Jordan Valley Park intrigues Ducks owner

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More than one big-city developer may have an interest in Springfield's Jordan Valley Park.|ret||ret||tab|

Mayor Lee Gannaway acknowledged having conversations with Horn Chen, a Chicago businessman who owns several minor league sports teams the Ozark Mountain Ducks among them and has taken an interest in Springfield. Gannaway said Chen is interested in putting forward a proposal for a civic center or for another way to contribute to the park.|ret||ret||tab|

Though Chen has yet to make a formal proposal, Mary Lilly Smith, economic development coordinator for the city, said initial conversations with Chen's representatives revealed his interest in possibly making an alternate proposal to that of St. Louis-based developer Tony Sansone Jr. who is moving forward with a plan for a center city civic center or working in cooperation with Sansone.|ret||ret||tab|

"We're prepared to evaluate anything they bring forward," Smith said.|ret||ret||tab|

Chip Sheppard, a local attorney representing Chen, the Central Hockey League and Eoff & Associates, said those three clients are "exploring ways which they can contribute to Jordan Valley Park, Springfield and surrounding communities ... by utilizing their expertise in the operation and management of both professional hockey, arena football and other teams, as well as in the management and operation of recreational ice facilities." |ret||ret||tab|

The city is progressing with Sansone's plan; several city officials traveled to Jefferson City March 29 to meet with the southwest Missouri legislative delegation. Smith said the group was urging the legislators to create a bill that would rebate the sales tax generated by Sansone's civic center.|ret||ret||tab|

"Right now, we're asking that they look at a way to give back 4 percent of state sales tax generated by the arena and create enabling legislation to do that," Smith said.|ret||ret||tab|

The city is also proceeding with land acquisition for the Sansone civic center project. The site is south of Trafficway and near the federal courthouse, Smith said.|ret||ret||tab|

Gannaway said that he is interested to hear what Chen has to propose for Jordan Valley Park, but added that the agreement with Sansone was now mature.|ret||ret||tab|

"We are so far down the road with Group Seven now that I don't know how we'll accommodate any rival proposal that may come forward," Gannaway said.|ret||ret||tab|

Councilman Gary Gibson said if there were other parties interested in developing a center city arena, the city should "open up the process and make a deadline for submissions," hearing all other proposals and then choosing the best one.|ret||ret||tab|

"I don't think we're working with any kind of deadline for when we need an arena," Gibson said.|ret||ret||tab|

The city is also awaiting the completion of a feasibility study for the Sansone project, which is due May 3, Smith said. |ret||ret||tab|

Sansone was also preparing to meet with legislators March 29 to garner funding and support for the project. He said that the design for the project is complete and the construction budget is set.|ret||ret||tab|

"We're still working to determine our final project cost, and then we will know if there are any gaps, or shortfalls in funding, and where we need to fill those in," Sansone said.|ret||ret||tab|

Sansone reiterated his company's commitment to creating a center city arena the "whole community will be proud of."|ret||ret||tab|

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