CMAR model approved for convention center project 

Springfield City Council last night approved a construction manager at risk model for its downtown Springfield convention and event center project.  

Dan Smith, director of Public Works, told members of council at its Monday meeting that the model suits the complexity of the project.  

“As we’ve looked at the convention center project – the complexity of it, the scale and the speed at which we need to move – the determination has been made that the construction manager at risk project delivery method is really the one that would give us the best end product,” he said.  

Smith said state statute requires the city to declare its intention to use a CMAR method publicly, and the council action satisfies that requirement.  

Missouri revised statute defines a CMAR as an entity that assumes the risk for a project at a contracted price as a general contractor while providing consultation to the political entity during and after design of the project.  

City spokesperson Cora Scott said request for a quotation for a CMAR is anticipated to be issued in about a week.  

Council also authorized a $30 million appropriation from the city’s Spring Forward half-cent sales tax revenue as a one-to-one local match for funding from the state of Missouri for the development of the convention center.  

Council had heard a July 8 report from Chicago-based consultant Hunden Partners recommending a convention center and hotel downtown and began moving instantly to act on that recommendation. That center is projected to generate $1.3 billion in net new visitor spending over a 30-year period, as well as $68.7 million in net new fiscal impact in the same period.  

The Citizens’ Advisory Board, which makes recommendations on the use of the Spring Forward tax funding, voted unanimously July 30 to put this year’s estimated tax receipts entirely toward the convention center match.