Courthouse back in play as possible City Hall site

The Cape Girardeau City Council is pursuing a proposal that would relocate city governmental offices from the current location at City Hall to the Common Pleas Courthouse and annex building.

The city, with help from St. Louis-based Chiodini Architects, previously entertained the idea of moving into the courthouse and annex but ruled it out months ago. Chiodini Architects eventually recommended tearing down the current City Hall and rebuilding in its place at 401 Independence St.

But during an annual retreat for council members and other city leaders to discuss the coming year's budget Friday, deputy city manager Molly Mehner told the council that city staff, with the help of Chiodini Architects, had begun revisiting the idea and found it compelling.

The capital improvement tax plan, an extension of a current tax, includes about $6 million earmarked for a new city hall facility, Mehner said, but even if the city went ahead per the architects' recommendation and rebuilt at the current location, the city would still need to find more than $2 million to stabilize and retain the aging courthouse and annex facilities. Renovating and moving into the courthouse facilities, Mehner said, could be a more efficient use of city resources.

On the whole, the council seemed eager to see such a plan pursued. Ward 5 Councilman Ryan Essex pointed out when the city announced it was considering tearing down the existing City Hall, constituents contacted him to voice their displeasure. Several other council members recalled receiving similar feedback.

TYLER GRAEF ~ tgraef@semissourian.com City Manager Scott Myer is seen in the Common Pleas Courthouse during a tour Friday, Sept. 7, 2018. The City, after scrapping a similar plan last year, has begun looking at relocating City Hall to the courthouse and annex facilities in an attempt to preserve both the common pleas facilities and the current city hall building.

Moving to the courthouse and annex facilities would allow the current City Hall building to remain standing and either be leased out or sold, though city manager Scott Meyer said any sale of the building would likely include a covenant barring the building's demolition.

"I'm all in favor of it," said Ward 4 Councilman Robbie Guard. "I think it's a much easier sell (to the public), and we're not tearing down City Hall."

Meyer said he would be pleased to see city government run from a location with such gravitas as the Common Pleas Courthouse, which dates to 1854.

The building, he said, "screams, 'This is the seat of government.'"

Mehner said the plan would involve a re-imagining of the current city government's office operations. City staff would consider, for example, satellite offices, which, she said, could increase convenience for citizens seeking city services, while allowing the remaining government offices to fit at the courthouse site.

Ward 1 Councilman Dan Presson supported the idea of satellite offices, also adding more and more citizens will be conducting business online.

"That percentage (of people paying bills online) is only going to grow," he said. "I'm really thankful we circled back to this idea (of relocating City Hall to the courthouse). I think it's a fantastic concept."

Mehner said she would take the council's thoughts back to Chiodini Architects to continue formulating an official proposal, which she said would be presented in the coming months.

tgraef@semissourian.com

388-3627