The city of Springfield is getting ready to spend more than $80 million on capital improvements in the upcoming fiscal year.
First, the list of projects needs a thumbs up from City Council. Council members are expected to vote on Jan. 29, according to a city news release.
Some proposed projects include playground upgrades, streetscapes and intersection improvements. In all, there are 117 capital improvement projects and programs planned for the next fiscal year, which will begin in July.
Money will come from the 1/4-cent capital improvement sales tax, the 1/2-cent transportation sales tax, the 1/2-cent parks sales tax and state and federal funding, the release said. The level property tax — which Springfield residents voted in November to free up for more projects and extend indefinitely — will also help pay for the projects.
The city's draft capital improvements plan for next year is 127-pages long. It outlines the estimated costs for all pending capital projects and which of those will be funded in 2018 and in the following five years.
An overview of the plan, provided by the city, highlights certain plans and programs in the city's four quadrants.
City-wide programs
- Reforestation and landscaping
- School sidewalks
- Sidewalk, curb, gutter and ramp construction
- Floodplain acquisition and stormwater improvements
- Bicycle route signs and markings
- Minor neighborhood improvements
- Neighborhood Works program, where Springfield neighborhoods can compete to obtain funding for things like park upgrades
Zone 1 projects (northwest)
- Remodel an airport restaurant on the secure side to include more seating and a larger kitchen
- Acquire land for a new fire station near Westside and West Central neighborhoods
- Design improvements for Frisco Lane, an alley located behind some Commercial Street businesses
- Nichols Park improvements include playground equipment, a walking trail, picnic tables, park benches, soccer goals and signs
- Tom Watkins Park improvements include restrooms, a support facility, playground equipment, walking trail and signs
- Design Chestnut South trunk sewer
- Develop infrastructure in Partnership Industrial Center West
- Design Central Street improvements, from Grant to Clay avenues
- Construction on a College Street streetscape, from Grant to Market avenues
- Implement turn lane and safety improvements at the intersection of Division Street and Commercial
- Improvements and bridge replacement on Grand Street, from Park Avenue to Kansas Expressway
- Streetscape for Grant and Route 66, between Walnut and Olive streets
- Main Avenue bridge improvements over Jordan Creek
- Mount Vernon Street bridge improvements over Jordan Creek
- Interchange improvements to U.S. 65 and Division
- Reconstruct alleyways near Commercial for pedestrian usage
- Design intersection improvements for Grant and Division
- Traffic and signal improvements for National Avenue and Bennett Street
- Sidewalk improvements for Grand, from Park to West avenues*
- Sidewalk improvements for Jefferson Avenue, from Kearney to Turner streets*
- Sidewalk improvements for Kansas Expressway to Talmage to Kearney streets*
- Sidewalk improvements for Turner, from Benton to Robberson avenues*
Zone 2 projects (northeast)
- Design replacements for the fire stations located at 2423 N. Delaware Ave. and 2129 E. Sunshine St.
- Smith Park design to reduce sanitary sewer overflows
- Beechwood Heights stormwater improvements design
- Gelven Withers subdivision stormwater improvements design
- Stormwater improvements for Springfield Industrial Park subdivision
- Design improvements for Cherry Street, from Barnes to Oak Grove avenues
- Design improvements for Division, from National to Glenstone avenues
- Sidewalk improvements for the 1600 block on East Central*
- Sidewalk improvements on Commercial, focusing on gaps from Pacific to Missouri avenues*
Zone 3 projects (southwest)
- Design for the Kansas Expressway extension project, from Republic Road to Farm Road 190
- Improvements to Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park's entrance, road and parking lot
- Design and construct solar panels at the Southwest Treatment Plant, meant to offset energy use at the plant
- Design and construct a building for bagging compost and mulch at the yard waste recycling center
- Design stormwater improvements for Silsby Street, from Jefferson to Kimbrough avenues
- Design improvements for intersection of Campbell Avenue and Walnut Lawn
- Improvements to Republic, from Fairview Avenue to Chase Street
- Widening and stormwater improvements to Republic, from Golden Street to Route FF
Zone 4 projects (southeast)
- Meador Park improvements include playground equipment, walking trail, tennis and pickle ball courts, lighting and fencing
- Design and construct a sanitary sewer line near the Blackman Woods Lift Station
- Upgrades to the Lone Pine Recycling Center, including office space and bathroom, new paving, fencing and gates
- Stormwater improvement design for Linden Avenue and Lakota Street
- Stormwater improvements for Ravenwood South subdivision
- Improvements to the intersection of Battlefield Street and Fremont Avenue
- Improvements to the intersection of Eastgate Avenue and Mill Street
- Improvements to Fremont, from Battlefield to Sunset streets
- Design Galloway Street improvements, from Luster to Lone Pine avenues
- Improvements to Primrose Street, from South to Kimbrough avenues
- Design and construct a walking and bicycling trail across the Cox Health Systems campus, connecting it to existing LINK paths
Projects denoted with an asterisk will be paid for out of $4 million of federal grant money that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is requiring the city to spend by a deadline in 2018.
More projects and detailed descriptions are available on the city of Springfield's website.
What is considered a capital improvement project?
Capital improvement projects include ones that are estimated to cost $100,000 or more and "are significant, permanent or have a useful life of six years or more," according to city documents.
According to a city news release, 22 projects from last year's capital improvements plan have been completed at a cost of $41.6 million so far.