FEB. 12-18, 2024 8 · SBJ.NET FROM THE COVER Council hears update on Historic City Hall renovation by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net A $16.5 million renovation now underway aims to restore architectural features inside and outside of Springfield’s Historic City Hall. City Council members in a Feb. 6 luncheon heard an update on the restoration of the 133-year-old building, formerly a United States customhouse and post office. Representing J.E. Dunn Construction Group Inc., David Atkisson explained the construction manager at risk model in place for the project, noting the goal is to align the project’s scope and budget. “It’s always a challenge on projects,” he said. “It’s been a challenge on this project with escalating costs over the last few years.” Atkisson said the CMAR model helps. “The only time that’s harder than now to align scope and budget is after design is complete, and so being on board early to help with that now is an advantage,” he said. “We’ve been looking at a lot of alternates, options, cost breakouts to understand really where the dollars in the scope of the project go. “The purpose of all of this is to provide certainty of outcome for the city. The last thing you want is a competed design that’s been bid out and that’s over budget or has some major scheduling challenges once it’s too late. But with the team assembled early, we can help with that, to provide that certainty.” The estimated cost of the project includes $10.5 million in approved funding and $6 million more in proposed funding. City Architect Jennifer Swan said council already OK’d a mix of $4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, $6 million in level property tax bond funds and $432,000 in level property tax payas-you-go funding. The additional $6 million would comprise $4.5 million in general fund carryover, $1 million in level property tax contingency funds and $500,000 in additional ARPA funds. Swan outlined critical project markers, including winterization, completed in January. Hazardous material abatement is expected to be completed before the end of winter. This summer, construction documents are scheduled to be completed, a guaranteed maximum price will be established, and construction will commence, according to the schedule. The building is scheduled to be occupied in the first quarter of 2026, and plans say it will house the mayor’s and city clerk’s offices, purchasing and finance departments, and council meeting rooms and chambers. Steven Telscher, senior project manager with architectural firm Sapp Design Associates Architects Inc., identified four preservation zones throughout the building. They range from Zone 1, which encompasses historical features that will be retained or rehabilitated to a high level, to Zone 4, which includes areas of the building where previous alteration has happened and nearly all historical materials are lost. In the middle of those are elements that may be character defining and should be See RENOVATION on page 26 A new entryway is among the plans for the renovation of the Historic City Hall. provided by CITY OF SPRINGFIELD in early January – are dedicated to promoting southwest Missouri regionalism. If that sounds like a story that’s been told before, it has. Springfield Business Journal reported in January on another effort to foster collaboration and a regional identity in the form of a new nonprofit to be led by business executives in the region. Dean Thompson, executive director of regionalism and economic development for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, is pulling together area CEOs to head up the nonprofit, which plans to focus on workforce, quality of life and branding. The effort grew out of a Community Leadership Visit to northwest Arkansas, including the cities of Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale, where a similar organization has created a brand around progress and outdoor opportunities. It’s a model he said many Springfieldians left feeling enthusiastic about. “There are a lot of people working in the branding space,” Thompson said in a recent interview. “I would say instead of branding, the question is what’s our image? What’s our vibe? That means different things to different people.” In addition to pinpointing an identity, a focus must be on fixing problems, according to Thompson. “Where are our gaps, and how are we going to chip away at them and conquer them?” he said. For the Foundry, the initial idea was to form a nonprofit, Aton said, but after receiving advice from experts at the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, they have chosen to organize as a limited liability company instead and find nonprofit partners to fundraise for. “This year, at least, we’re going to stick with the grassroots movement and work on having an annual summit, plus bimonthly meetings around the region,” Aton said. More than a logo Dustin Myers, a founder of Springfield branding agency Longitude Design, is active in the Future Ozarks Foundry. Longitude has created a logo for the effort. It depicts gently curved mountains with a sun rising over them and a river flowing past. The logo is labeled simply with “The Ozarks,” though another version takes a stab at a tagline the group is pondering, “Heart of the USA.” The font and the colors are reminiscent of midcentury logos of the National Park Service. While a logo and a slogan are branding considerations, Myers made it clear that branding is a much larger concept. “When we describe branding, your brand is really your reputation – not a logo or a marketing message,” he said. “We want to show people the best of what it is to be in the Ozarks.” Through developer group Flyover Developments LLC, Myers and his business partner, Jeremy Wells, are co-owners of The Ozarker Lodge, a 102-room restored Branson hotel that opened last summer and in October was named Best Independent Hotel by the hospitality industry organization Independent Lodging Congress. “That’s kind of the vision with the Ozarker Lodge,” he said. “Let’s take a property and just try to celebrate the best that this area has to offer – do something at a higher-quality level than what we sometimes see.” The property is on the site of the former Fall Creek Inn and Suites, but it has been revamped into a more elegant destination with upscale rooms, a wine bar and an outdoor gathering space where guests can enjoy food trucks and concerts from the pool. The idea is to take a bit of classic Ozarkiana and infuse it with a contemporary spirit. Myers said the region is full of talent, natural beauty and innovative businesses. “As a region, really the Midwest in particular is known as flyover country,” he said. “I think that one of the ways we can help retain talent as well as just draw good people to the area is to create an awareness of who we are.” It’s something Longitude does regularly with its customers, he said. “When we do that with clients, it’s important to identify what makes us special, and then be able to communicate that in a unified voice,” he said. Aton said that’s the key objective of the Foundry. “We have to be able to declare an identity,” he said. “Some places can very obviously hang their identification on something – even just a sports team. In a midsized city, it’s not always super clear, the thing you can identify with or connect to. You have to choose it, the way Bentonville just chose that they were going to be the world capital of mountain biking. We can do that – we can choose a better future for ourselves.” In addition to Aton and Myers, the Foundry’s leadership team includes Tyler Head of business coaching service Dryve Leadership, Layne Hunton of Throughline Architecture LLC, Wells of Longitude and Doug Austin of ad agency consultant Austin Amplifies. Stepping up While Aton said he has seen a groundswell of energy around embracing an identity, no one has stepped forward yet to take that step, and that’s where the Foundry comes in. “If we’re starting at a place that’s fine or acceptable – maybe in some places good – it doesn’t take a lot of effort to improve upon that,” he said. “Where you live, whether you like it or not, is part of your identity. We want to try to lift that up and elevate that perception. “We want to give ourselves permission to be proud to be from the Ozarks.” Myers said he would love to see others in the region take hold of the energy that is coming together through the Future Ozarks Foundry, private enterprise and other initiatives. “We’re excited that other people are seeing the need for this and getting involved,” he said. “We’re just so excited to see where it goes.” • Foundry: New organization plans to host annual summit Continued from page 1 The Future Ozarks Foundry’s logo aims to unite regional efforts. provided by FUTURE OZARKS FOUNDRY Dean Thompson: Solving problems and filling gaps should be part of the identity issue.
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