Marquette's new tenants settle in slowly

Receptionist Janel Wilburn is enjoying her new view.

A week ago, all she could see from her desk was the parking lot in front of the Missouri Division of Workforce Development office on South Kingshighway. On Friday, she and more than 100 other state employees were adjusting to their new work environment in just-opened Marquette Tower. As of Thursday, six Missouri state government agencies and one private company have been operating and receiving clients at the newly renovated Cape Girardeau landmark.

"It's really neat being in this historic building, especially since they've refinished it," Wilburn said. "Everybody is real upbeat about the move."

Her new view is of Fountain Street and the sidewalk on its east side, a walkway busy with scurrying movers and construction workers still trying to put the finishing touches to the state office space and complete renovation of the still-unoccupied private sections of the building.

Besides the constant ringing of phones and talking of patrons and co-workers, Wilburn has the added background noise of hammers falling and saws buzzing as workers hang doors, lay tile and do the rest of their work around the new occupants, who are still unpacking and settling in from a hectic move.

"It got kind of crazy," said Tom M. Meyer, leasing agent for the Marquette Plaza -- which consists of the tower and the Marquette Centre at 221 Fountain St.

Although agencies were moving people and equipment in as early as June 17, a majority of them packed up their offices in Cape Girardeau and Sikeston to make the trek on the following Monday and Tuesday, just before the leases ran out on their previous locations. This delay was barely enough time for construction crews to ready their new offices on the upper floors of the tower.

In the instance of the lone private company that currently occupies the building, Metropolitan Employment & Rehabilitation Services/Missouri Goodwill Industries, that delay wasn't enough. A holdup on laying carpet over Metropolitan's sixth-floor offices had the floor being covered on Monday and Tuesday. Local Metropolitan director DeAnn Briggs said her employees were moving in gradually as carpet layers progressed, almost following them across the floor.

Once the offices opened for business on Thursday, another problem was getting patrons to the appropriate entrances at Fountain Street instead of the more prominent Broadway entrance, which leads only to vacant retail space and the main lobby. On Friday, a combination of paper signs taped to windows and construction-workers-turned-traffic-directors helped the people find their way.

Despite a tight moving schedule, Briggs said her company is up and running and her workers are excited about their new home. That enthusiasm is not only built on the beauty of their new building, but the added space they'll have to expand their services. A computer basics training center has been included along with a supervised play area for patrons to leave their children while taking courses.

As construction settles down and the new occupants settle in, Prost Builders is slowly moving construction equipment across the street to 221 N. Fountain. Although there is much work yet to be done to the private sector of the tower, Meyer said that the contractors' attention is slowly turning to the renovation of the old Southeast Missouri State University printing and shipping building that will be turned into retail space called Marquette Centre.

Meyer said his company has already started showing space on that property, but as of yet, there are no official occupants. He still anticipates an early September grand opening for the entire two-building Marquette Plaza complex.

trehagen@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137