The Sporting Life: Downtown coming alive, but more consistent traffic needed

Brent Lawrence is copy editor and columnist for the Springfield Business Journal.

It's wonderful to see all the development in downtown Springfield. The construction in Jordan Valley Park is an encouraging sign.

As a life-long north-side resident (OK, I lived in Nixa and in Dallas County for a few years, but I was still a north-sider at heart), I can remember when the square was closed off to traffic, leaving retail business to wither and die, and enabling panhandlers and vagrants to patrol the square.

Now, due to some innovative thinking by city officials, we've got growth, development and excitement about downtown Springfield again.

The baseball stadium is scheduled to be completed for the 2004 season. I will be the second-happiest person in Springfield after John. Q. Hammons brings in a double-A minor-league baseball team.

Southwest Missouri State University baseball coach Keith Guttin will be the happiest person in town. His SMS Bears will get to use one of the nicest college stadiums anywhere, and it will bring out students since it will be so close to campus.

The new expo center and parking garage will bring more conventions into the area. While the Jordan Valley Ice Park has failed to meet projected revenues, it will benefit as the rest of Jordan Valley is crafted into shape.

Business owners such as Lance Reeves of Ebbet's Field sports bar and restaurant are excitedly waiting for the projects to be finished so they can reap the rewards of increased business.

While the future looks bright, it could have been much brighter.

When the city decided on the footprint for Jordan Valley, it had to make some tough decisions about moving some long-time businesses out of their existing buildings.

That's understandable. All development comes at a price.

However, businesses such as the Thompson Pontiac-Cadillac car dealership, Tri-States Service laundry company, DaBryan Coach Builders, ColorGraphic Printing and Hoffman Supply were pushed out of the area.

That reduced the number of businesses in the downtown area, which meant less traffic because of the loss of downtown jobs and business patrons.

Jack Taylor, owner of lunchtime diner Taylor's Drive In, said his business at the corner of Trafficway and Kimbrough took a hit.

"I have been in business for 47 years and I never had a bad year until this," Taylor said in a September interview, blaming the relocation of nearby businesses. "That was customers every day. That was a big dent."

Why didn't the city use tax credits and any other creative means to keep these businesses downtown? There's plenty of vacant buildings and open space in the downtown area to house these companies, thus providing a consistent flow of people in and out of the area.

Having a baseball stadium will certainly bring in the crowds. But how many home games will there be? What about the other six months of the year when the stadium will essentially be vacant? We need to give people every reason possible to come downtown and to stay downtown.

As we've seen with the Ice Park, it apparently can't sustain itself without help from other attractions. The city's next push should be to get businesses retail, wholesale or manufacturing back into the downtown area.

Wonders of Wildlife

It was a great idea by the Wonders of Wildlife to offer low-cost tickets for Springfield residents Jan. 10-12. A $5 admission was a wonderful idea, as it encouraged local residents to visit the museum. Even if you've seen the museum before, $5 is a good value and makes it worthwhile. At $11.25 for adults and $7.25 for children ages 4-11, the museum admission is too expensive for an average family to make multiple visits.

In today's tight economic times, $37 for a family of four is a relatively large investment.