New buildings emerging to meet Republic's needs

New facilities are emerging in Republic to meet the needs of a growing population.

Over the past 10 years the city of 8,500 has experienced a growth rate of 3.4 percent per year on the average, but City Administrator Dean Thompson said that most of the growth has occurred over the last five years at a rate of about 6 percent.

"Potentially, in the next 10 years, the city could easily double in size," Thompson said. To keep up with current growth and prepare for future development the city is investing in capital and infrastructure.

Police facilities

A new police station is the first of three buildings that eventually will go up in the new five-acre municipal complex. Located in Frisco Square on West 60, it will actually encompass three departments, according to Thompson, the municipal court occupying 2,135 square feet while the police department takes up 13,454 square feet.

Emergency management will be located in the 9,841-square-foot basement, which also will be used for expansion and storage space for the court and police department.

The need for a new building stems partially from the city's growth, but it would have been necessary even without the most recent growth surge in population, Thompson said. "This is the first building that the city has constructed specifically for police usage," he said. With temporary holding cells, a training area, and an investigation area, the building is designed specifically to meet the police needs. "The whole building is designed to be multipurpose," Thompson added.

The police training area, for example, will double as a community room. The $2.14 million project is set for completion in February 2002.

Treatment plant

Republic's growth both recent and projected also has led to a $14.3 million project to expand the city's treatment plant. This $14.3 million project includes approximately 15 miles of new sewer line.

The expansion will add 2.2 million gallons of capacity, which would enable it to accommodate close to 24,000 people, nearly three times the current population.

School projects

Shortly after adding a new kindergarten, Republic School District is building new classrooms again.

Last August the town passed a $7.2 million bond issue, according to Dr. Howard Neeley, superintendent for the district.

The money will fund 11 new classrooms for the high school, and an older elementary school will be torn down and replaced with a new school to house the third and fourth grades.

"We'll break ground next month," Neeley said. "We think the new construction will take about a year and a half."

The general contractor for the project is Branco Enterprises from Neosho, and Jack Ball Associates of Springfield is the architect.

All of the district's classrooms also will be equipped with air conditioning, Neeley said, with the installation to be completed in all but one building before school starts this fall.

Other projects

In other commercial construction projects, work began March 1 on Pinewood Place, a new apartment complex, according to Paul White, co-owner of CC&W Properties. The first building is scheduled to open around Aug. 1.

Eventually the complex will consist of six two-story buildings, with a total of 96 one- and two-bedroom apartments. The apartment complex will have a swimming pool, an on-site manager, and washer and dryer hookups, White said. Residents without their own washing machines and dryers will be able to rent them for a monthly fee.

White said the apartments will be spacious and the buildings and grounds attractive. "The buildings are going to be about 60 percent brick," he said, "and we'll have nicely landscaped green areas, and an irrigation system."

The apartments will be located just east of land owned by Wal-Mart near the intersection of 60 and 174, where a new Super-center is scheduled to be built soon, White said.

Plans also have been approved for a Comfort Inn in Republic, but construction has not yet begun. "We don't know exactly when they will begin building," Thompson said.

Also on the construction agenda are the expansion of an existing office building, and two new office complexes, Thompson said.

The two new complexes, East Point Town Center and Highland Park Town Center, have both been approved and construction will probably begin soon, he said.