Springfield Business Journal_2021-05-10

SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 3 MAY 10-16, 2021 See JAIL on page 24 by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net Over 30 years after its last use as a jail, a 91-year- old Dallas County building has a new lease on life as a short-term rental – allowing its visitors to leave anytime they like. The Dallas County Jail Hotel debuted May 1 in Buffalo at 111 W. Main St., just off the town square, said owner Patty Miller. The opening follows roughly 14 months of sporadic renovations on the 1930-built, 1,200-square-foot former jail, she said. The rental property listed on Airbnb.com is a sev- en-bed, two-bathroom space that maintains elements of its past life, including a former prisoner booking area transformed into a living room. The bedrooms have gotten quite the upgrade, as well, featuring memory foam mattresses for the six bunks. The one- time solitary confinement cell is now a bathroom complete with a walk-in shower and makeup vanity. A partition was removed from the main bedroom to accommodate a queen size bed in what Miller dubs the cell suite. She estimates the former jail’s prisoner bed capacity was 10. “I instantly thought what an awesome Airbnb that would be,” Miller said. “People ask, ‘How did you think of that?’ I don’t know, it’s just seemed like an NEWS IN THIS ISSUE A drive-thru coffee shop sets up at the Plaza Shopping Center. PAGE 5 A soccer franchise teaches youth the fundamentals of sport and life. PAGE 6 Vol. 41 No. 42 Editorial Vice President Eric Olson welcomes the new SBJ Ed itorial Advisory Board. OPINION PAGE 23 We’re now bracing for the fact that COVID-19 will become a regular and permanent part of our lives.” —Katie Towns of Springfield- Greene County Health Department, on decreasing interest in vaccines PAGE 27 QUOTE OF THE WEEK by Emily Cole · ecole@sbj.net Moving forward on the Ro ad to Recovery, Springfield City Council on May 3 unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s COVID-19 ordinance, allowing face coverings to be re- moved in certain outdoor settings. The amended ordinance still requires face masks or cover- ings to be worn in public places with some new exceptions. Face masks are no longer required when standing in outdoor lines to enter a business or sit- ting outdoors at a res- taurant. For outdoor events, face masks are no lon- ger required unless at- tendees are part of a gathering of 500 peo- ple or more who are within 6 feet of each other for more than 15 minutes. The change comes after an announcement on April 27 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that vaccinated individuals no longer have to wear masks while participating in outdoor activities. Katie Towns, acting director of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, said the agency recommends unvaccinated individuals continue to wear masks and that indoor mask re- quirements not be removed. In April, council approved the yellow phase threshold of CO- VID-19 regulations – a step forward on the outlined Road to Re- covery that allowed for lessening restrictions. At the time, the community had met the Health Depart- ment’s thresholds of less than 40 new cases per day, under 50 See COUNCIL on page 27 Council adjusts face mask ordinance for outdoor events Health Department officials express concern about rising case counts Luxury Lockup Dallas County family turns former jail into short-term rental MCKENZIE ROBINSON Dallas County Jail Hotel owner Patty Miller, right, pictured with her daughter Lyndi Miller-Tiggemann, says her unique short-term rental opened May 1, following a year of renovations. 33% County adult population fully vaccinated as of press time