Overheard

Bass Pro Shops is on pace to come up short on lease payments owed to Broken Arrow, Okla. The Associated Press has reported that the Springfield-based retailer has paid Broken Arrow $333,536 since its October opening, leaving it on pace to fall about $120,000 short of its minimum annual lease payment, based on projections. Bass Pro is under contract to repay Broken Arrow $850,000 a year regardless of sales after the city floated the $24 million construction cost for the 130,000-square-foot store. On the flip side, Bass Pro has attracted tag-along development in Broken Arrow by Holiday Inn and several restaurants, city officials told the AP.

More Oklahoma News

Springfield-based John Q. Hammons Hotels and Resorts LLC plans to develop a $50 million hotel and conference center in Norman, Okla. The 240-room Embassy Suites Hotel and the 65,000-square-foot conference center will be part of the University North Park mixed-use development, unveiled in December. That property is owned by the University of Oklahoma Foundation Inc. Design of the Hammons project is under way, and construction is scheduled to begin next March. The city of Norman will own the conference center for a cost of $15 million. Once completed, it will be managed by Hammons Hotels, which has three other Oklahoma properties located in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

Branson CID

In a special meeting April 19, the Branson Board of Aldermen unanimously approved a community improvement district for historic downtown Branson. The Downtown Branson Main Street Association requested the CID, which would allow businesses within the district to collect up to an additional 1 percent sales tax. The estimated $300,000 generated by the CID tax would fund a trolley system between historic downtown and Branson Landing. District voters will vote June 6 whether to establish the CID.

Doctors Hospital Military Care

More of Springfield’s 5,500 military retirees now have access to local health care covered by their military-provided plans. Doctors Hospital has joined the military’s provider network, Phoenix-based TriWest Healthcare Alliance. Springfield military families enrolled in TRICARE, which offers lower co-payments and other benefits, now may be reimbursed for health care.

Slice of Nice

Youth summer camps are just around the corner, and the Arc of the Ozarks is seeking scholarships for campers. Through its adopt-a-camper program, a $40 donation would support one week of camp while $160 would support a full session. Donations should be turned in by June 13. For more information, call the Arc’s Springfield office at (417) 864-7887.

Twice of Nice

Rotary Clubs of Springfield’s seventh annual Rotary Rock’n Ribs BBQ Festival netted an estimated $100,000 for area children’s charities. The April 22 barbecue competition, which is sanctioned by the state and the Kansas City Barbecue Society, attracted 18,000 people to Bass Pro Shops’ parking lot. To date, the festival has raised $330,000 for children in the Ozarks.