CONSERVATION CENTER DEDICATION EVENT SCHEDULED AUG. 21

A Missouri Department of Conservation regional service center, nearing completion in the Cape Girardeau County North Park, will be formally dedicated on Aug. 21.

Last week, staff from the conservation department met with representatives of Sides Construction Co. to review the "punch list" as the final step before accepting the building.

The contractor is now in the process of clearing up things noted in the check, and plans are being made to move into the facility.

"The office building looks real good and we're looking forward to making the move," said Dennis Steward, regional supervisor for the department's protection division and manager of the regional office headquartered in Cape Girardeau.

He noted that the department staff in Cape Girardeau will begin moving the week of Aug. 12.

The new complex will not only include offices, but a large maintenance and storage facility, and a display area with exhibits for the public to view.

Steward explained the exhibits that will be permanently displayed in the center will not be ready until later in the year, so some temporary displays will be used for the dedication.

The dedication event, which is open to the public, will begin at 10 a.m. and will include officials from Cape County, the cities of Cape Girardeau and Jackson, area legislators, officials of the Department of Conservation, and others who have been instrumental in developing the project.

The facility is constructed on a five-acre site provided by the Cape County Commission. In addition, the conservation department will have access to some additional acreage in the park to develop a trail through some natural areas of the park.

In all, the regional center will house offices for about 15 fulltime personnel of the conservation department, as well as some part-time employees. Included in that total are a new aquatic services biologist and a maintenance supervisor that are in the process of being hired.

The conservation department is divided into four divisions. Fulltime staff that will work out of the Cape office include six from the fisheries division, four from protection, and one each from wildlife and forestry.

The Cape office serves 13 counties and is one of 13 regional service centers around the state. Some of the regional centers include full-scale nature centers or are just offices. The new center here is a new style facility that includes both a display area for the public as well as office space.

Steward said a center similar to the one here will be constructed soon in St. Joseph.

The Cape Girardeau center serves the counties of Cape Girardeau, Perry, Madison, Iron, Wayne, Butler, Stoddard, Dunklin, Pemiscot, New Madrid, Mississippi, Bollinger, and Scott.