City Beat: Council hears from Rob Hancik on Ozark airport

Springfield-Branson Regional Airport Director of Aviation Rob Hancik addressed City Council in its Aug. 8 meeting about a proposed $10 million airport project in Ozark, which will be owned by the city of Springfield and financed by the Springfield-Branson Regional Airport's general aviation funds. The project went before council as a first reading bill and will be voted on in two weeks.

"We believe Ozark would benefit from having a first-class, up-to-date commercial general aviation development to serve that area, and I believe Springfield will see some indirect economic benefit from the project," Hancik said.

He said the new airport would be located on 126 acres and would improve and expand the existing air facility on Tracker Road, which he said is "pretty derelict."

Hancik said the hangars at the Ozark facility are pole barns, planes are not able to land there, and there is no fuel available for sale. He said the Ozark airport project could take as long as five years to complete, and work could begin in October.

TIF, CU rate bills

Another first reading bill heard by council was an ordinance amending Chapter 2 of the Springfield City Code, Section 2-241, Tax Abatement and Tax Increment Financing Advisory Commission, to bring the ordinance into conformance with recent revisions to Missouri statute 99.800-.865.

Cathy Meyer, City Utilities manager of pricing, addressed council on a second first reading ordinance to approve establishing electric rates for green power and a power factor correction for large electric customers.

"Some CU customers would like to see CU purchase more renewable energy and are willing to pay a premium for us to do so," Meyer said about the green power rates. She said the renewable power would consist of wind generation from Kansas.

Meyer said the power factor correction would provide an incentive for large CU customers to increase their power factor. Meyer said both rate options are revenue-neutral for CU.

A first reading was heard of a special ordinance authorizing the city manager to accept a grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation to fund construction of general aviation taxiways at the Springfield-Branson Regional Airport. The grant would fund 80 percent, or $260,000, for the project, and the other 20 percent, or $65,000, would be funded by airport revenue. The bill would also amend the budget provided for the Department of Aviation for fiscal year 2000-01 in the amount of $325,000.

Five additional first reading bills were heard concerning contributions by the city to various nonprofit agencies in the amount of $5,000 to each for the 2000-01 fiscal year. The James River Basin Partnership, Salvation Army, Family Violence Center, Boys and Girls Club of Springfield and Victory Mission will receive contributions.

Strafford sewer bill tabled

A second reading bill to authorize the city to enter into an agreement with the city of Strafford and developer S.J. Lurvey Jr. was tabled. The bill would, if passed, compensate Lurvey for a portion of the cost of installing a 15-inch trunk sewer through property located south of Division and west of Farm Road 193.

Two additional second reading bills approving the annexation of land near the intersection of Westgate Avenue and Willard Road and authorizing Pricewaterhouse-Coopers LLP to provide auditing services to CU for fiscal years 2000-03 were passed unanimously.

Zoning resolutions passed

Two resolutions were passed unanimously by council. The first resolution rezoned property located in the 1600-1700 block of West Florida from a heavy manufacturing district to a single-family residential district. The second resolution authorized the issuance of a use permit for the adaptive reuse of a nonresidential structure located at 936 W. Walnut in a residential district as a professional office in a low-density multifamily residential district.

Bills center on rezoning

Public hearing bills before council included a bill to rezone an acre of land at the northeast corner of Silverleaf and Homewood from a Greene County R-3 district to a residential townhouse district. The second public hearing bill heard by council was a bill to rezone about 1 1/3 acres at the northwest corner of Kearney and Mulroy Road, also known as Farm Road 199, from a Greene County M-1 district to a commercial services district. The third public hearing bill before council was a bill to rezone about an acre at the corner of Ridgecrest and Crenshaw Road within the James River Power Plant property, from a Greene County A-1 district to a government and institutional district. The last public hearing bill was a bill to rezone about a quarter of an acre on the north side of West Seminole east of Campbell from a single-family residential district to an office district.