City axes Henderson Ave. crosswalk, keeps parking

Cape Girardeau city staff have scrapped plans for a crosswalk on Henderson Avenue to save two on-street parking places in front of a rental home and resolve a dispute with the building's landlord.

The crosswalk had been included in the Broadway widening project plans drawn up by a private engineering firm.

"We didn't like the midblock crosswalk," said city engineer Josh Richardson. "It has been removed from the project."

As a result, the two parking spaces will be preserved, he said Friday.

Eric Gooden, a Cape Girardeau businessman who owns the rental house at 229 N. Henderson Ave. just south of Broadway, was upset earlier this month after construction workers removed two mature trees from the city right of way in front of his house.

The trees were removed as part of the Broadway project being managed by the university in coordination with the city. The project also threatened the on-street parking in front of the Henderson Avenue house.

Gooden said that neither city nor university staff informed him that the pin oak and ash trees he planted about 25 years ago would be removed.

Gooden said he had expected to keep his trees and his on-street parking spaces and was shocked when the trees were removed.

Chris Koehler, the private engineer who drew up the plans, said construction crews mistakenly took out the ash tree. Only the pin oak should have been cut down, he said two weeks ago.

Gooden said he's happy that the two parking spaces will remain.

Richardson, who took over as city engineer earlier this month, indicated that Gooden would plant new trees.

But Gooden said Friday that he still hopes either the city or the university will replace the trees.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123