Renovate, Common Pleas or something new? Council gets 'ball rolling' on city hall solution

Cape Girardeau city officials plan to pursue a needs study to explore the feasibility of renovating city hall, relocating to the Common Pleas Courthouse or building a new city hall.

Mayor Harry Rediger said a needs study is warranted to look at all three options.

�I have been kind of pushing that for the last couple of years,� he said Tuesday.

City manager Scott Meyer said an added option would be to find another existing building that could be converted into a city hall.

While the existing police station will become vacant when the police department moves into its new station this spring, city officials have said the old police station is not suitable for use as a city hall. City officials have said they plan to sell the building.

Officials said the aging Cape Girardeau City Hall lacks an elevator and has a worn-out heating and cooling system.

They estimated it would cost more than $1 million to add an elevator and renovate or replace the heating and cooling system. In 2016, city officials suggested it might be more prudent to construct a new city hall.

Built in 1937 as an elementary school, the city government has used the building at 401 Independence St. as city hall since 1978.

Ironically, Cape Girardeau city government operated out of the Common Pleas Courthouse at 44 N. Lorimier St. from 1854, when the brick structure opened, until moving into the old Lorimier School.

Meyer and Rediger said they want to know whether it would be feasible to return city hall to the courthouse.

The courthouse now is used by Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court. But once Cape Girardeau County government builds a new judicial building in Jackson, which could open by 2020 or 2021, the Common Pleas Courthouse will be empty, Rediger said.

�It is a good building,� the mayor said.

The iconic building is part of the downtown Cape Girardeau landscape.

�It just can�t be left empty,� Rediger said.

Meyer said the old courthouse has structural issues that would need to be addressed. But he said the building is �part of our history.�

The city manager said it is time to consider all the options.

�We are at that point we need to understand what we are talking about,� Meyer said.

The first step will be to seek qualifications from architects and engineers as part of the process to select a firm to conduct a facility needs study, he said.

Cape Girardeau City Council will have at least two new council members after the April municipal election. In addition, Rediger is term limited as mayor. Ward 5 Councilman Bob Fox is the sole candidate for mayor.

Meyer said city staff doesn�t want �to get too far ahead of a new council� on the future of city hall.

Rediger said the initial study is �going to kind of get the ball rolling.�

He added, �Hopefully through this year, we can start to map out the future.�

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

44 N. Lorimier St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.