City task force considers second partnership park

by Jan K. Allen

SBJ Contributing Writer

The 10-member Industrial Park Task Force, along with five City Council members, is examining the need for a second partnership industrial park complex in answer to eight questions posed by City Council concerning the issue.

Questions range from availability of qualified labor and the city's role in fostering a skilled labor force, to downtown redevelopment and urban sprawl, and the impact of a second partnership park on City Utilities.

"There are options besides a second park," said task force member Jack Gentry, president of Positronic Industries Inc.

Gentry said he feels that any industrial park the city puts together should be within the R-12 School District and that private industry should have some input.

He added that the city must recognize and offer leadership to educational facilities in Springfield to prepare young people with the skills to make a living in manufacturing.

Gentry cited figures from government statistics, reported by the National Association of Manufacturers, that 80 percent of U.S. jobs are service-oriented. This leaves the available labor pool trained for jobs in manufacturing a little short, he said.

Gentry added that the industrial park and commercial complex planned by Louis Griesemer, president of Springfield Underground, may solve the issue of a second park for the benefit of everyone in the community.

Springfield Underground's northside property has been annexed into the city. He plans to develop a 500-acre-plus tract located between Kearney and Division east of 65 Bypass.

A zoning request for the development before the city's Planning and Zoning Commission has been tabled.

Griesemer has consulted the city about the best use of the property and how the usage affects the community. He has also traveled to other regions of the country to study similar developments.

According to Griesemer the plans are to designate the north side of the property, which faces Kearney, for industrial use, with commercial enterprises installed on the south side as a buffer between industrial and residential areas. The park will also incorporate a lot of green space and landscaping, he said.

Commercial real estate broker and task force member Kirk Heyle said the group will look at all options, with the focus of most members on property already located within the city limits.

Heyle said though property suitable for industrial development within the city may be in short supply, that stock should not be ignored.

Councilman Bob Vanaman said there are some of smaller parcels within the city limits which are zoned industrial, some of which already have sewer and other services available.

Among these are two tracts at Kearney and West Bypass, and one on West Chestnut Expressway.

Vanaman said he would like to see some of the existing buildings in the downtown area renovated and used for light industry, as would Heyle and some of the other advocates for revitalization, but most of the center city property available is unsuitable for industrial use. Parking and easy access are always issues to be considered in industrial operations.

Center city development may take care of itself, according to Vanaman, with the advent of Civic Park. Once John Q. Hammons builds a convention center and other planned developments are put in place, the downtown area will attract new businesses of all kinds.

"If you bring more people downtown, businesses will follow," Vanaman said.

The council has given the task force 60 days from the time of its formation, in early February, to come up with recommendations. The group meets at least weekly and sometimes even more often.

Industrial Park Task Force Members:

Nikki Sells, member of the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce; member of the Springfield Business and Development Corporation.

Bill Reser, chairman of the Board of Public Utilities.

Tom Singleton, local manufacturer.

Gary Keltner, member of the Springfield R-12 School Board.

Don Martin Sr., owner and developer of industrial property in the private sector.

Norman Myers, president of Ozarks Technical Community College.

Lloyd Young, chair of the Good Community project.

Jack Gentry, representative of international manufacturers; owner of industrial property in the center city industrial area.

Edward H. Matthews, head of the department of technology at Southwest Missouri State University.

Kirk Heyle, real estate broker involved in the sale of industrial properties.

Five members of City Council are participating with the task force: Tom Carlson, Teri Hacker, Russell Rhodes, Bob Vanaman and Shelia Wright.[[In-content Ad]]