Police station move near Arena Park proposed

With action taken by the Cape Girardeau City Council on Monday, the Cape Girardeau Police Department will be one step closer to moving to its new home next to Arena Park.

Once the council approves acceptance of the deed, the city will begin designing the new station at 2530 Maria Louis Lane.

The property at the edge of Arena Park has always been owned by the city. The building currently on the property was owned by the Army Reserve, which leased the property from 1968 to 2014. The city negotiated with the Army Corps of Engineers to assume ownership of the building at no cost to the city.

"To empower our officers to help keep Cape safe, we need a facility that accommodates current policing methods and the volume of work," police chief Wes Blair said in a news release. "Our officers have done the most they can with what they have but it is time to move."

Continued growth of daytime population and calls for service, plus the aging infrastructure of the existing station, have contributed to the department's need for a new facility. The residential population of the city is less than 40,000, but the city estimates the daytime population is more than 100,000. The department also responds to more than 140 calls for service each day, according to the city.

The new location will better accommodate the department's size and space for technology needs, as well as legislative changes requiring additional evidence retention and accessibility requirements.

The city also cited safety issues among the top reasons for the move to a new station. The jail is too small and should be on the first floor with a secure entrance, the news release said. The new facility will be designed to properly separate prisoners, the public and employees.

Blair also commented on the benefits of the new location, which places the department in the center of the city.

Plans for the new station will be developed over the coming months as police and other city officials weigh the costs of renovation or rebuilding. The city has contracted with FGM Architects to evaluate the existing building and determine what changes could be needed to meet the police department's and municipal court's needs.

Early estimates priced the building or renovation at $11 million.

Along with voter approval of the fire sales tax and Public Safety Trust Fund in November 2014, was approval of a plan to pay for a new police station from a combination of sales, restaurant gross receipts and casino taxes. By using an existing city owned property and an existing building, more funding could be allocated to meeting the police department's needs. Through the restaurant tax, $4.2 million was allocated, along with $4 million from the fire tax and $2.8 million from casino funds.

The city also expects there will be sufficient funding to move the municipal court into the police station project. City Hall, where the court is currently located, does not have the proper facilities to secure prisoners and the public on court days. Transporting the prisoners to and from City Hall would no longer be necessary.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

2530 Maria Louis Lane, Cape Girardeau, Mo.