Council approved Mediacom contract, tables development issue

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Going into the Dec. 16 Springfield City Council meeting, council hoped to resolve two longstanding issues on its plate. It achieved half of its goal. |ret||ret||tab|

City Council ended the eighth-anniversary review of the city's Mediacom cable franchise, voting unanimously to continue the contract, but it was not able to decide on a hotly contested rezoning bill in southeast Springfield, as both parties requested it be tabled until Jan. 27, citing legal matters.|ret||ret||tab|

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Mediacom review |ret||ret||tab|

Although the city of Springfield is still out approximately $100,000 worth of Mediacom franchise fees, council followed the recommendation of city staff and voted to retain the cable provider's services. The eighth-anniversary franchise review has been ongoing for months, led largely by customer service issues which have been resolved and the unpaid city franchise fees.|ret||ret||tab|

During negotiations, city officials threatened to revoke the franchise and even considered a city-owned cable service.|ret||ret||tab|

"There were concerns about the customer service requirements, and in the last few months they have met and exceeded those," said City Manager Tom Finnie. |ret||ret||tab|

But talks with Mediacom's officials and its lawyers will not culminate until the financial dispute is settled, he added. In spite of the forgiving nature of council's vote, Finnie said the city will continue to pursue payment. Basically, council did not find the lack of payment a substantive basis for canceling the franchise.|ret||ret||tab|

"We do not plan on backing off," Finnie said, "and we will pursue that vigorously in the courts if we need to." |ret||ret||tab|

Mediacom has not paid the franchise fees in question since March, after the Federal Communications Commission declared cable modem service an information service, and not a cable service, making it exempt from franchise fees.|ret||ret||tab|

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Southeast development|ret||ret||tab|

The seemingly never-ending debate over development in southeast Springfield marches on. |ret||ret||tab|

Council members expected to vote on a rezoning bill for five acres near Lone Pine Avenue and Southern Hills Boulevard, but at the request of the two parties involved, council tabled it until Jan. 27. The delay relates to a protest petition against the rezoning.|ret||ret||tab|

A petition turned into city offices targeted the developer's original proposal, not the revised plan, making the petition void. The time gained by tabling the bill will be used to gauge opposition against the new plan, which is a scaled down version of the first, said attorney Craig Lowther, representing developers John Q. Hammons and Lee McLean.|ret||ret||tab|

The developers want to build a funeral home on five acres of their 17-acre tract. They are willing to sell the remaining 12 acres to members of the Southeast Springfield Neighborhood Association, who have been fighting development there for years. However, SESNA only wants to purchase the entire 17 acres to create a city park.|ret||ret||tab|

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Civic Plaza |ret||ret||tab|

Plans are making headway for new offices and parking in the Government Plaza area near Boonville and Central streets.|ret||ret||tab|

Council heard a first reading on the $30-million Civic Plaza local developer Bill Jester's proposed six-story, 215,000-square-foot office complex and a six-story, 726-space parking garage. Jester's Resource Development Inc. would pay for the office complex, while the city would contribute $400,000 for construction of the parking garage. In turn, the city is guaranteed 522 spaces for employee parking. The city also would pay up to $750,000 to improve the remaining surface parking.|ret||ret||tab|

The city would lease the land to Jester for $1 a year for the first 25 years plus a yearly rent payment that increases from base of $35,506 in year 2 to $248,541 in year 25. After that, rent payments will be based on assessed value. After 50 years, ownership of the office building and garage would revert to the city.|ret||ret||tab|

If approved, Jester's financing will be through bond issues from the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority. The LCRA will issue taxable bonds for the office building and taxable and nontaxable bonds for the parking deck, to be paid for by Jester.|ret||ret||tab|

Also in the agreement, Jester has agreed to pay the appraised value of all existing buildings to be razed, approximately $700,000, as well as an office relocation fee of $350,000 to the city. Jester would renovate the historic, city-owned First Church of Christ Scientist building into lease space on the lower level and a conference center for city staff, office tenant and public use on the upper level.|ret||ret||tab|

"Civic Plaza is really a merger ... between private enterprise and the public government," Jester told council. His aim is to alleviate parking issues in the area and offer much-needed food and professional services to nearby employees.|ret||ret||tab|

The response from the business community has been positive, Jester said. "Our phones are ringing and our e-mails are coming in and people want to be here," he said.|ret||ret||tab|

Council members seem to find the development appealing: "I think this is the best thing to happen to center city since cotton candy," said Councilman Denny Whayne.|ret||ret||tab|

A vote will be taken Jan. 13.|ret||ret||tab|

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Springfield Community Center|ret||ret||tab|

In other action, council approved a three-way deal to shuffle office space of the Springfield Community Center Inc., the city Health Department and the Community Health Center of Springfield. |ret||ret||tab|

Under the agreement, Springfield Community Center Inc., at 619 N. Benton Ave., is moving to the Creamery Building in Jordan Valley Park by April.|ret||ret||tab|

In turn, the city is leasing about 5,000 square feet of space in the former Community Center building for about $3,000 a month for two years. |ret||ret||tab|

The city plans to move the Health Department's Women Infants and Children Clinic offices into the lower level of the building by May, when RDI is expected to begin demolition of the WIC office on Central Street for Civic Plaza. And the upper level will be leased to Community Health Center of Springfield. It will be used for the center's federally qualified dental program. |ret||ret||tab|

The city's lease payment will come from a combination of the dental clinic's lease and RDI's relocation payment.|ret||ret||tab|

"There is no general fund money to be used for this," Finnie said. "We are basically, as a city, acting as a conduit to allow this to happen. It allows (Springfield Community Center) to get out from under a very difficult situation in which they have a mortgage payment for the entire building and have not been able to sublease space for additional revenues."|ret||ret||tab|

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New council member|ret||ret||tab|

Also in the meeting, council welcomed new council member Conrad Griggs. Griggs fills the council seat left vacant by Mayor Pro Tem Gary Gibson, who died in October. Griggs will run unopposed in April for Councilwoman Teri Hacker's seat. She is not seeking re-election.|ret||ret||tab|

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