Springfield City Council unanimously approved a resolution naming four nonprofit recipients of the hotel-motel tax revenue previously earmarked for Bass Pro Shops' Wonders of Wildlife museum.
The Discovery Center of Springfield, History Museum on the Square, Springfield Little Theatre and Springfield Art Museum are now slated to receive more than $220,000 combined for projects designed to bring visitors to Springfield, according to the resolution presented at last night's council meeting.
The bulk of the tax money, $125,000, will go to support exhibit installation at the History Museum’s new location on Park Central Square. Springfield Little Theatre was awarded $45,323 for balcony improvements; the Springfield Art Museum was allocated $27,351 for climate control upgrades; and the Discovery Center was awarded $22,500 for a bed-of-nails exhibit.
In 1998, voters approved a 2.5-cent increase in the hotel-motel tax in support of capital improvement projects. In 1999, the city entered into an agreement with WOW directing a portion of that increase to the museum’s operational budget. In November 2011, roughly four years into renovations at the museum, WOW gifted that designated tax revenue back to the city. Then in September of last year, City Council voted to direct 40 percent of the roughly $330,000 a year WOW was receiving to pay down the city’s obligations to improvements at Jordan Valley Park and send 60 percent of the revenue to local nonprofits working to increase tourism and business development – areas it deemed were in line with the intention of the original voter-approved tax increase.
As part of the city’s plan to split the museum’s funds, it established the Hotel-Motel Tax Reallocation Committee, which was charged with fielding grant requests before selecting award recipients. Louise Knauer, senior vice president of communications and marketing for Community Foundation of the Ozarks and interim chairwoman of the reallocation committee, said the group was pleased with the four organizations it pegged to receive the tax funds.
“Interested applicants were required to attend a mandatory question and answer session on May 30. Twelve agencies attended that session, and from that, seven of those followed up by submitting letters of intent. The committee invited four of those to submit full applications. It decided three of the projects outlined in the letters of intent didn’t meet the application criteria,” Knauer said. “The criteria includes a location within the city limits of Springfield, whether the project is a capital improvement and whether the outcomes could lead to increased visitor attendance and its associated economic impact.”
Before the vote, Springfield Little Theatre Director of Development and Marketing Ron Spigelman spoke in favor of the resolution, saying this year’s tax funds would greatly benefit the theater.
“If you’ve ever sat in the balcony of the Springfield Little Theatre and you are taller than 4 feet, then you might have been a little uncomfortable up there,” Spigelman said, adding it would be a good idea to renovate the space before the boutique Hotel Vandivort opens next door. “Typically, the downstairs sells out, leaving only balcony available for performances. This is going to allow people to visit here and have an excellent experience.”[[In-content Ad]]
