Construction projects abundant in Springfield

by Karen E. Culp

SBJ Staff

Construction is ongoing in Springfield, where growth and development never seem to stop.

Details on a few projects that are nearing completion or getting under way in Springfield are listed below.

A community center for Chesterfield Village is nearly halfway complete, said Morris Dock, president of MoDoCo Inc., the general contractor on the project.

The $3 million, 35,000-square-foot building will be owned by the Springfield-Greene County Park Board and will be "a lot like the YMCA," with a running track, basketball courts and other recreational features, Dock said.

The building should be complete by the end of spring. The architect for the project is Allen Bates.

Another MoDoCo project, the Twin Oaks Office Park, is to be completed in 2000. The project will comprise a total of 73,000 square feet in seven buildings. Two of the buildings have already been sold to tenants, and the third one is under construction now, Dock said. The architect is Slone Architects.

Walton Construction is finishing up its renovation and expansion of the First USA building.

The total expansion, 137,000 square feet, will be complete at the end of November, said Rick Quint, vice president and division manager for Walton. The architect for that project is Butler, Rosenbury & Partners.

Another renovation on Springfield's south side is also nearing completion. Springfield Builders Inc. will Nov. 1 complete the renovation of the former Payless Cashways building on South Campbell into the new Library Center, said Curtis Looney, president and owner of SBI.

Two construction projects in the Partnership Industrial Center are also under way.

Walton Construction will complete the 60,000-square-foot Diesel Exchange building, which is situated inside the park, in early November, Quint said. The architect for that project is Sapp Design Associates. The project will be an industrial/office building.

Martin Investments is building a speculative office and warehouse facility near the Partnership Industrial Center, though not in the park proper. The 50,000-square-foot building is to be complete Nov. 23, Quint said.

Walton is also beginning its work on a warehouse and freezer on West Battlefield for Springfield Grocer Company, which is expanding its business at 2415 W. Battlefield with this 25,000-square-foot addition. The project is set to be complete in June of 2000.

Two renovations in the center city area are ongoing. The renovation of the Landers Theatre is nearly complete. Walton Construction and Spencer Warner Architects worked on that project.

Meanwhile, Springfield Builders is renovating a former fraternity house at Southwest Missouri State University, the former Sigma Nu house, into a residence hall. The $1.4 million renovation will start in November and conclude in June of 2000.