District gets good news on sale of Schultz

It must have seemed like Christmas in January for Cape Girardeau School District officials interested in selling the soon-to-be-vacated Louis J. Schultz School building on Pacific Street.

A developer came along late in the sale process and offered $2 million for the property.

Superintendent Dan Steska said the school board was surprised but delighted at the offer, which was $1 million less than the building's appraisal in 1997.

But considering the economy and the fact that Schultz was built in 1914, $2 million seems like a gift.

The school will be empty of students next year in a districtwide grade-level reconfiguration that promises better facilities for students. Students in grades 9-12 will move to a new Central High School on Silver Springs Road next door to the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center.

Students in seventh and eighth grade will take over the old Central High School building -- with new air conditioning -- on Caruthers Avenue. And students in fifth and sixth grades will move to the former Central Junior High School building.

That will leave the district's oldest building, Schultz, empty, which seems appropriate considering Schultz's age and lack of air conditioning.

The potential buyer is Ray Bax of RMB Inc. Bax Construction in Jefferson City. He originally wanted to build new office space in Cape Girardeau for state offices, as the 10-year lease period is coming up for renewal.

But now, in light of Gov. Bob Holden's indication that he will give preference to downtown areas when it comes to state office leases, Bax wants Schultz.

Of course, that will put him in competition with the 73-year-old Marquette Hotel, which another developer, Prost Builders, also of Jefferson City, wants to convert into state office space to meet the governor's request.

Bax said he looked at buying the Marquette and the H&H building across the street from the hotel, but the parking situation wasn't advantageous. Meanwhile, the Schultz playground offers plenty of room for future parking.

Bax says he plans to buy the old school building whether or not he gets a state contract, which is welcome news for the district.

It is also a winning situation for Cape Girardeau, which won't have another old, vacant building on its streets.

How delightful it would be if the owners of both the school and the hotel reached a settlement with buyers who had solid plans for the locations.