Construction is progressing at different stages at three fire stations in Cape Girardeau.

Penzel Construction poured the foundation Thursday and was working on footings of the new Fire Station No. 4 on Lexington Avenue. They also were working on sanitary sewer lines, utility lines and a stormwater-retention system, assistant fire chief Mark Hasheider said.

A constant in the construction process is the breaking and clearing of rock off the Lexington Avenue site.

The amount and type of rock has been one factor in a change in schedule and a change in budget for the project, Hasheider said.

The original budget for the project was $3 million, and Hasheider said the cost of construction will just exceed the $3 million figure. He could not give a firm deadline for the project’s completion.

Workers are close to the next step, which is pouring a concrete floor and setting up structural frames, Penzel superintendent Dave Mirgeaux said.

Hasheider said the station will begin to rise out of the ground in the next two months. The new station will replace the structure on Kurre Lane.

The new building will have three full-size drive-through bays, Hasheider said.

The current station No. 4 houses three firefighters, a rescue truck and a reserve engine, but the new station will be big enough to house six vehicles.

Firefighters have to back a truck into the station instead of having the kind of drive-through setup that exists at other stations.

Hasheider said the department has discussed keeping an additional ladder truck at the new station No. 4.

“I think there are a couple things going on in that area,” he said of the northwest part of the city around the new station. “There’s a lot of growth going, and there’s been a lot of growth going on. We’ve been able to expand the apparatus bay to allow a larger fire truck to be stored there.”

A separate Penzel Construction crew has installed a roof and structure for an annex building at Fire Station No. 2 at 378 S. Mount Auburn Road. Weather permitting, bricklayers will begin soon with the outside structure, Hasheider said.

The annex will house a maintenance bay for a mechanic, a communications vehicle, rescue trailers, support trailers and generators that have been stored outside in the past, Hasheider said.

The annex project is on its budget of about $1.1 million and is set to be complete in late spring or early summer, Hasheider said.

Bathroom renovations at Fire Station No. 1, 1 S. Sprigg St., are progressing quickly and are scheduled to be finished in February, Hasheider said.

Kiefner Construction workers are transforming the current upstairs bathroom into four bathroom facilities, Hasheider said.

The project at Fire Station No. 1 has been the most intrusive for firefighters, who have used the downstairs bathroom instead, he said.

“I think the firefighters are looking forward to it,” Hasheider said of the project — which cost about $150,000 — being finished.

Progress also has been made on the new police station at 2530 Marie Louise Lane.

Kiefner Brothers had nearly completed the foundation and footings and was obtaining bids for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, electrical, drywall and masonry work, according to a Dec. 22 news release.

The original budget for the police station was set at about $11 million.

Sgt. Adam Glueck, public-information officer for the Cape Girardeau Police Department, could not be reached for comment for this story.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address:

3011 Lexington Ave., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

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

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

2530 Marie Louise Lane, Cape Girardeau, Mo.