Springfield Business Journal_2020-11-23

$2.00 · SBJ.NET NOV. 23-29, 2020 · VOL. 41, NO. 18 City Council ends Fisk investigation OTC gains naming-level donation for $40M manufacturing center  by Christine Morton · cmorton@sbj.net Springfield City Council voted unani- mously Nov. 16 to end the investigation into conflict-of-interest allegations facing Coun- cilperson Jan Fisk. Mayor Ken McClure pointed to a letter signed by all council members “requesting the withdrawal of a request for referral to a hearing examiner of allegations of mis- conduct on the part of council member Jan Fisk.” He cited two voluntary actions taken by Fisk on Nov. 2, when she amended her financial disclo- sure forms and paid the city $3,453 in the name of J. How- ard Fisk Limousines Inc. Fisk was accused by a whistleblower of allegedly ben- efiting financially from her role as co-founder of Fisk Limousines through a city contract involv- ing the company. Allegations also have in- volved private interest in Galloway Village blight legislation and unpaid tax payments on properties Fisk owns with her husband and son, according to past Springfield Busi- ness Journal reporting. At council’s Nov. 2 meeting, Fisk denied any wrongdoing and said she made the nearly $3,500 payment to the city because it represents the sum anyone could reasonably by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net Construction has commenced on a $40 million academic building that Ozarks Technical Community College officials say is the largest and most expensive project in school history.  A Nov. 12 groundbreaking ceremony on the college campus was punctuated by the announcement of a naming-level invest- ment from the Robert W. Plaster Founda- tion.  The size of the donation for the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing was not disclosed by school officials. The building being constructed at the corner of Chestnut Expressway and National Avenue is named in honor of Robert W. Plaster, a southwest Missouri business- man and philanthropist, who died in 2008.  “Dad would be very pleased to help with this ex- citing project, which will give many more students the op- portunity to improve their lives through education and free enterprise,” said Dolly Plaster Clement, Plaster’s daughter and the executive director of the Plas- ter Foundation, in a news release. The 120,000-square-foot cen- ter, aka CAM, is not the first connection for the Plaster fam- ily and OTC. The college’s Table Rock campus, which opened in 2013, also received a significant gift from the Plaster family and is named the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center, according to school officials.   “Frankly, when you consider the mission of the college, it may be the most impor- tant,” OTC Chancellor Hal Higdon said of the CAM.  The CAM is designed to provide educa- tional and training opportunities in auto- mation, fabrication, robotics, mechatronics, and drafting and design. School officials say it will be the hub for many of OTC’s tech- nical programs, including manufacturing technology, precision machining and com- puter networking. “This is actually not only building a big building, but it’s changing the way we do business,” Higdon said. “There’s 30,000 See COUNCIL on page 25 See OTC on page 27 NEXT GENERATION Construction is in progress for the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing on the campus of Ozarks Technical Community College.   The center is scheduled to open in fall 2022. Hal Higdon : The manufacturing center will fulfill important mission of the college. Jan Fisk continues to deny wrongdoing in allegations against her. PPP FORGIVENESS BANKING & FINANCE Applications for Paychec k Protection Program loa n f orgiveness are rolling in at local banks. PAGE 9 Councilperson pays nearly $3,500 to the city Community college still seeks $5 million in state funding for project provided by OZARKS TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE provided by OZARKS TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE