Who will be where when music stops?

Cape Girardeau may well be ready to start a game of musical buildings.

The U.S. government says the old federal building on Broadway is for sale, now that Washington bureaucrats have decided to reject the application of the Rev. Larry Rice to turn the building into a homeless shelter.

Cape Girardeau County officials have been eyeing the building. The county has courtrooms and other offices in the Common Pleas Courthouse in downtown Cape Girardeau and the nearby annex that used to be the city's public library. Both buildings need costly upgrades, particularly the courthouse. One of the Common Pleas Courthouse's most serious deficiencies is its lack of an elevator. This means court officials, litigants, attorneys, witnesses and jurors must climb a serious set of steps to reach the upstairs area. And the women's restroom is on the floor below. Court officials generally grant requests from prospective jurors with disabilities not to be assigned to any cases in the Common Pleas Courthouse.

So the old federal building might, county officials believe, better serve the needs of county government and those who use the services provided in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Not that moving into the old federal building would be easy. That building is showing its age too -- which appears to be the reason the federal government isn't keeping it to house several agencies that have been relocated to rented facilities elsewhere in the city.

Taxpayers who think their $60 million-plus for the new federal courthouse on Independence Street should have ample space for every federal employee in Southeast Missouri should think again. The biggest occupant of the new courthouse is air. Social Security, FBI and other federal agencies are renting offices instead of staying in the building on Broadway.

There is an official explanation for this, of course. But so far I have not found a qualified translator who can explain the bureaucratic gobbledygook.

This may be fair warning to county officials. There may be serious enough deficiencies in the building on Broadway that would make it a money pit for county taxpayers. County officials are approaching this deal with their eyes wide open, so the costs of turning the federal building into county offices and courtrooms will be carefully evaluated. And there's hardly anyone who thinks sinking more money to meet the electronic-age demands of offices in the Common Pleas Courthouse makes sense.

So what happens to the Common Pleas Courthouse and old library if the county moves out?

The courthouse is a downtown icon. Its tower is a familiar landmark of the city's history. Its beautiful setting on the bluff overlooking the Mississippi River is superb.

One good use for the Common Pleas Courthouse might be a museum, at least on the first floor. Does the Cape River Heritage Museum need more space? In a building situated in a wonderful park? With a stunning view? And plenty of parking?

If the River Heritage Museum were to move, there would be another empty building. Who else could make good use of the city's old fire station -- a building with historical significance in its own right?

You might check semissourian.com for Brad Hollerbach's blog, which has some other ideas for the Common Pleas Courthouse. Meanwhile, I'd like to put in a bid on behalf of the Louis J. Lorimier Memorial World-Famous Downtown Golf Course, whose annual tournament starts at 1:30 p.m. June 28 at the Common Pleas Courthouse Park gazebo. The building would make a grand clubhouse.

jsullivan@semissourian.com;