Park supporters seek botanical center bids

It's been a 12-year row to hoe, but finally bids are out for construction on Springfield's planned botanical center.

Organizers are accepting construction bids through June 18 for the expected $4.5 million facility in Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park. Construction should begin in early August, said Tyler Peck of H Design Group LLC, the project's architect of record, with an expected wrap-up date of mid-2010.

The building is a Springfield-Greene County Park Board project, in conjunction with the University of Missouri-Extension and the nonprofit Friends of the Garden.

When complete, the 12,500-square-foot building will house offices for the Extension program's master gardeners and will be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver standards. The city-county parks department will be responsible for building maintenance.

Plans for the center include a rooftop plaza, glass façade, classroom and community spaces, and, in the long-term, 34 indoor and outdoor gardens housing a variety of plant species. It will be located west of the park's Japanese Stroll Garden and north of Lake Drummond.

About $3 million of the funding comes from the N-cent parks department sales tax approved by Greene County voters in 2006.

Miles Park, superintendent of park facilities, was quick to point out that the project is not receiving money from the city's general fund, which faces significant budget cuts this year due to lower-than-expected sales tax revenue and increased contributions to the city pension fund.

"This project has been in the planning stage for more than 12 years, with the last eight years making significant efforts toward capital campaigning," Park said. "It's a citizen-driven, citizen-requested facility."

The remaining money comes mostly from about $400,000 in funds from the Greene County Commission and early donors, along with $600,000 in private pledges and funds raised by the Friends of the Garden. The city of Springfield covered the center's $400,000 design cost.

"We have come a long way, let me tell you, and we are so tickled in this economic situation that we're able to do this," said Susan Boswell, development director for Friends of the Garden, the nonprofit organization leading fundraising for the facility. She said the group is only about $75,000 from its goal.

Education is the main crux of the botanical center, which Boswell said also will serve as a perpetual reminder of donor support.

"When gifts are given, we make sure the person will be acknowledged with a plaque or on a board, so that years from now, people can say, 'My grandfather gave this,'" she said.

Park applauded Boswell's group for its work bringing the decade-long vision to fruition.

"They have been just tireless in their efforts in assisting and defining the building program and the educational components of the facility," Park said of the group. "We're excited about the project, and we think it will become well-known as a regional facility for research and education in horticulture."