Overheard

Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau has plans to relocate its visitors’ center and was expected on Dec. 6 to sign a contract to buy a parcel at Highway 65 and Chestnut Expressway, according to Executive Director Tracy Kimberlin. The CVB board approved the acquisition on Dec. 4, and plans call for CVB to build a structure of at least 5,000 square feet on the parcel, which is less than an acre. CVB was slated to buy the land from Springfield businessman Jim D. Morris.

The new visitors’ center will function as a newly created nonprofit subsidiary of CVB called Destination Springfield Inc., which was established to allow people to give donations directly to the visitors’ center while receiving a tax break.

CVB has operated its visitors’ center since 1990 in 3,250 square feet of leased space at 3315 E. Battlefield Road. Building plans will be set after CVB hires an architect in the spring, Kimberlin said.

Killian Builds In Pigeon Forge

The Killian Group has been named to head up construction of a $114 million, 21-acre entertainment district in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Belle Island Village, slated to open next fall, will feature more than 90 specialty shops, 12 restaurants, 126 hotel suites and attractions such as the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Motion Picture Museum, the Darrell Waltrip Racing Experience and Otter Cove, an interactive natural habitat. The project’s developer is Glen Bilbo, of Southern Venue Development. Senior Project Manager John Bryant will lead the team from Springfield-based Killian; other major players will include Project Manager Steve Johnson, Senior Superintendent Kenneth Bebee and Project Supervisor Don Patterson.

Former SBU President Dies

Former Southwest Baptist University President James Sells died Nov. 25 from injuries sustained in a car wreck. Sells, who was 79, was the Bolivar school’s president 1968–1979, then served as chancellor until 1992.

“Dr. Sells saw the institution through the transition from a college to a university, the development of signature graduate programs and a significant increase in enrollment,” current SBU President C. Pat Taylor said in university news release. “In addition, many of the current buildings on campus were built under his leadership. … This university owes Dr. Jim Sells a debt of gratitude.”