Amid the bustling of workers, trucks and heavy construction equipment in and around the Marquette Hotel, the renovated Cape Girardeau landmark is quietly receiving its first tenants in decades.
On Friday, 10 employees of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services spent their day unpacking office equipment and setting up their desks in their new office on the Marquette's second floor. Other state agencies in the area await their turn to make the same trek over the next 11 days.
July 1 is the day when more than 100 employees from six Missouri state government agencies in Cape Girardeau and Sikeston begin to work at their new offices in the rear and upper-floor quarters of the historic Marquette, said project coordinator Tom Shea with the Missouri Office of Administration.
Agencies on the move include the state Workforce Development Division, Employment Security Division and the Workforce Investment Board of Southeast Missouri, all at 760 S. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau; the Department of Health and Senior Services and the Department of Social Services' Family Support and Children's Division, all at 130 Frederick St. in Cape Girardeau; and the Department of Mental Health's Sikeston Regional Center at 112 Plaza Drive in Sikeston.
In addition, MERS/Missouri Goodwill Industries -- an independent company that runs the Goodwill thrift stores but also works with the Workforce Investment Board of Southeast Missouri to coordinate employment and rehabilitation programs for the disabled and poor -- will move from the office at 760 S. Kingshighway and set up operations at the same time.
Shea emphasized that until the July 1 occupancy date, these agencies will continue to operate and receive patrons at their current offices.
Lorimont Place Ltd. is handling the leasing of the soon-to-be-vacant offices at 760 S. Kingshighway. Lorimont real estate agent Tom Kelsey said the move is opening up a significant amount of office space, which he has already shown to a company out of St. Louis that is looking to relocate to Cape Girardeau.
As for the private business sections of the Marquette, leasing agent Tom M. Meyer said he is trying to lock down terms with several occupants and is still eyeing a September grand opening. While the office space in the building is ready to go and the rest of the space is moving along, he said, the front lobby requires extra attention. The detailed work on the historic tile and columns of the lobby, which must meet certain historical preservation standards, will push completion of the project into August.
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