Around the horn ...Industrial park, downtown among hot issues

Baseball season is on its way so I thought I would go around the horn on some economic development issues facing the community.

Industrial Park Task Force

As of the printing of this issue, the City Council-appointed Industrial Park Task Force will have made its recommendation on the city of Springfield's involvement in a second industrial park. Word is that the task force will endorse the city's involvement in a second industrial park.

"The task force process has been very enlightening and educational for the people involved. One true outcome is the focus that we as a community should have on specific economic development issues such as work force development," said Greg Williams, vice president of economic development at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

With the endorsement comes a strong recommendation that the second industrial park be located in the R-XII School District.

I support a second industrial park, as it is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Vision 20/20 economic development plan. The task force heard evidence that the location of the park could add about $100,000 annually to Springfield Public Schools funding.

That's a bonus.

What is most important is that the industrial park be located in the Springfield area to provide quality job opportunities for the region. The region fuels our local economy. Springfield is the regional hub for retail, financial and health care services.

The bottom line is that a second industrial park is warranted, and we'd better get moving or lose the momentum created by our first industrial park investment.

Downtown development

From the noise outside my office, things are happening downtown.

The Colonial parking lot is nearly finished with only some landscaping remaining. The new street lights look great. They are the result of the city, CU and SMSU working together to install a quality fixture along the Jefferson Street frontage.

Now, when will the sidewalk and light fixtures be complete around the celebrated new 333 E. Walnut Street building at the northwest corner of Walnut Street and Jefferson?

It has been months since any action has taken place at this corner. This project needs to be cleaned up and finished to show people how nice the area can become.

The west side of Jefferson, from Walnut Street to Water Street, has seen tremendous improvement. Concrete has even been poured in Founders Park. Hats off to Pat Walker for her dedication to the Founders Park Project.

Meanwhile, Community Improvement District activities have begun. The formation of a CID is a critical step in improving the parking, maintenance and marketing efforts of the downtown area.

The CID will be the vehicle to generate revenue to implement programs that will enhance the downtown area to attract additional private investment.

Geographic Information Systems

People will soon be able to access geographic information about our community over the Internet. Anthony Young, GIS administrator for the Springfield-Greene County Library said some GIS information will be available online by the end of March.

Architects, engineers, contractors and the general public will be able to pull up maps and aerials of specific properties without having to go from one city or county department to another. This should save people time and money. The Springfield-Greene County Library will deliver the service.

A research report on the merits of obtaining GIS information over the Internet was performed free of charge by the firm of Butler, Rosenbury & Partners. The report found that 96 percent of survey respondents thought that it would be helpful to their business to retrieve maps over the Internet, with 60 percent saying they would be willing to pay a monthly or annual subscription fee.

(David Knight is a planner with Butler, Rosenbury & Partners and former economic development coordinator for the city of Springfield.)

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