Heard on the Street

BANK TO BASICS. NationsBank in Neosho is vacating its 203 E. Main location and donating the remainder of its four-year lease to the Neosho R-V School District. The property is owned by the city of Neosho. NationsBank will consolidate its operations in Neosho in its location at 719 Neosho Blvd., where plans to expand service are under consideration. The school district will move in during the summer (NationsBank moved out June 24) and hopes to use the office space to free up classroom space. "Our team of associates in Neosho ... are extremely committed to this community, and we are proud of their work," said Clive Veri, senior banking executive of NationsBank in Neosho. "We will continue to look at ways to enhance service for our customers at the Neosho Boulevard banking center."

LAND SEARCH. The U.S. Postal Service is looking for a piece of land, and not just any land. First, the folks at the post office want the property to be within the boundaries of Farm Road 94 to the north, Division Street to the south, Glenstone Avenue to the East and West Bypass to the west. The parcel should be "approximately" 107,230 to 116,420 square feet, according to the Facilities Service Office in Overland Park, Kan. The Postal Service will also consider an existing building with, "approximately," 15,318 square feet of net interior space, with at least 107 parking spaces and an area able to be used for docks and truck maneuvering. If you've got just the piece of property, an offer form is available at the Main Post Office in Springfield, or from Stephen G. Muyskens at the aforementioned Facilities Service Office, 6800 W. 64th St., Ste. 100, Overland Park, Kan. 66202-4171. The offers should be received before July 19.

GET ON THE BUS. City Utilities is among the beneficiaries of $2.5 million in federal grants being distributed by the Missouri Department of Transportation. CU will get $42,500 for a new East Kearney Street bus route to the Partnership Industrial Center, running 6-8 a.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m. The 50 percent matching grants are designed to provide transportation to welfare recipients and other low-income workers. "A critical part of moving people off of welfare, and helping them become self-sufficient, is ensuring transportation to and from their jobs," said MoDOT Director Henry Hungerbeeler.

LAGNIAPPE. The Springfield Public School Community Development Office is soliciting local businesses for promotional items. The district will collect the donations into a welcome bag of goodies for its fall crop of 200 incoming new teachers. The district lists pens, key chains, notepads, coffee mugs, water bottles and refrigerator magnets among examples of promotional items that would be appropriate. At least 200 of each item donated is requested and the items must be utilitarian: no brochures or informational letters. For more information, call Nancy Graff, director of community development, at 864-3918. The donations should be delivered by July 22.

THE YEAR. At the halfway point of 1999, it behooves us to point out that we are in the midst of the Year of the Restaurant. That is according to the National Restaurant Association and the U.S. Department of Commerce. The designation celebrates the role of restaurants in the economy. Restaurants serve nearly 50 billion meals a year. Nearly half of all adults (46 percent) are restaurant patrons on a typical day, according to association research. Restaurant-industry sales are projected to reach a record $354 billion in 1999 an increase of 4.6 percent over 1998, according to the National Restaurant Association's 1999 Restaurant Industry Forecast.

A KEEPER. Another family member was added to the SBJ family June 22 when Blair Kathleen Wooldridge was born to Shari and Tim Wooldridge. Blair joins brother Andrew in the Wooldridge household. Shari, an SBJ account representative, and the 7 pound, 10 ounce Blair, are doing fine. Tim reported Blair measured 20 1/4 inches at birth, a statistic he dismissed as irrelevant. "It's not like she's a fish and there's some length limit," Tim said, noting that Blair would most definitely not be tossed back in the pond.

SLICE OF NICE. Millie Harris, nationally known concert and recording artist, will be the special guest for "A Star-Spangled Salute," a fund-raiser for the Greater Ozarks Association for Retarded Citizens. Other entertainers include a local brass ensemble and Miss Missouri. The performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. July 12 at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. Tickets are available at the Greater Ozarks ARC at 864-7887 or at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall box office, 836-7678. Underwriters are Coldwell Banker Vanguard, Realtors, Independent Printing and Betty and Don Wessel.

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