COUNCIL EXTENDS DEADLINE ON MARQUETTE

The Cape Girardeau City Council voted Monday to grant a 60-day extension to the March 21 deadline to proceed with demolition of the Marquette Hotel unless owner Carole Bullock sells it or comes up with a renovation plan.

Cape Girardeau Mayor Albert Spradling III said he is concerned about the safety risk the 72-year-old building presents to pedestrians. He cited reports of bricks and "concrete objects" falling onto the sidewalk and of lose window panes poised to fall.

Despite warnings by the city, Spradling said: "The building has continued to deteriorate. They've had years to do something about this building, and nothing's been done."

Bullock disagreed. She told the council she has spent around $4,000 in recent months renovating the structure.

"The main thing I wanted to say tonight is, This project requires total cooperation," she said. "For the success of a renovation process, we need to see the glass as half-full. Let us keep the dream alive."

Bullock's architect, Thomas Phillips of Cape Girardeau, said, despite the Marquette's long vacancy, it is still salvageable.

"It's structurally sound," said Phillips, vice-president of Image Architecture Inc. "It can be renovated to back in its original shape. There's no question about that."

Built in 1928, the Marquette has been mostly vacant since 1981. Cape Girardeau resident Thad Bullock, Carole's father, owned the building from 1969 until his death in 1999.

The council's vote for an extension could stem from a lack of any real choice in the matter. Demolishing the building would cost an estimated $1 million -- fat that cannot be trimmed off the city budget, according to one council member.

In the study session before the meeting, councilman Jay Purcell said, "Everybody up here knows we don't have the money to tear it down."