FEDS SAY BUILDING ON TRACK

A $30 million federal building for Cape Girardeau remains on track, say officials of the U.S. District Court and Government Services Administration, the two groups coordinating the project.

Congress has appropriated $3.8 million to acquire a site and do preliminary design work. Jim Woodward, chief deputy clerk of the U.S. District Court, said plans are on schedule to request money for design funding in fiscal year 1998, and construction money in fiscal 2000. If approved, construction money would be available in October 1999.

"The judges of this court are firmly committed to a new facility in Cape Girardeau," Woodward said. "But a lot of what happens next is out of our control."

Senior U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh questions if Congress will approve the project.

"I would be very, very surprised if Congress would support allocation of $25 million when there is no sitting judge," Limbaugh said. "Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe senators will say we need the building even if we don't have a judge."

Woodward said the caseload in Cape Girardeau is driving the project, not whether one of more federal judges have offices in the building.

Approximately 225 civil cases are filed every year in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau. In 1995, 70 criminal cases were filed here. "This year we already have close to that number," Woodward said.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jean Hamilton of St. Louis told lawyers at a town-hall meeting in September that the Cape Girardeau caseload, while growing, doesn't warrant a full-time judge. She said a full-time judge was possible in the future if the number of cases continues to rise.

Six federal judges hear civil and criminal cases on a rotating basis in Cape Girardeau. When Limbaugh took senior status, he chose to limit his cases to St. Louis. The remaining federal judges opted to divide the Southeast Division cases among themselves. Limbaugh spent one week in Cape Girardeau when he came here. The new rotation allows for a judge to be here two weeks a month.

Dale Mutchler of the Government Services Administration in Kansas City said an anticipated future need for more courtroom space triggered the project.

"It was an anticipation by the courts that they would have judges -- as many as five judges -- requiring space in the new Cape courthouse," Mutchler said. The courts projected one district judge, one senior judge, two magistrates and one bankruptcy judge would eventually work here.