Chamber recognizes construction industry?s contribution

Here at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce we like to stay focused. Experience has taught us that setting priorities and then planning our work around them helps us actually get things done the right things.

This year two of our organization's priorities have seen a lot of action, and most of that activity has been heavily reliant on the construction industry. It's been our pleasure and our passion to support those in our city that are working to make these important projects happen as we honor our mission:

"To serve as the principal advocate for business in partnership with the community, support and assist existing businesses; act as the primary catalyst in promoting the economic health of the Springfield area, stimulating jobs and improving the quality of life."

Center city

Center city development in Jordan Valley Park has had chamber support from its inception and continues to occupy a place on our priorities list. Last year at this time Springfield stood on the threshold of beginning construction of the park. Now, a short 12 months later, much has been accomplished. Jordan Valley Ice Park, a world-class recreational facility with two sheets of ice, is a reality. Nearby, dirt is moving and utilities are being installed to service the park itself. When finished it will be a beautiful open space that will include many amenities, not the least of which is a custom-designed water feature.

Yes, real investment in Jordan Valley Park has begun and will culminate to the tune of more than $55 million invested in the park's various developments. And that's just the beginning. The ice park, a multipurpose arena, baseball stadium, expanded exposition space and beautiful park-like open space will attract who knows how many additional visitors to center city each year, along with the dollars they'll spend there.

Add to that the new enterprises that have already begun to spring up to support all this new development and the result will be what Springfieldians have always wanted an abundance of great reasons to go downtown.

Airport

Most people visiting downtown will drive in cars to get there. Others will arrive in Springfield from distances near and far through our regional airport. With so much traveling going on, it's no wonder that another of the chamber's issue priorities is transportation. Getting to Springfield and driving around in it became a bit easier and more enjoyable this year, thanks to several notable improvements. None of these would have been possible without our partners in the construction industry.

Springfield-Branson Regional Airport recently dedicated its new Intermodal Facility the first of its kind in the United States. It will serve as a staging and loading area for tour buses, and in the winter as a staging area for rental cars. Regular terminal traffic will no longer have to intermingle or be delayed by tour buses, and vice versa. Further-more, travelers will have direct, comfortable and easy access to their bus or rental car.

Additionally, the airport's baggage claim area also has been enlarged and remodeled, making the transition from airline customer to Springfield visitor easier and quicker than ever. Of course, a planned $30 million runway expansion and reconstruction projects are topics for future discussion.

Streets and highways

Our streets and highways continue to carry more and more traffic, necessitating ongoing improvements. An especially troublesome spot has been at Sunshine St. and U.S. Highway 65, an interchange that was simply not designed to accommodate the volume of traffic that now exists there. The good news is that work is well under way to rebuild and expand that busy area. In fact the Missouri Department of Transportation plans to complete the project by the end of next year, one year earlier than expected.

Also finished earlier this year was construction on the final stretch of U.S. 65 between Springfield and Branson, now complete with all four lanes open.

Last (although not really last because a lot of other work has been and is being done on Springfield streets) is construction well underway at the Kansas Ex-pressway and Chestnut Expressway in-tersection. This is the first of eight intersection improvements funded by the Missouri Department of Transportation and the city's eighth-cent sales tax. Right-of-way purchases and construction planning are in the works for the remainder of the eighth-cent projects. Work at Kansas Expressway and Sunshine and Kansas Expressway and Battlefield could begin in 2002 and be completed by the end of that year.

In all, four intersections along Kansas Expressway will be improved, as well as four intersections on Glenstone. These welcome changes will significantly en-hance the flow of traffic.

Where the money goes

These projects obviously all involve a lot of construction. What's truly wonderful is that much of the money spent on building these projects will go into the hands of Springfield contractors. And very little of that new money is leaving. It's staying right here, helping to ensure the economic health of our community, helping fund public services, and generally improving the quality of life for everyone.

(Sonja Chasteen is business assistance manager at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.)