Cape Girardeau Doctors' Park
Doctors' Park History
In 1968, Dr. Charles P. McGinty brought up an idea for discussion at a Cape Girardeau County Medical Society meeting—the discussion centered on a way to expand the Cape Girardeau medical community by attracting specialists to practice in the area. His thinking initiated the development of Cape Girardeau Doctors’ Park complex. As a result of the discussion, 29 individuals agreed to donate $100.00 each to fund a feasibility study. The idea gained momentum and the group that included area physicians and dentists embark on a commitment to realize a dream. Attorneys Stan Grimm and William Rader drew up the articles of incorporation and the bylaws and the Doctors’ Park concept was on its way to becoming a reality. Early on the group elected Dr. Charles Bahn as the first president of the corporation and purchased a twenty-acre tract of land that was adjacent to Interstate 55 for $150,000.00. An agreement was made to buy more land from Bud Blattner if the need existed. The St. Louis architecture firm Peckham-Guyten designed the layout for the acreage and construction began in the complex under the supervision of Dr. Gordon Nunnelly. In order to pay for construction, the committee of medical professionals purchased land for more than five times its value at the time. Additionally, members paid $150.00 per month dues, for many years to sustain the park. The first physicians—to include Drs. Melvin Kasten, Harold Rapp, Bob Hunt, Milton Schoss, C. John Ritter, and Jerry Kinder—moved into the new medical complex in 1971. Sections A & B of Doctors’ Park opened first with sections C & D to open years later as expansion was needed.
Doctors’ Park is organized to provide three layers of involvement. The first layer is the stockholder—these are the individuals who bought and held stock in the medical complex. The original directors of Doctors’ Park were Drs. Charles McGinty, Jean Chapman, Edwin Noffel and Gordon Nunnelly. There are seven remaining stockholders in Doctors’ Park. The second layer is the Covenant Board. This board is made up of a group of individuals who own land in Doctors’ Park and they are charged with the oversight of Park maintenance and appearance. The third and most inclusive layer is the Association. This group is made up of stockholders, landowners, and tenants in Doctors’ Park. The Association provides everyone in Doctors’ Park an opportunity to have a voice in the operations of the medical complex and an avenue to keep in touch with developments within the Park. The Association holds regular monthly meetings. Meetings are held from 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a. m. at the Cape County Medical Society office, 37 Doctors’ Park on the second Wednesday of each month.
The fully developed Doctors’ Park has more than thirty buildings offering a wide array of medical services. Since the Park began several organizations have renovated facilities to keep an up-to-date look for serving area patients high quality care in a convenient park like setting. Doctors’ Park offers cost efficient care delivery by taking advantages of our economies of scale. Since its inception Cape Girardeau Doctors’ Park remains a stable, trusted health care community. We in Doctors’ Park are committed to serving patients as a primary source for health information and care, improving the quality of medicine by supporting each other through consultation and medical education.
Purpose of Cape Girardeau Doctors’ Park
As described in the original covenants, it was the intent of the founders that Doctors’ Park should “always be maintained as an attractive, park-like setting for medical dental and other professional use, with ample landscaped, open areas: attractive high quality structures, proper and desirable use and appropriate development and improvement of all property: to protect the owners and all those who shall build or occupy under them against improper and undesirable use of surrounding property: to protect against depreciation in value of property: to guard against erection of structures built of improper or unsuitable materials or design: to encourage the erection of attractive improvements with appropriate locations: to prevent haphazard and inharmonious improvement of property: and to provide generally high type and quality of improvement and development of Cape Girardeau Doctors’ Park” (Section III, page 3, Protective Covenants and Restrictions, 1970).
Governance Structure
Doctors’ Park is made up of three governance groups. First, the Stockholders who had a vision of better medicine in Cape Girardeau formed Cape Girardeau Doctors’ Park. They supported the Park financially in its formative years. Second, the Covenant Board who is the governing body of the Park. The Covenant Board has the power to levy assessment, supervises the maintenance of streets, grounds, sewer system, street-lights, etc. and makes judgments relating to the general welfare of the Park. Third, the Association is made up of stockholders, property owners, and tenants within Doctors’ Park. The Association holds regular monthly meetings. Meetings are held from 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a. m. at the Cape County Medical Society office, 37 Doctors’ Park on the second Wednesday of each month. The Association meets to deal with items of interest or that impact the Doctors’ Park community. Meeting reminder notices are sent out to each entity within Doctors’ Park before each meeting. These meetings serve as a way of communication within the Park and are dedicated to promoting the best interest of Doctors’ Park. Entities within the Park may be notified by email if they make the Administrative Office aware of their email addresses.
The Covenant Board is the primary governing body in Cape Girardeau Doctors’ Park. The Covenant Board, consisting of five (5) members, is made up of persons who are property owners or officers of an owner. The Covenant Board has the power to levy assessments upon and against property owners for the purpose of carrying out the general maintenance of the Park. The Covenant Board has the authority to conduct the business of Cape Girardeau Doctors’ Park and enforce its rules and regulations.