Commander Premier eviction can proceed

BENTON, MO (KRCU) - Commander Premier Aircraft Corporation was scheduled for a hearing in Scott County Court on Monday.

Once again, representatives from Commander did not show up.

Judge Scott Horman awarded possession of the airport hangar to the city. The city now must wait ten days before physically removing Commander Premier from the property.

Cape Girardeau City Manager Scott Meyer says the hearing was a big step towards evicting the bankrupt manufacturer from the city-owned hangar.

"Commander, CPAC, didn’t show up so they had a default judgment which means that they were ready for us to file the paperwork to move toward eviction. Since they defaulted there was no need for a trial then, they signed the order, so now then there’s just some procedural things that we do and then we can execute on eviction," Meyer said.

This is not the first time Commander was a no-show in court. The company failed to send a representative before a bankruptcy judge in Texas earlier this month.

Meyer says all of Commander’s belongings are still in the airport hangar.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

Read More

Cape Girardeau files papers to evict Commander Premier

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The City of Cape Girardeau has filed court papers to ask for the eviction of Commander Premier Aircraft Corporation from a city-owned hangar.

The papers were mailed to the Scott County Court on Thursday.

Cape Girardeau City Manager Scott Meyer says there is still no timeline for when Commander will be out of the hangar.

"It’s still rather complicated whether or not there is a claim of ownership of the equipment by other lien holders and things like that. That is a questions that may speed that up or slow it down. So really it’s still unknown," Meyer said.

Meyer says he expects a hearing to take place within 30 days.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

Read More

Judge rules against Commander Premier

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The Commander Premier saga is one step closer to a conclusion.

A bankruptcy judge in Texas sided against the airplane manufacturer and in favor of the City of Cape Girardeau Tuesday. Commander Premier did not send representatives to appear in front of judge Bill Parker.

The decision opens the door for the city to proceed with Commander’s eviction from the city-owned hangar at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

Over the weekend, Commander Premier executives sent an open letter to the Southeast Missourian, which stated that residents pressured city officials to take action against the cash-strapped company.

City manager Scott Meyer was intrigued by Commander’s strategy.

"It’s just kind of interesting that Commander had time to kind of lay it on the backs of Cape Girardeau citizens. They had time for all of that," Meyer says. "But they didn’t have time to appear in front of the judge and make and their case. It’s just kind of interesting what they chose to spend their time doing."

Meyer says the city should be able to proceed with the eviction within 14 days.

Commander Premier has not paid rent at the hangar since 2007.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

Read More

Cape Girardeau-to-Paducah interstate connection is on the horizon

View Larger MapDriving Directions

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - An interstate highway between Cape Girardeau and Paducah is one step closer to reality.

Cape Girardeau city officials announced Monday a three point six million dollar grant for a feasibility study from the United States Department of Transportation.

The highway will run from Interstate 55, cross the Mississippi River at the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge at Cape Girardeau, and hook up with Interstate 24 in Illinois, which leads into Paducah.

The study will look at the highway’s impact on the environment and archaeological sites. It also takes into account forest mitigation in the Shawnee National Forest, according to Cape Girardeau City Manager Scott Meyer.

"After that study’s complete, then you’ll have an actual route, you won’t have a design, but you’ll a route that says its going to go here and here’s what it’s going to look like and here’s how many interchanges," Meyer says. "Then they begin to pull off projects and turn those into construction projects."

Travel time between Cape Girardeau and Paducah will be reduced from an hour and a half to 45 minutes.

The highway will be part of the Interstate 66 project that will eventually run from coast to coast.

Walt Wildman is the past director of the I-66 Project. He says the so-called “East-West Trans American Corridor” is being put together piece by piece.

"There are quite a few sections in the east in Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky, that are under construction. But they may not have that name on it," Wildman says. "You can go down I-24, you’ll see signs that say ‘Future Site of I-66.’ Out in Kansas, U.S. 400 is a result of this work. It goes into the southwest corner of Kansas and then down in to Colorado that way."

Wildman would not elaborate on the proposed route, but said it would likely go through Ullin.

The Illinois Department of Transportation wrote the grant proposal.

The study will likely take at least two years.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

Read More

Cape Girardeau looks at rental unit inspections

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - Like many college students, Casey lives in a house that was converted into multiple apartments. It’s an old building with an old air-conditioning unit. Her bed is only a few feet away from a flimsy door that leads into somebody else’s apartment. It’s the only thing separating her from her neighbors. 

Listen to the story.

And that’s not the only thing wrong with her apartment.

“When I was first moving into my apartment, there were a ton of different damages that was done,” Casey said. “There was a window that was broken, doors that didn’t fit on the hinges. Broken doors that they refused to fix or said they didn’t need to be fixed. And there was like mold on tile and things like that. They said there wasn’t a problem.”

Casey, which is not her real name, had her concerns put into her contract.

She figured that the written agreement would be enough but “it took a month for the window to be fixed, they still haven’t fixed the door,” she said.

And Casey isn’t the only one dealing with headaches caused by unresponsive landlords.

Fourth-seven percent of Cape Girardeau’s residents rent, according to the city government. Many are calling for something to be done about unsafe and often unsightly rental units.

A citizen’s initiative in 2007 asked the city to develop a rental inspection system.

While tenants like Casey like the idea of rental inspections, landlords are digging in to stop the ordinance.

At a public forum with landlords and rental managers in late June, many made their frustrations known. Some say the city needs to enforce the laws already on the books.

Laura Ritter says the ordinance is nothing more than a cleverly veiled tax.

“I’m not in favor of it because I feel like we already have the ordinances on the books now, we already have an inspector so we already have everything in place,” Ritter said. “I think this really is a revenue-created issue, somewhat like even a tax to us landlords. We’ve already got everything in place to deal with all the problems to we have here in Cape.”

David E. Soto owns and operates Soto Property Management, which operates mid- to upper-level rental properties.

Showing me around a fairly new property off Lynnwood Hills Drive, Soto said he feels no compassion for landlords with dilapidated units. But he is afraid that the city’s actions are too broad-stroked.

“If there are problem properties, I personally would like to see them get taken care of. It affects my business when I have properties in that neighborhood. It’s going to affect the rental rate on that. So it does affect me. But again just to put the broad brush of accusing everybody of having to inspect … it just seems like it is too much,” Soto said.

Soto adds that the ordinance’s fees would simply be passed on to tenants in the form of higher rent.

City Manager Scott Meyer says the city does not know the inspections’ cost and he is still weighing two different licensing fees. One would be a flat fee and the other would be based on gross revenue.

“We haven’t landed on anything,” Meyer said. “But I do think that the landlord association has met. That’s one of the things they have focused on. And we certainly are considering it.”

Nevertheless, in Casey’s apartment little has changed. The halls of her apartment are not filled with debate. Rather, they are filled with worries about work, school and mold.

“I do my best to kill it off. But they’re not paying for that. And I can’t take it off of my rent check without them saying that I still owe them money, and then tacking on charges because I did not pay the full amount of rent,” she says.

Tim Filla, KRCU

Read More

Cape Girardeau pumps finally shut off

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The Mississippi River’s water level is finally going down around Cape Girardeau, allowing the city to rest their overworked pumps.

And the people working those pumps are also in need of some desperately needed down time.

Monday afternoon marked the first time in ninety days that the city’s pumping stations on the Mississippi were not running.

According to the city, the pumps did the equivalent work of driving a new car from Cape to New York and back sixty two-times.

City Manager Scott Meyer says that public work officials were forced to prioritize tasks in order to keep flood waters from backing-up into sewers near the river.

“Well for our dedicated employees it’s a great break, they finally get to go home, on their regular shifts and spend time with their families, so it’s a great thing,” Meyer said.

With the pumps off-line, the city will finally have time to perform maintenance on stressed pumps, as well as play catch-up on mowing some public properties and maintenance of several water detention areas.

Tim Filla, KRCU

Read More

Commander Premier files for bankruptcy

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - Commander Premier Aircraft Corporation has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

In May, the City of Cape Girardeau gave the company notice to vacate the city-owned hangar at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. The deadline passed, and Commander instead chose to protect itself from creditors with the bankruptcy filing.

Commander filed the papers on June 16 in Tyler, Texas.

Cape Girardeau City Manager Scott Meyer says that the filing changes the city’s timeline for a what he hoped would be the voluntary and smooth transition of the hangar.

“We will need a forced takeover, if you will, of the hangar. So we will have to wait for the court to do that. Typically that’s 30, 60 days. So that’s where it puts that,” Meyer said.

In a press statement, Commander Premier President Greg Walker said that his company choose bankruptcy in order to complete a sale of the company to Montreal-based Aero-Base, Inc. The statement mentions that the City of Cape Girardeau and a private party holding a large company note initiated legal actions against Commander.

Commander Premier made only eight of 59 rent payments to the city since it began operations in 2006.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

Read More

Julie Thompson named as new Parks & Rec director

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - Cape Girardeau’s new Director of Parks and Recreation bolsters a strong resume and even stronger ties to the city.

Julia Thompson has over thirty years of administrative experience in the field.

In addition to numerous other positions, Thompson served as Superintendent of Parks and Recreation in Kissimmee, Florida for fifteen years.

And she was the acting Director of Parks and Recreation in Seminole County, Florida prior to accepting the job in Cape Girardeau.

Thompson’s mother, Marge Thompson, was born and raised in Cape Girardeau, and after an interlude in Florida, she returned to her hometown.

City Manager Scott Meyer says that both he and the city are eager and enthusiastic to work with Thompson.

“She was a strong Candidate from very beginning. Her resume is just an impeccable resume. And then to follow that up with the type of enthusiasum and passion she has is it is really the complete package,” Meyer said.

The decision was announced at Monday’s City Council Meeting.

In other business, the City Council gave first-round approval on a nuisance party ordinance that would control late-night parties in residential neighborhoods. The law would hold party hosts responsible for misconduct at their events … as well as give police the power to order party-goers to disperse.

The Council will vote on final approval at the next meeting on June 20.

Tim Filla, KRCU

Read More

City council designs compromise on noise ordinance

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The ongoing debate over the noise ordinance in Cape Girardeau might soon find a compromise.

City Manager Scott Meyer, speaking at the City Council meeting Monday night, said that the city could issue seasonal permits to the few bars and venues that offer outdoor entertainment during warm weather.

"Well really, it’s an idea that is evolving, taking the combination of this event permit that we currently have and expanding that to be more of a seasonal permit that defines parameters of how venues can work, how they’ll be evaluated, and what level of noise, or music would be allowed at different times of the day and different days of the week," Meyers says.

Violations of the proposed permit may be given a small fine, but business owners could risk losing the permit for the next season.

Mayor Harry Rediger likes the idea of the permit and says he “doesn’t want to limit commercial activity.”

In other council news, a liquor license was granted to Cape Mart, at 238 N. Fountain Street, despite strong, outspoken opposition from nearby residents.

The council had previously denied the request at the last meeting due to community disapproval. However, they said their hands were tied because the prior business, Ganix Market, had been granted a liquor license.

Matthew Caldwell, KRCU

Read More

TTF will fund Broadway renovations

Cape Girardeau City Manager Scott Meyer says that the City Council’s decision to take nearly two million dollars to pay off the airport bond is akin to a household using a tax refund to pay off the credit cards - yet still making a new purchase in the long run.

On Tuesday, the City Council decided use the upfront money from Isle of Capri Casino to make a final payment on its adjacent airport facility construction loan in order to save money on interest.

The city originally planned to use the money for Broadway Street renovation and beautification. Meyer says that the city has every intention to move forward with the Broadway plan by tapping in to Transportation Trust Fund dollars as originally laid out in TTF4.

"With TTF we’ll pay for Broadway. There’s not money there for amenities, but we also might also apply for a grant for those amenities as well. So we’re looking for every possible dollar we can," Meyer said.

The bond is question was used to construct the airport facility now housing Commander Premier, who owes the city one-point-two-million in unpaid rent. The city has already told the aircraft manufacturer that it will be evicted if it does not pay off its back rent.

By paying off the bond, the city can lease the facility to a business other than an aircraft manufacturer.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

Read More