Regional Mail Delays - Utility Bill Reminders

Your mail distribution center in St. Louis was impacted by yesterday's historic flash flooding, and the Cape post office has informed us that the City of Cape Girardeau (our organization) might not receive much mail this week. These delays could impact when we receive utility bill payments, or when customers receive bills from us.

Mail delivery issues do not impact utility bill deadlines. We offer several services to avoid mail problems including free automatic payment and billing by email.
Register to receive your bill by email
Pay online or by phone
Register for free automatic payment

Aquatics - Hours as of August 1

Cape Splash will be open daily from 1 to 6 p.m.
Central Pool will be open for fitness swim as follows:Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 5-7 a.m. and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in addition to Tuesday and Thursday 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
As always, programming such as River Walking and Preschool Playtime will continue as scheduled.

ICYMI - Fresh Stories Daily on Facebook

If you don't follow the City's departments on Facebook, and select "See First" - you are probably missing so many great stories of city workers, and your tax dollars, in action!

Here's a recent post from Public Works. Joe (left) was pictured after removing grease from the wastewater basins that morning. He managed a short break from the heat while getting a new skimmer. We are pretty sure he would rather be cleaning a swimming pool, preferably from inside the clean water. If you have to work outside like Joe, be sure to stay hydrated!

Follow @CapePublicWorks for more!

Weekly Work Output (FY21-22)

Here's a snapshot of some of what we do each week organized by each department's share of the budget. Just 500 City employees make a lot happen in service to Cape Girardeau's residents, businesses, and visitors. Thank you to everyone working in public service!

Call 988 for Suicide and Crisis Support

Anyone in need of crisis support for themselves or someone else should call 988. When someone calls, chats, or texts 988, they can expect to be connected to a crisis specialist who is trained and prepared to deliver support to anyone experiencing a crisis. Because a crisis is defined by the person or family experiencing it, the crisis specialist will engage with the person to understand and address the person’s unique concerns and needs. The intervention may include assessment, stabilization, referral, and follow-up for individuals at high risk for suicide and/or poor mental health outcomes. If a higher level of care is needed, the crisis specialist will work with the caller and other supports to connect them to a mobile crisis response team to respond to the person in the community. Learn more about this state program at dmh.mo.gov.

Rockin' on the Rocks Brought to you by VisitCape & Kirby Ray 99.3

Cape Girardeau Fire Department Station 1 tour with Captain Jason Poole!
"Not for self, but for all since 1866"

Built in 1980, Fire Station 1 serves the southeast quadrant of the city and also houses the Cape Girardeau Fire Department's Administrative Offices. The busiest of all four fire stations, Station 1's district consists of older construction and more densely-populated blocks including the downtown area, many historic buildings and homes, an array of apartment buildings and homes, off-campus housing, Southeast Hospital, and the Mississippi River. Watch the video!

Riverfront Fall Festival Oct. 22

Mark your calendar for the 1st Annual Riverfront Fall Festival October 22 and follow Riverfront Fall Festival on Facebook for plan updates on partners, food, and more! Brought to you by VisitCape and friends!

Last Municipal Band concert for the season tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Richard Kinder Performance Hall at the High School at 1000 Silver Springs Road.

We want to welcome these six firefighters and firefighter cadets to the Cape Girardeau Fire Department! We will be introducing them to you over the next couple of weeks on CGFD's Facebook. FD says they look forward to getting to know them while at Station 1 during their orientation. At the end of orientation, they will be assigned to their platoons and stations.

REMIND/REPEAT

Proposed New Ward Boundaries

Ward boundaries in Cape Girardeau will be updated soon to reflect the latest Census data. Each of the City's six wards should have approximately the same number of residents who elect one City Council member. Learn more and view the proposed map. Council will discuss the new wards at the Aug. 15 Council meeting at 5 p.m.

Free Wi-Fi at your favorite local parks

The Cape Girardeau Public Library and our Parks and Recreation department have been providing free Wi-Fi access to the city’s public parks! Eleven access points are located within seven local parks:
Shawnee Park
Indian Park
Capaha Park
Splash pad building
Baseball field press box
Band shell
Arena Park
North restroom
Train restroom
Armory restroom
Kiwanis Park
Ranney Park
Washington Park

Shake up your work-from-home routine, video chat with a long-distance friend, or do some online shopping...the possibilities are endless. Check it out today!

Police/Public - Roll Call at Ellis & Jefferson

This week's NEIGHBORHOOD ROLL CALL is scheduled for Thursday, July 28 with "C Platoon" at ????? & ????????? beginning at 7 p.m. What is roll call? CGPD officers working the night shift will literally have their patrol briefing right there in your neighborhood at the time listed above. They will be reviewing information passed down from previous shifts that they need to know. It's a great chance to do a little information sharing with you, and it's a great opportunity for you to express to us any concerns you have in your specific neighborhood - or in the city, in general. Children are always welcome to attend, too.Our neighborhood roll calls typically last 30 minutes, sometimes a little shorter or a few minutes longer depending on calls for service, information being reviewed, and questions and conversation with our citizens. We hope to see you there!

Broadway Lane Closure at Penny

Broadway reopened at Penny last week following a brief closure for stormwater improvements as part of the Penny/Capaha Drainage Project. The temporary asphalt pavement will be replaced with an asphalt overlay during the second street closure. When Broadway is closed again, both directions of traffic will be detoured. Following the posted detour using West End, Independence, and Caruthers will be very important to move safely around the project. Stormwater improvements were made possible by voters approving the Parks, Recreation, and Stormwater tax renewal in 2018. The Penny/Capaha Drainage Project includes adding new pipes and increasing the capacity of existing infrastructure. Thank you for driving safely, following detours, and continuing to support local small businesses in the area.

Emergency, Urgent, or Other

You Report, We Respond!
Always call 911 for emergencies like threats to life and property
For urgent issues like animals, parking, and noise, call 573-339-6311
For other nuisances like trash, weeds, potholes, and property maintenance use our website  www.cityofcape.org/report
Police offers online incident reporting at cityofcape.org/police
An anonymous tipline is available in the app store, on the website, phone 339-6313, and by texting “CAPEPD” to 847411 with any message or tip.

You can use our website to report issues like trash, code violations, weeds, potholes, or other problems when you don't know who to ask. When it comes to private property issues, we need to give property owners time to take care of business so we have a procedure of notification and reinspection.

West End Boulevard Construction to Begin

Staff and residents are excited for the West End Boulevard Improvements construction to finally begin! Work is expected to start in the coming weeks. The project will widen the current street, add sidewalks, and improve stormwater drainage between Rose and Bertling streets. The project will take up to a year to complete. Fronabager Concreters will contact residents regarding any temporary limited access to driveways. The project was made possible by voters renewing a half-cent sales tax, the Transportation Trust Fund, in 2015.To view other projects visit cityofcape.org/ttf. Updates will be posted as available at cityofcape.org/WestEnd

More Upcoming, Current and Recent Street Projects

This year's budget just started with over $20 million approved for street repair and renovation. We've mapped some of our projects online at cityofcape.org/streets. We'll soon be adding more projects to the list, and we are always out there filling potholes and doing rapid repairs.

Curious About Condemnations?

The owner of a condemned building is required to either repair the building to comply with the City’s building codes or demolish the building completely, restore the site to grade, and cover with seed and straw. The process is deliberately lengthy to give property owners every opportunity to make their buildings safe and compliant again. Review the process on our website.