Cape council set to OK pact on fire-station remodeling

Agreements up for approval tonight by the Cape Girardeau City Council will allow the city to move forward on a few highly anticipated projects.

One resolution would execute an agreement with a consultant for services for fire-station construction.

In August, the city posted a request for qualifications for architectural and engineering design firms for several projects at fire stations 1 and 2. Nine firms responded and were evaluated based on previous experience and description of design approach. That group was narrowed to three finalists interviewed by city staff. The group ultimately recommended St. Louis firm JEMA.

Facility upgrades were among the projects the city pledged would be completed with the 2014 renewal of the quarter-cent fire sales tax that is divided into ongoing and renewable portions. Voters approved a 21-year extension in November, and the city expects the tax to bring in annual revenue of $1.2 million.

Work to be done at the two stations includes remodeling, additions and bringing restrooms into compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.

At Station 1 on South Sprigg Street, the south wall will be removed to add a bay that will increase storage space.

A workout room for on-duty firefighters will be added, as well as security components to the lobby and front reception area.

The kitchen, shower and restroom areas will be updated, and the open living quarters will receive partitions to help create more privacy and personal space at each bunk.

"The room would still have an open theme to it, but it would have these walls to give them individual privacy," said assistant fire chief Mark Hasheider during a recent tour of the station.

Station 2 on South Mount Auburn Road houses a ladder truck and the truck that responds to calls at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

It also is the station where firetrucks are taken for maintenance and repairs.

Sometimes that means the station's trucks have to be parked outside to make room for those being brought in for repair. To solve that problem, Station 2 will receive an additional mechanical bay and storage annex.

"We do have some trailers parked outside, and the weather does take its toll, both the hot and the cold," Hasheider said. "There are some pieces of equipment that need a controlled environment."

Besides the measure regarding the fire station improvements, the council will consider an ordinance about the South Sprigg Street bridge reconstruction project.

The area has been closed since 2013 after a large sinkhole collapsed part of the nearby street, and another sinkhole formed near the base of the bridge.

Last year, the city entered into an emergency relief fund agreement with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for building the bridge and part of the roadway.

Since that time, the city has been forced to wait for an act of Congress to receive the funds.

Rather than continue waiting, the city sought and recently was approved for a low-interest loan agreement with the Missouri Transportation Finance Commission for the project.

Still, the congressional delay set the city behind on the project, which is why the council is considering the supplemental agreement with the state highways and transportation commission.

It would allow an extension for granting the contract award for construction to Sept. 30.

Other business

The council will vote on a measure amending the city's residential rental-licensing ordinance. The ordinance was approved by the council in October 2012, and staff recently identified revisions that would make it more effective. Building and code-enforcement manager Anna Kangas said the revisions would make the code better coordinate with the city's property maintenance ordinance.

"They're not big changes," she said.

Among the revisions are additional definitions for the terms "emergency escape and rescue opening" and "rent or lease"; an update on allowed occupancy per unit; and an additional requirement for a compliance inspection before a utility service is reconnected if the utility has been disconnected for more than 10 days.

srinehart@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

1 S. Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

378 S. Mount Auburn Road, Cape Girardeau, Mo.