Business notebook: Chateau Girardeau retirement community is expanding

The grounds of the eastern side of the Chateau Girardeau campus have been overturned. What was once a large swath of green land now is being prepared for an expansion of facilities.

"The demand for independent-living estate homes has grown," Kim Wilson, director of marketing at Chateau Girardeau, said. "So we're in the middle of the addition of seven or eight more new estate homes on our property."

The continuing-care retirement community offers independent-living quarters as well as assisted-living and skilled-nursing facilities. Across all levels of care, 251 residents stay at Chateau Girardeau.

The new single-dwelling estate homes primarily will be two-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath homes with an average of 1,898 square feet of space, Wilson said. They will feature an open-concept design, a main bedroom with an en suite, kitchen, laundry room and enclosed sunroom. The size and layout of the new homes is in line with the 37 pre-existing estate homes, which average between 1,500 and 2,000 square feet.

Though construction has not begun, potential residents have shown interest in the properties already.

"There's currently a waiting list for estate homes here," Wilson said.

Those who intend to move into the new homes and get involved early will be able to give input about the interior finishes of their homes as they are being completed, Wilson said.

This is the first large expansion of the facility since 2011, when a 16,000-square-foot addition to the Chateau's health center was built, which included 15 new skilled-nursing rooms.

Wilson said construction is scheduled to begin this month, and all eight homes will be completed in the spring 2017.

"We're really excited," Wilson said. "This is our big project for the year."

Rhodes Group adding warehouse center

The Rhodes Group, a real-estate development firm in Cape Girardeau, is building a 13,000-square-foot, 8-unit office and warehouse business center at 2311 Bloomfield Road.

Each unit is proposed to have an office area, restroom, warehouse space and overhead door in the rear of the building, according to Scott M. Rhodes.

The building is expected to be finished in late summer. Three units still are available, with Boulder Construction taking a considerable portion of the space.

Poplar Bluff shopping area to be built soon

Developers expect to begin construction in September on a $6 million to $8 million project that could add 10 or more new businesses to the Eight Points shopping area in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Donna Farley of the Daily American Republic reports developer Jeff Otto told the city's Board of Adjustments the new retail stores could begin opening as soon as May 2017.

The development efforts could draw shoppers away from other regional shopping areas.

"We're solidifying Poplar Bluff's position as a regional shopping destination," Otto said after the meeting. "We're going to draw customers to Poplar Bluff that might otherwise have decided to go to another community. While they're here, they're going to shop at our shops, and they're going to shop at existing retailers."

Farley reports the construction is possible because of the extension of U.S. 67 and the new location of Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center.

Zoning inspector goes to Red Cross event

Allan Fletchall, property maintenance and zoning inspector for the Inspection Services Division of the city of Cape Girardeau, attended the Collective Impact Summit hosted by the Red Cross in Columbia, Missouri, in March.

Allan Fletchall

At the event, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon highlighted the need for advance planning to respond effectively to disasters such as tornadoes, earthquakes and floods in the area.

The Summit provided attendees with opportunities to network and learn from other governmental agencies, volunteer groups such as AmeriCorps, United Way, Red Cross, churches, and charities.

Wastewater chief is Operator of Year

Quentin Overbeck of the city of Cape Girardeau Public Works Department has been named Southeast Section of the Missouri Water and Wastewater Conference Operator of the Year.

Overbeck, chief operator of the wastewater treatment facility, has been employed by the City of Cape Girardeau for over four years.

The award was created to recognize operators with outstanding and performance and dedication in their field. The Southeast Section covers 23 counties in Southeast Missouri.

Local appraiser gets coveted designation

John M. Karnes, president of J.M. Karnes & Associates / Dockins Valuation Company in Cape Girardeau, was awarded the Appraisal Institute's MAI membership designation, having completed a graduate-level curriculum and 4,500 hours of qualifying experience.

MAIs are recognized as experts in the field of property appraisal and form a nationwide and worldwide business network. About 8,000 real-estate appraisal professionals hold the MAI designation, and 3,400 others seek it.

Karnes will be honored during a meeting of the Greater St. Louis Chapter of the Appraisal Institute.

CCC names medical director

John Hudak, CEO of Community Counseling Center (CCC), has announced M. Asif Qaisrani as its new medical director.

M. Asif Qaisrani

Qaisrani joined CCC's staff in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, in March 2015. There, he provided outpatient psychiatric and behavioral-health services to patients who struggled with symptoms of depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses.

Qaisrani received his residency training in psychiatry at St, Louis University and earned a master's degree in public health from the University of Leeds in England.

Among his various work experiences, Qaisrani has serves as senior consultant/psychiatrist at Barnes Jewish Children's Behavioral Health in St. Louis and at Castlewood Treatment Center in Ballwin, Missouri.

He also provided comprehensive mental health care to inmates at the Missouri Department of Corrections and participated in quality improvement and strategic planning for psychiatric services rendered by more than 30 psychiatrists at 18 correctional facilities.

"Dr. Qaisrani is well known and well respected," Hudak said in a news release. "We are extremely happy to have Dr. Qaisrani on board."

Opening

Premier Physical Therapy, with offices in Cape Girardeau and Jackson, recently opened a new location at 33501 Highway 25 in Advance, Missouri.

Business licenses

• Cape Consignment Warehouse, 2117 B Broadway, is a furniture-consignment business owned by D.A. Dollar. It opened March 20.
• SEMO Concrete, 1510 Good Hope St., is a business owned by Adam Barr, specializing in concrete flooring. The anticipated opening date was April 11.

bbrown@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630