St. John's, Buzbee Dental agree to property swap

by Dee Dee Nilsen

SBJ Intern

sbj@sbj.net

St. John's Hospital and Buzbee Dental Clinic have agreed to an exchange of property, making way for a new Buzbee clinic set to open in March 2005.

The two discussed the exchange after Buzbee expressed interest in building a new location on land owned by St. John's on Lark Street. Buzbee agreed to deed its own property at 2022 S. National Ave. to St. John's in exchange for the property at 1244 E. Lark St.

"They were very interested in having a larger facility on Lark Street where we had some land, and their land happens to be on the edge of all our property on Sunshine and National," said Cora Scott of St. John's Media Relations. "It just worked out that we negotiated a deal." Scott did not know what St. John's plans for the National site are at this point.

Scott said St. John's will supervise the construction of the new building project. After it is completed, Buzbee and St. John's will officially deed their property to each other.

The Buzbee project is worth an approximate $1.9 million, according to the building permit filed with the city of Springfield. The facility will be 13,232 square feet and will replace Buzbee's smaller clinics on South National Avenue and West Chesterfield Boulevard. Staff at the Chesterfield branch will move to the Lark clinic.

The new clinic will provide for four dentists and four hygienists, according to Buzbee Practice Administrator Lori Marsh. The clinic will have a sterilization area, lab, consultation rooms, private and general offices, reception area and a staff break room.

The clinic is owned by Buzbee Brothers' Properties, run by dentists Gary and Roger Buzbee. The architect for the project is Butler, Rosenbury and Partners. Structural engineering and interior design of the project will also be done by Butler, Rosenbury and Partners. Mechanical and electrical engineering will be completed by Malone Finkle Eckhardt & Collins Inc.

The building will have a concrete foundation and steel frame, and it will use exterior materials of composite wall panels, pre-cast concrete and Profilit glass channels that surround the oval reception area, according to Marsh.