CHAMBER BUILDING BID DOCUMENTS TO BE READY THIS MONTH

Bid documents for a new Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce headquarters building soon will be available.

"All the papers will be ready and on their way to chamber members who are contractors by Sept. 25," said John Mehner, president and chief executive officer of the chamber.

Only chamber members are eligible to bid on construction of the building in the 1200 block of North Mount Auburn Road.

"Once the bid papers go out, we expect to award a contract quickly," said Mehner. "Bids are due Oct. 6. At that time we'll call a special board meeting and make a decision."

The chamber hopes to be in the building by March or April.

"That could depend on the weather," said Mehner. "Hopefully, the contractor can have the building under roof by winter so inside work can take place during the winter months."

The chamber has until November 1996 to move from its headquarters at 601 N. Kingshighway. That building was sold under the agreement that the chamber could remain in the building for up to two years.

The new building will consist of 4,800 square feet. It will be brick with a regular composite or standard metal roof, depending on roof cost. It will include a larger board meeting room that will seat up to 50 people. The parking lot will contain 41 spaces, including handicapped spaces.

Tom Holshouser is the architect.

The building will be on an eight-tenths-of-an-acre tract with 150-feet of frontage and 225 feet of depth.

The building will be only the fourth for the chamber since it was founded in 1920. During its first eight years the chamber met in a building that housed the Elks before settling in at 225 Broadway in 1928. From there is moved to North Kingshighway.

The idea of a new chamber building emerged two years ago during the chamber's annual retreat. Chamber officials cited a need for additional space and more parking.

The plan was placed on the back burner during the 1993 retreat because of a loss of revenue from operating the state license fee office. It had previously operated the office and the Convention and Visitors Bureau. The bureau moved to 1707 Mount Auburn Road and the license fee office was taken from the chamber.

The idea of a new building emerged again when the chamber building was sold in mid-November. The chamber received an unsolicited offer on the building, and following long discussions the board decided to accept the offer.

Christopher H. and Myra Jung bought the building.

In other chamber developments, its board this week named Greg Smith, president of First National Bank here, to replace Steve Engles, who resigned from the board effective Aug. 21. Engles, previous owner of KBSI-TV, has sold the television station and will be moving away.

Smith is the second new director appointed this year. Greg Groesbeck of Union Electric Co. was appointed to fill a vacancy created when Carol Keeler-Daniel resigned in May. Keeler-Daniel accepted a position with KMOX-Radio in St. Louis.