CVB, businessman forge deal for new center

Destination Springfield Inc., a subsidiary of CVB, signed a contract on Dec. 6 to purchase nearly an acre at U.S. Highway 65 and Chestnut Expressway. CVB will move its 3315 E. Battlefield Road visitors’ center there in early 2010.

Morris agreed to sell the land to Destination Springfield for $250,000 – an amount that’s $350,000 less than the land’s appraised value, according to CVB Executive Director Tracy Kimberlin.

The deal is pending Springfield City Council’s approval of a $300,000 budget revision for CVB at council’s Dec. 17 meeting. CVB is asking council for $50,000 more than the purchase price to pay for associated needs, such as soil tests, closing costs and preliminary designs, Kimberlin said. Morris and Destination Springfield have set a Dec. 26 closing date.

“It’s a very generous gift from Mr. Morris,” Kimberlin said. “Closing on the day after Christmas, I think, is an appropriate time to accept that gift. We’re very thankful for it.”

Named for Morris

Technically, Morris sold the land – due north of Hampton Inn and just east of Hardee’s restaurant – to Destination Springfield for the appraised value of $600,000, but he gave the nonprofit organization a $350,000 gift, which Destination Springfield used to buy the land.

Kimberlin said the gift was Morris’ idea, and the new center will be named for Morris.

Morris has operated Morris Oil Co. in Springfield and Branson since the 1960s, and he’s owned area hotels since 1994, including Clarion Hotel on South Glenstone Avenue.

“We’ve got such a super mix between Springfield and Branson,” Morris said of the importance of tourism on the health of his businesses and the rest of the local economy. It was his belief in the benefits of tourism that led him to sell the land at Highway 65 and Chestnut Expressway for a discount, he said.

CVB initiated negotiations with Morris for the land, which was especially attractive because it could catch southbound traffic heading to Branson or Springfield’s Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World.

Destination Springfield, a 501(c)(3) organization, was established by the CVB in May to give people a way to donate money to support tourism and receive tax deductions. CVB is also a nonprofit organization, although people can’t donate to CVB and get tax deductions because CVB is a 501(c)(6) organization. That distinction allows CVB to be politically active, according to Kimberlin.

Destination Springfield has a five-member board consisting of CVB board members John Ford, Greg Walker, Steve Thompson, Matt Gifford and Brad Gebhard.

“The visitors’ center is important for the city of Springfield,” said board Vice President Gifford, general manager of the Springfield Cardinals. “It helps promote everything. It helps promote Bass Pro Shops, Wonders of Wildlife and every other attraction Springfield has to offer.”

Planning ahead

CVB decided to relocate about a year ago, chiefly because visibility at its Highway 65 and Battlefield Road location had become clouded by development in the years following CVB’s 1990 opening there.

CVB operates its current visitors’ center in 3,250 square feet of leased space. CVB also operates visitors’ centers in its administrative offices at Jordan Valley Car Park, 815 E. St. Louis St., and at Springfield-Branson National Airport.

Last year, nearly 46,000 people stopped by the East Battlefield Road visitors’ center to pick up maps, brochures and other information, according to Kimberlin. The year with the highest traffic for the center was 1997, which saw nearly 82,000 people stream through. Kimberlin said the increased visibility at Chestnut Expressway could again draw about 80,000 people to the center.

Operations at the new center will be funded by CVB’s $2.85 million 2008 budget.

One of the factors motivating the move is that CVB will switch from leased space to owning the building in which the visitors’ center operates. Construction costs are undetermined, though Kimberlin said Destination Springfield plans to pay for the construction with a combination of donations, state tax credits and financing.

Building plans will be set after CVB hires an architect in the spring, and Kimberlin estimated the structure would be about 5,000 square feet in size.

“There are a lot of different things we’re toying with,” he said. “We haven’t made all those decisions at this point.”