Construction activity during the first 7 1/2 months of 1995 in Cape Girardeau is up more than 20 percent.

The city's Inspection Services Division, which issues permits for commercial, residential and other projects, reports construction at more than $31 million through Aug. 15, up from the $25 million figure from the same time period in 1994.

"Cape Girardeau is growing," said Rick Murray, building inspector and supervisor of the city's inspection services. "It wouldn't surprise me to see an increase in total construction for the year."

Projects of all sizes have boosted 1995 totals, added Murray.

`We're seeing a lot of commercial developments," he said. "And we're seeing a lot of activity in housing."

Murray thinks this is positive news for the city's economy. "It shows that our citizens are confident in our city," he said.

The city's nonresidential construction, which includes commercial, manufacturing and other buildings not designed for shelter, accounts for about two-thirds of the 1995 construction total.

Residential construction for the year is over the $12 million mark, with 34 single-family homes, 13 two-family duplexes and a number of three- and four-family apartment complexes.

The $31 million total does not include two projects -- a $2.2 million building project at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, and the $15 million, 100,000-square-foot business building under construction on Southeast Missouri State University campus.

The building is named Robert A. Dempster Hall in honor of the Sikeston lawyer who helped set up the university's fund-raising foundation and gave $1 million to the project. It is being funded with $12.3 million in state bond money and more than $2.4 million in private funds.

The bulk of the airport improvement program will be paid for by the Federal Aviation Administration, through a Missouri State Highways and Transportation Department block grant. The city's portion of the cost is 10 percent.

The project includes reconstruction of an existing ramp, apron and taxiway expansions.

In addition, the improvements include recabling on the main runway. The existing wiring was installed in the 1960s, noted Greg Chenoweth, airport manager. "Over the years, the federal government has increased the requirements of runway safety lighting."

The permit office has been busy during the first 7 1/2 months of 1995. More than 400 building permits have been issued, ranging from decks to signs, remodeling to expansion, home building to commercial structures.

All the activity translates into $31,269,980 in building contracts.

"We've experienced a steady growth over the past few years and 1995 is no exception," said Murray. "I'll certainly be disappointed if we don't pass the $38.8 million mark of 1994.

The 1994 construction figure is the second best in the history of the city. The record year came in 1992, when construction totaled almost $48 million.

The amount of commercial construction this year is no surprise to Murray but the timing is. "I just thought it would be later in the year before we reached $30 million," he said.

Construction activity in the city is visible everywhere, from north to south and east to west.

Groundwork along North Kingshighway, past the Lexington intersection, has passers-by guessing. Although a permit has not been requested for a project there, a retail establishment reportedly is in the works.

Ground is also being prepared for the new Aldi's grocery building at Kingshighway and Independence.

The restaurant building which will house the new Ruby Tuesday restaurant is taking shape along Route K, fronting West Park Mall. Other construction near that site is for a water retention basin for Auburn Park Place.

Ruby Tuesday will be part of Auburn Park, which will include a commercial retail complex. Also in the nearby area, work is nearing completion on the Drury Center, a retail development adjacent to the Barnes and Noble Bookstore, which will open in the near future. Barnes and Noble is already advertising for personnel to operate the 22,000-square-foot store.

Other permits issued recently include those for a new Domino's Pizza operation at 1028 N. Sprigg; Ryder Trucking for buildings at 2010 Southern Expressway; Rhodes Oil Co., for a service station/convenience store at 2109 William; and ERA Cape Realty for new offices at 1409 Mount Auburn Road.

Two of the largest projects of 1995 will be a new St. Francis Medical Center parking garage, and the Lutheran Home Sarcony Manor project. Each has been issued building permits of more than $4 million -- $4,585,000 for the Lutheran Home and $4,170,200 for the parking garage.

Other million-dollar-plus projects include a new lobby area for Southeast Missouri Hospital, $2.7 million; Heritage Manor, a 44-unit low-cost housing development to be constructed at Linden and South West End Boulevard; and a River Eagle Distributing warehouse, $1.4 million.

Cape Girardeau's construction binge is in line with activity statewide. Total construction activity in Missouri was up 2 percent for the first six months, according to the F.W. Dodge Division of McGraw-Hill, an authority on the construction market.

Dodge reports total construction through June at $2.9 billion, compared to $2.8 billion a year ago. Nonresidential construction for the first half of the year was reported at $1.2 billion, up 25 percent from the $978 million for the same period a year ago.

Residential construction was reported at $1.1 billion, down 16 percent from 1994; and nonbuilding construction was reported at $535 million, 5 percent more than the $510 million of a year ago.