NEW COURTHOUSE AWAITS FUNDING: FULL-TIME JUDGE INTEGRAL PART OF PROJECT

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A General Services Administration official said the GSA expects a full-time federal judge will be assigned to Cape Girardeau. Unless that occurs, the courthouse "likely won't be built," he said.

The government still plans to build a $30 million federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, assuming Congress comes up with the money.

The General Services Administration won't even buy land for the courthouse project unless Congress approves funding for design work, said the GSA's Tom Walker.

Walker is the assistant regional administrator for public buildings with the GSA's Kansas City office.

"I am not in the land development business," he said, explaining why the GSA wants funding in place before it proceeds with the project.

Walker also said the GSA expects a full-time federal judge will be assigned to Cape Girardeau. Unless that occurs, the courthouse "likely won't be built," he said Wednesday.

Walker said the GSA received written assurance about six months ago from Chief U.S. District Judge Jean Hamilton of St. Louis that a full-time judge would be assigned to Cape Girardeau when the courthouse is built. "We would confirm that before we let any contract," Walker said.

But Jim Woodward, chief deputy clerk with the federal court in St. Louis, said the judges haven't made any commitment to putting a full-time judge in Cape Girardeau. He said it would be premature to make such a commitment at this time.

Hamilton met with lawyers in Cape Girardeau last September. At that time she told them six federal judges would rotate hearing civil and criminal cases in Cape Girardeau. Hamilton said the growing caseload still wasn't enough to warrant assigning a full-time judge to hold court in Cape Girardeau.

Woodward said the need for a new federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau exists regardless of whether a full-time judge is assigned to Cape Girardeau or cases are heard by different judges.

"I can tell you that the plug has not been pulled on the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau," he said.

Three years ago Congress allocated $3.8 million to buy land for a new courthouse in Cape Girardeau. But Walker said the GSA won't proceed without assurances of construction funding.

The GSA initially thought Congress would approve design funds in fiscal 1998. Now it appears Congress won't approve any design money for the project until fiscal 1999 at the earliest.

If that occurs, the GSA could be in a position to buy property in November or December 1998, he said.

The agency must hold a public hearing before settling on a site.

The nearly six-acre Happy Hollow site south of Independence and west of the Cape Girardeau City Hall remains the top choice, Walker said. The site is largely vacant land.

Walker said he doesn't expect any environmental problems with the site. Part of the area was once a city dump.

The proposed 145,000-square-foot building would provide needed courtroom space, judges' chambers and space for other court-related offices.

Currently, U.S. District Court operates out of the Federal Building on Broadway. That building also houses other federal offices, including a congressional office.

The Federal Building would continue to be used by various federal agencies after the new courthouse is built.

Walker said three federal courthouses currently are under construction in the region. The sites are in St. Louis, Kansas City and Omaha, Neb.

The Cape Girardeau project and a federal courthouse for Cedar Rapids, Iowa, remain in the planning stage.

"Cedar Rapids is about a year behind Cape Girardeau," he said.