Springfield Business Journal_2019-03-25

COMPANY AWARDS BP Builders LLC Base Construction & Management LLC BriteCore Burrell Behavioral Health GigSalad Guaranty Bank Haven Healthcare LLC Keller Williams Greater Springfield Little Sunshine’s Playhouse and Preschool Inc. OakStar Bank Russell Cellular Inc. Wilson Logistics Inc. Judges’ Choice: Prime Inc. TOP LOCAL INDIVIDUAL AWARDS Executive Tim Massey Penmac Staffing Services Inc. Financial Executive Brenda Rantz Nixa Public Schools Sales & Marketing Executive Jann Holland CoxHealth Human Resource Professional Marilyn Jeffries Greene County Employee of the Year Morgan Kelly Ozark School District 2019 D 1 2 • T I C K E T S • D 1 2 • T I C K E T S • D 1 2 • T I MAY 23 • 5:30 PM BARLEY HOUSE AT MOON TOWN CROSSING PURCHASE TICKETS AT SBJ.NET/D12 PRESENTED BY SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 31 MARCH 25-31, 2019 project, completed in 2008, was one of two private-public partnerships the city has forged with CoxHealth, Gugel said. Partnerships have helped le- verage funding, Gugel said. The projects would likely still have been completed without a part- ner or sales tax funding, he add- ed, “but they would have been on a much longer timeline.” CoxHealth donated all right of way and easements for the National and Primrose inter- section improvement project, for which Gugel said the city spent $2.1 million. A second intersection improvement project, completed in 2015, widened Primrose to the west of Kings Avenue. The project cost was $1.8 million, with Cox again donating all right of way and easements, as well as $70,353 toward construction, he added. Rod Schaffer, vice president of facilities with CoxHealth, said the projects were a result of good communication between the city and the health system. The Primrose and Kings project was timed with Cox’s $130 million West Tower expansion. “We had traffic improvements that we needed to install at the corner of Kings and Primrose, which was the new [traffic] light and our new entry coming into the hos- pital,” Schaffer said. “I can tell you it would have been a lot more difficult without the tax funding. The city only has so many priorities and I know that. We try to partner to best utilize both our resources, particularly when we’re doing public-private partnerships.” Whether it’s CoxHealth or Prime Inc., which was part of a 2016 partnership for an expansion of Packer Road north of Ke- arney Street, Gugel said getting feedback from businesses is always going to be key to developing and maintaining infrastructure. “Transportation is part of that economic engine,” he said. “You have an infrastructure system for traf- fic to serve the businesses, and they benefit from a system that is well maintained and is some- thing that meets their needs.” Lining up Should the tax renewal pass in April, several of Public Works’ proposed construction projects line up with results from a public survey conducted last summer. The city received over 1,500 responses from residents with widening and intersection upgrade proj- ects identified as priorities, according to city documents. Among those is the Gallo- way Street widening, Division Street recon- struction and improving the intersection of Battlefield Road and Lone Pine Avenue – all of which are also part of the city’s five-year road and bridge construction plan. Gugel said the city has conducted similar surveys three other times prior to a tax re- newal request, and he doesn’t recall a time the city had identified a project needing at- tention that residents didn’t also note in the survey. “Each year, the proj- ects the citizens look at as being important to them are ones we identify as also having a need,” he said. “It’s re- assuring to know we’re on the same page.” Setting a five-year plan for projects allows for some future goal setting but also the ability to revisit and up- date the list as necessary, Gugel said, noting the city also studies the four council zones to ensure needs are being met as equitably as possible. The Citizens’ Tax Oversight Committee, which reviews all of the city taxes, also is a key to ensuring the public that city money is being spent as promised, he added. “The accountability will still be there,” he said. Tax: Widening, intersection work prioritized Continued from page 1 I-44 HWY. 65 KEARNEY ST. DIVISION ST. CHESTNUT EXPY. BATTLEFIELD RD. JAMES RIVER FRWY. CAMPBELL AVE. SUNSHINE ST. GLENSTONE AVE. NATIONAL AVE. KANSAS EXPY. WEST BYPASS HWY. 60 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The Road Ahead More than a dozen proposed road and bridge projects are part of a five-year plan the city of Springfield has established, pending a renewal of a quarter-cent capital improvement sales tax on the April 2 ballot. They include, with estimated costs: 1. Galloway Street widening, $6.6 million 2. Division Street reconstruction, $3.2 million 3. West Bypass and Kearney Street intersection improvements, $300,000 4. Division Street sidewalk construction, $200,000 5. Battlefield Road and Lone Pine Avenue intersection improvements, $800,000 6. National Avenue and Sunset Street intersection improvements, $800,000 7. Scenic Avenue over Wilson’s Creek bridge replacement, $1.5 million 8. Walnut Street over Jordan Creek bridge replacement, $1 million Source: City of Springfield Rod Schaffer: Partnerships help with time and resource management. $250M Approximate total generated by quarter-cent capital improvement sales tax since 1989 FROM THE COVER