Commercial projects going up in Greene County towns

by Diane Rarick

SBJ Contributing Writer

Small towns in Greene County are busting out all over with new construction. The communities of Republic, Strafford and Rogersville report a variety of commercial projects under way or in the planning stages, while the city of Willard is seeking more commercial development to serve its growing population.

Republic. The city of Republic is waiting for final approval from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on a developer agreement to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter on approximately 28 acres at the intersection of highways 60 and 174.

The site will require $500,000 worth of improvements to the drainage system before construction of the approximately 152,000-square-foot store can begin. The city will pay back the cost of improvements over a five- to seven-year period from sales-tax revenue generated by the supercenter.

A strip center and free-standing pad for a restaurant or other business are also planned for the site, according to Republic City Administrator Dean Thompson. Site improvements will take nine to 12 months, with construction of the store set to begin in 2001. The agreement further stipulates the supercenter will open by February of 2002.

Republic and outlying farming communities will benefit from the completion of the MFA Town & Country store in mid-February. The 20,000-square-foot store is near the Frisco Square retail area on five acres on the west side of the Albertson's entrance on Highway 60, according to Gary Webb, regional manager for Southwest Missouri MFA Inc. The architect is Donald Ness of Ness Architects and the contractor is Ron Deffenderfer Building LLC, both of Springfield.

Randall Whitman, Republic city planner, said that a Comfort Inn motel is "real close to getting a permit. It won't start construction until spring of next year." Plans are for a three-story, 47-room hotel with an indoor swimming pool. It will be located on East Highway 60.

Three commercial lots in the Frisco Square area are still available, Whitman said. He added that two or three commercial subdivisions are in the works, but not a lot of property is available within the city limits of Republic.

A 25-lot commercial subdivision on the north side of the city, with one-acre lots, has submitted a preliminary plat, and the developer, Don LaRue, is in the process of designing the streets. It will be called Highland Park Town Center, according to Whitman.

The Republic R-III School District is building an early childhood center for approximately 400 students, according to Superintendent Dr. Howard Neeley. The 43,270-square-foot building is valued at $2.7 million and the planned move-in date is Dec. 16. The new building at 720 N. Main St. will contain 12 kindergarten classrooms, four preschool rooms, an office and classroom for Parents as Teachers, a library, kitchen, gym, and music and art classrooms, according to Neeley.

The school district is also completing a football/track-and-field complex that will be ready in spring 2000. It includes an all-weather track, football field, bleachers, locker rooms, concession stands and restrooms. The stadium seats 1,500 on the home side and 750 on the visitor side. These two major projects and some smaller improvement projects were financed through a 1998 $4.2 million bond issue.

The architectural firm for both projects is Jack D. Ball & Associates, Springfield. The building contractor is Don Crawford Construction of Marshfield.

Rogersville. Construction is "getting ready to happen" in Rogersville, according to Larry Martin, city administrator. Some recent commercial construction projects include Hometown Furniture on Highway 60 and Reynolds Accounting in the downtown area. Martin said that Mini Worlds is refurbishing a 4,000-square-foot two-story brick building to house miniature dollhouse furniture.

The city is taking bids until Nov. 17 for a new city hall, fire station and Cox Health Systems ambulance station in 7,800 square feet at 211 E. Center. The multipurpose space will offer much-needed office space and will bring full-time ambulance service to Rogersville for the first time. City offices are now spread out in four tiny buildings comprising 1,400 square feet.

Originally a railroad town, life once revolved around the train station. With the railroad's continued presence and lots of slow-moving trains going through the community, the need for emergency vehicles on both sides of the tracks is important, Martin said.

The new building's architect is Gaskin Hill Norcross Architects of Springfield. Construction is slated to begin in January, with completion estimated in June.

Although Rogersville gained a new water tower in January, the lack of a proper wastewater treatment facility is holding back large new commercial, industrial and residential expansion. A $1 million general obligation bond to triple the facility's size failed by seven votes in August, according to Martin.

Because the city straddles two counties, the issue will be sent to the Rogersville voters in Greene and Webster counties Nov. 2. No sewers can be extended until the treatment facility is enlarged.

"We have developers with plans for hundreds of homes and proposed businesses. We can't look at them until we see where the sewer issue goes," Martin said. "The Highway 60 East corridor is the least developed area of the Springfield plateau. Common sense says that area will start to see some positive growth," he said.

Strafford. The trucks continue to roll through Interstate 44 and stop at the truck stops near old Route 66 in Strafford.

City Administrator Ron Carriger said that Travel Centers of America may add 100 parking spaces and a truck wash. The XVIII Wheelers Truck Wash recently added a truck-washing bay, Carriger said.

The Strafford Public School District is in the midst of three construction projects, including an early childhood education building that should open in January, according to Superintendent Don Call.

The approximately 24,000-square-foot building includes five kindergarten classrooms, plus rooms for early childhood programs, Parents as Teachers and a day-care center. In addition, a stage is being added to the early childhood gymnasium to benefit speech and drama students from the early childhood and elementary schools.

The Strafford Middle School is adding two large classrooms for music and art, and three other classrooms are being added.

Middle school students now share art and music space with high school students.

The middle school and high school are getting a refurbished gymnasium with a seating capacity of 1,100, plus locker rooms, weight rooms and extensive lobby areas. It will be finished in early November.

Call said that the district, with about 1,000 students, has experienced 5 percent to 6 percent growth the last three years.

The architect for the projects is Hood Rich and the contractor is Unified Construction.

Willard. Residential growth has far outpaced commercial growth in the city of Willard. "There are a lot of services needed for people in this area," said Mayor Joe L. Cosby. "We just can't seem to get larger companies like fast food restaurants or auto parts stores."

Willard has tried to lure businesses to town through a letter-writing campaign, but without much success. The city may even consider giving new businesses a "break on property tax for five to 10 years," Cosby said.

The town of 3,000 people has no trouble attracting new residents. "In the last two years, close to 600 houses have been planned for and a good many of them have been built." Cosby calls Willard a "haven" due to the airport zone that prevents it from growing toward Springfield, and that is what attracts new residents.

"They may work in Springfield and have a business in Springfield, but they don't want to go back there to shop for everything they need such as auto parts or other services," he said.

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