Work continues on park following location detour

by Karen E. Culp

SBJ Staff

Following the demise of a proposal to locate the next partnership industrial center within the Springfield Public Schools district, the four partners in the project are considering their involvement in the new park and proceeding with its approval on the site originally proposed.

Mayor Lee Gannaway at an Oct. 12 meeting suggested keeping a proposed park inside the Springfield Public School district, opting to choose a site other than the one recommended that same day by the Springfield Business and Development Corporation. Following a public outcry against the mayor's idea, which involved condemning a family dairy farm, City Council convened in closed session Oct. 15 and voted unanimously to reverse itself and not to proceed with condemning the farm.

That leaves the 318-acre site proposed by SBDC as a viable and now the only proposed site for a new park. The four partners who have agreed to participate in the development of a second park are the city, City Utilities, the SBDC and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. SBDC will purchase the land for the park, the city will provide infrastructure such as streets and sewer, and the utility will provide electric, gas and water service. The chamber will provide marketing services.

The levels of participation in this park are proposed to be nearly the same as the first park, the now nearly 85 percent-full Partnership Industrial Center. Ownership of the land for the initial partnership park was held by CU, said Greg Williams, vice president of economic development for the chamber and a representative for the SBDC. The development corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of the chamber.

Williams said the SBDC will now turn to phase II of the planning for a second park and address issues of infrastructure and access to the site.

"For SBDC, the next step will be making financing arrangements. We've got 10 banks who've expressed interest in the project, now we're to a point where we've got to be preparing the financial data and getting financing secured," Williams said.

Williams said he doubts that another site could emerge as a potential park.

"This is the only site that is ready for this type of development that meets our criteria," Williams said.

Gannaway said he is receiving calls from people nearly every day who are suggesting possible park sites to him.

"I have a lot of people suggesting sites to me. It would be nice to have the resources or capacity to check out some of these suggestions," Gannaway said.

Though council will consider this site and proceed with determining the city's level of involvement, Gannaway said he is concerned about the message this development might send.

"I'm concerned, are we condemning the east side of town to be industrial? One of the things that was ideal about the Thomson property is that it was surrounded by industrial users on portions of its property. I am worried this site could have an adverse impact on the surrounding property," Gannaway said.

He added that he would like to see an effort made to redevelop industrial sites or former industrial sites in the center city area.

"I realize that a development like this is easier to sell, but should we really be making this easier on ourselves just for the sake of making it easy? Why shouldn't we be more conscientious and conservative?" Gannaway said.

Mary Lilly Smith, economic development coordinator for the city, said a team of city staffers will be working out the details of the city's participation in the park, and will probably bring a motion before council in November.

She and her group will be working on extent of the city's involvement and the annexation and rezoning of the property, which now lies outside the city limits.

Smith will also propose expanding the enterprise zone to include the park. The enterprise zone is a tax-credit program, administered by the state, for businesses locating within a designated area. Springfield's zone, which expires in 2006, has had two expansions. This expansion will be the last it is allowed to have, Smith said.

Zoning and annexation will take place regardless of council's participation in the process, Smith said. She and her group will prepare cost estimates for council that will show how much the city will need to expend.

"We are working to gather that data now and will try to get some good estimates for council, but we have to have a site plan from SBDC first," Smith said.

Smith said that information is to be provided to council before the end of October.

City Utilities has already determined its approximate costs to provide electric, gas and water to the site, said Karl Plumpe, senior manager for economic development for CU. To run gas and water service to the site on Mulroy will cost the utility a little less than $1 million. Electricity will cost about $2.1 million, Plumpe said.

The economic development committee of the Board of Public Utilities was set to meet Oct. 21 to consider the proposed park. Chris Nattinger, who chairs that committee, said the committee would probably have a motion ready for the full board's Oct. 28 meeting.[[In-content Ad]]