$60M added to capital improvements plan

Council approved at its March 20 meeting nearly $60 million in six new capital improvements projects.

Perhaps most unusual is the redevelopment of the Jordan Valley quarry, between Hammons Field and National Avenue. The 18-member Jordan Valley Park advisory committee, headed up by former Community Foundation of the Ozarks CEO Jan Horton, has expressed interest in adding a water feature and park area, along with retail space and a possible restaurant.

Springfield Senior Planner Hillary Taylor said the plans are still in the very preliminary stages and that community input is being sought to refine the vision. Also, the city will conduct feasibility studies to see what is possible for the land and what would be cost-prohibitive.

Other projects added to the $581 million Capital Improvements Program include an $11 million multilevel parking facility to go with the new City Utilities bus transfer facility at Boonville Avenue and Olive Street, and a $2 million, 20,000-square-foot office building on the Jordan Valley Innovation Center campus.

Powering up

Council also agreed, by a 7-1 vote, to place the $615 million bond proposal for City Utilities’ Southwest 2 power station on the June 6 ballot.

Despite sometimes-heated debate on both sides of the issue during the March 6 public hearing, Councilwoman Mary Collette was the only dissenting vote. Collette said the proposal lacked conservation efforts, which flies in the face of recommendations by the Power Supply Community Task Force.

“While I support the voters’ being able to speak to this issue, I really felt like they should have been given the opportunity to have a larger conservation program in conjunction with this,” Collette said before voting.

Mayor Tom Carlson responded: “On an issue of this importance to the future of our community, we’re mandated to let voters tell us what their will is. It would be the height of irresponsibility to just cross our fingers and hope that something drops out of the sky that will keep this community moving forward and fulfills the power needs of our community in the future.”

Council also approved a requested electric rate hike that would take effect in October 2010 if voters pass the bond issue in June. Average monthly residential bills would increase by $9.63, while commercial and industrial rates would go up between 17 percent and 26 percent.

An unrelated electric rate hike, to take effect in October of this year, also passed. That bill raises electric rates by about 3 percent.

Flying high

Progress continues on Springfield-Branson National Airport’s Midfield Replacement Terminal. Council accepted a $10.7 million Federal Aviation Administration grant for site work, grading and utilities installation.

Director of Aviation Gary Cyr said the bidding process for Phase I will begin April 5.

“We’re looking to make a presentation to the board for acceptance of the bid on the 20th of April,” he said. “Once that happens, we’ll do contracts, and we’re looking to proceed with those by mid-May at the latest.”

The next step will be the actual construction of the terminal; the bidding process for that work will begin in December with construction beginning in February 2007.

New Community Improvement Projects

Jordan Valley quarry development: $40 million

City Utilities car park: $11.25 million

Center city parking improvements: $4 million

JVIC office building: $2 million

Land purchase for new park in east Springfield: $1.27 million

Monastery Road connection project: $200,000