What's next for city hall? Project moves to next phase following vote

Cape Girardeau city officials plan to use a design-build method to transform the historic Common Pleas Courthouse and Annex into a new city hall by 2021.

City staff intend to seek proposals for design-build services for the $12 million city hall project within the next few months with a goal of moving into the facility by summer or fall 2021, deputy city manager Molly Mehner said.

The project involves renovating the historic Common Pleas Courthouse and Annex, and adding an addition to connect the two buildings for use as city hall.

The new city hall will include an elevator, something the existing city hall on Independence Street does not have.

An architect has provided detailed drawings of the floor plan to city staff, Mehner said.

“The next phase is to get a design-build contractor on board to refine those plans,” she said.

The annex is vacant since county offices moved out. Circuit court offices are scheduled to relocate from the Common Pleas Courthouse to a new justice center in Jackson next year.

The city wants to be ready to proceed with construction once circuit court staff move out.

“Ideally, we would love to get into design and constructing drawing phase late this year and beginning of next year, so when the courts move out we can start work right away,” Mehner said.

“We don’t want the buildings to sit (empty),” she said.

Cape Girardeau officials have used the design-build process to construct the new police station and other facilities in recent years. Unlike a traditional process in which an architect designs the structure and then the city hires a contractor, the design-build process involves hiring a design-construction team.

City officials have said it is a less costly and more efficient way to construct public buildings.

City hall currently is housed in a former brick school, which, city officials have said, has an old heating and cooling system that would be costly to replace.

Once the new city hall opens, Mehner said the city would look at ways to preserve old Lorimier School.

Built in 1937, the former school building has been used as city hall since 1978.

“We will look for opportunities either through a public-private partnership to develop it or we will look at selling or leasing the building,” Mehner said.

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