Council eyes College Station, airport bond issues

The first bond issue was for $8.8 million in short-term bond anticipation notes for the construction of the College Station parking deck. The 360-space deck, to be located on the south side of College Street, also will feature 35,000 square feet of retail space.

The plan, according to the bill, is to combine the College Station notes, Heer’s Tower parking deck bonds and permanent financing for College Station into a single $16 million bond issue. City Economic Development Director Mary Lilly Smith said the single bond would be issued in early spring, once the design of the Heer’s parking deck is finalized.

The amended redevelopment agreement for the College Station project, meanwhile, was again tabled at the meeting. The city, according to City Attorney Dan Wichmer, had intended to have the paperwork ready by the Nov. 13 meeting but ran into dealys while finalizing details on the paperwork for the project with developer Scott Tillman. At issue are the purchase agreements for first-floor retail space.

The second bond issue on the agenda was for the new midfield terminal at Springfield-Branson National Airport.

Council considered $115 million in bonds to construct the 285,000-square-foot facility, which will contain eight passenger-loading gates capable of handling 16 aircraft.

The new terminal work is ahead of schedule, according to airport Communications and Marketing Director Kent Boyd. Boyd said that bids on the main construction package for the terminal went out Nov. 13. The bids will be opened Dec. 19.

The new estimated completion date is fall 2008, in time for that year’s holiday travel season and nearly a full year ahead of the original schedule. Officials broke ground at the airport site May 17.

Council is expected to vote on the College Station parking deck and airport bond issues Nov. 27.

Also on the agenda:

• Council approved the city’s 2007 legislative policy. The policy, which spells out issues that the city wants considered by both state and federal legislators, includes several changes from 2006.

Among the proposed changes is amending of the Missouri Sunshine Law to make police internal affairs records confidential.

• Council also considered a bill to complete the sale of the parking lot across the street from Hammons Field to developer John Q. Hammons. The city is already in an agreement to sell the land to Hammons before March 1, 2008. The new agreement would allow Hammons to complete the $1.83 million purchase early.

If approved, Hammons would complete the purchase before the end of November.