Old buildings

Downtown Cape Girardeau's revitalization process, which has made amazing gains in recent years, is about to be enhanced by the completion of two major projects, the new federal courthouse next to City Hall, and Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus, which will house the university's school for performing and visions arts.

Many property owners in the downtown area already have made significant investments in their buildings. The results can be seen everywhere. Once-dilapidated structures have had new life breathed into them, and the overall effect has been positive enough to encourage others to join in.

But, as with any old building, there are concerns about structural integrity. The collapse of the Elks Lodge in downtown Clinton, Mo., which resulted in one death, drew widespread attention to the situation. And the collapse in May of an apartment building on Ellis Street, part of Cape Girardeau's downtown area, got the attention of property owners here.

Cape Girardeau has building codes it would like to see all property owners strive to comply with, particularly as they remodel and make other improvements. But to upgrade some old buildings to modern codes would be cost prohibitive.

In the search for a middle ground, downtown property owners and city officials have begun a series of meetings to discuss how to best ensure the safety of all buildings while being mindful of the cost.

Some thought has been given to adopting special code provisions that make certain allowances for old buildings.

Two major points of recent discussions look particularly promising. One encourages every building owner to do a self-assessment to gauge structural soundness and point to needed repairs. The other would involve pooling resources to hire a structural engineer who could do more elaborate studies at an affordable cost to each property owner.

The continuation of these discussions between owners and the city can go a long way to find common ground that is beneficial to both. City officials and building owners are to be commended for their attempt to work out realistic solutions.