EMERSON TAKES FIRST STEP TOWARD STUDY OF FEDERAL OFFICE SPACE

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson took the first step toward an analysis of federal office space needs for Cape Girardeau Wednesday by asking the House Public Works Committee's subcommittee on public buildings and grounds to authorize such a study.

The subcommittee is expected to send the request to the full committee. If approved at that level, it would need approval by both houses of Congress to take effect.

Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, said he is optimistic the request will be granted. If approved by Congress, the General Services Administration would be asked to conduct an 11-B study to review present and future space needs of all federal agencies based in Cape Girardeau.

The study would take about 90 days.

Most federal offices in Cape Girardeau are housed in the Federal Building at 339 Broadway. But increased space demands by the courts may soon make it necessary to move all non-court offices to a new location.

The study could lead to a decision to construct or lease a new building for federal offices in the city.

A recent needs study conducted by the eastern district of the federal court determined that projected needs for office space would exceed all the present space in the Federal Building by 1994. Currently, court-related offices use 12,047 of the 28,590 square feet of space in the building, which was opened in 1968.

Two assistant U.S. attorneys, who began in new positions Nov. 1, are using space on the top floor of the Capital Bank building, next door to the Federal Building.

In his testimony to the subcommittee, Emerson stressed that a commitment by the federal government to wage a more aggressive war on drugs and crime in Southeast Missouri is creating a space problem. Without additional space, these federal agencies will not be able to provide the kind of services people in the area need, Emerson said.

On Sept. 30, Emerson wrote a letter to U.S. Reps. Gus Savage, chairman of the subcommittee, and James Inhofe, the ranking Republican member of the panel, requesting a hearing. But on Wednesday, the congressman observed: "The need for office space has become even more urgent since I first wrote to the chairman and vice chairman about this 11-B resolution. Last week, U.S. Attorney Stephen Higgins opened a satellite office with two new assistants in Cape Girardeau. I believe that this new office will serve southern Missouri well, but I am also concerned about the space requirements.

"In addition, a permanent federal grand jury will soon be impaneled and there is simply not enough space to accommodate this much-needed and long awaited expansion of our federal law enforcement and judicial resources."

Emerson told the committee that the court needs study revealed that within 30 years, the courts in Cape Girardeau will need 90,000 square feet of space.

"We cannot allow space limitations to hinder our efforts in expeditiously handling criminal and civil cases," Emerson remarked. "We are moving the right direction with the cooperation displayed between federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. Indeed, this is a trend that must continue. However, at the same time, we must not handcuff those people who serve the public by not giving them enough room to conduct their designated objectives."