the city limits along Route K, and will extend an 8-inch main to the Drury Trust property, and a 4-inch service line to Notre Dame High School.

The city's payment will cover the cost of valves, fire plugs and other fixtures the city would normally provide for the new water line, City Manger Michael Miller said, and totals about $80,000 more than the city would normally pay for such equipment.

Once the water line is complete, Miller said, many adjacent property owners probably will want to be annexed into the city to receive water service.

Council members praised the cooperation between city staff and school officials in getting the agreement worked out.

Councilman Richard Eggimann, Ward 6, called the agreement "wonderful."

"The whole area out there will be ripe for bringing into the city a lot faster," he said. "I think I particularly like the idea that we don't pay until it's finished."

"I think any time you build a school, that's an exciting thing for the future of our city and for our young people," said Councilman Melvin Gateley, Ward 5, who acted as mayor pro tem Monday in Mayor Al Spradling III's absence.

Completion date for the project the construction of the water line is up in the air.

City engineer Mark Lester said the project could "pessimistically" stretch out until April.

Schmittzehe tried to be a little more upbeat.

"If the weather doesn't hit us, I suppose we could get it in this fall," he said. "If not, we can wait until spring."

School officials met with city officials in July to plead their case, saying they needed water service to the new building by November.

Later that month, it was discovered the city had never received an application for city water service from the school.

The new high school is scheduled to open in September 1998. Water is now being trucked to the site.