NEW CONSTRUCTION GIVES CITY SOMETHING TO BUILD ON

The growth of a community is an indication of its vitality. A very visible sign of that growth is commercial and residential construction that is progressing at a feverish pace throughout Cape Girardeau.

What makes this development all the more encouraging is that it is broad based. Homebuilders, developers and commercial builders have kept Cape Girardeau's inspection office busy with permit requests. This across-the-board demand should insulate the city from a downturn in a single area of development.

The numbers speak for themselves: During the first three-quarters of 1993, the city of Cape Girardeau has issued more than 500 building permits. Total construction permits thus far register an impressive $24 million.

Among the most visible commercial construction sites are three projects on the west side of Interstate 55. The framework is erected for a $3.2 million Lowes Home Center and a five-story, 118-room Drury Inn. In addition, Drury Southwest Inc. is constructing new offices near the Fruitland exchange with I-55. The hotel and Lowe's alone helped push commercial projects over the $11.9 million mark for the year.

Other major construction projects under way include: $350,000 expansion at the West Park Village, a $196,000 physician's office along Mount Auburn; a $190,000 car wash also on Mount Auburn; and a $295,000 renovation project at West Park Mall. A major construction project -- totalling more than $800,000 -- will begin next week as the Salvation Army starts construction on its new headquarters and multipurpose building.

Home building has also been progressing at a good clip this year. The city has issued 74 permits through September, for a total of nearly $7.7 million. That's an average of about $106,000 per house, and represents a considerable investment in the community. Home permits issued the last three years include: 89 in 1992; 70 in 1991; and 82 in 1990.

Included in this year's permits are 11 for multi-family residences. Two of these are apartment-type buildings. We're glad to see this kind of development as well. Southeast Missouri State University helps keep the demand for apartments high.

The city inspection office has been busy with permits for many other type of smaller construction projects - from carports to swimming pools to signs. These smaller projects have combined for $4.1 million -- certainly not a figure to be overlooked.

Ironically, this construction boom may still not hold a candle to 1992, which was a record year. Permits totalled more than $47 million, which almost doubled the $25.8 million of 1991. But two single projects really pushed last year into the "extraordinary" category. The $7 million Health Service Corporation of American (HSCA) headquarters and $13 million contract for improvements and expansions at Southeast Missouri Hospital accounted for almost half of the 1992 totals.

Still, 1993 construction dollars will be nothing to sneeze at. At its current rate, 1993 could become the second best construction year in the past decade. And the fact these two great construction years will occur back to back has certainly strengthened our community economically.

Permits issued in 1993 reflect a healthy growth in most all categories. That's an indication that our community is growing. These new construction projects give us new homes to live in, new stores to shop at, and added taxes to power city services and improvements. It also keeps people off the unemployment lines, and gives them more dollars to spend in the local economy. Commercial development also has a way of attracting more of the same.

We can only hope that as our city grows in new buildings, it will grow in people as well. These new homes and businesses are certainly something on which to build.