Midamerica sports complex plan recommended to council

After months of discussion and review, the Cape Girardeau City Council will vote Monday night to take another step to selecting a partner for a new indoor sports complex.

The resolution up for vote announces the selection of Midamerica Hotels Corp. to design and build the facility. It also calls for choosing a first alternate and authorizes the city manager to negotiate a development agreement to present to the council for approval.

The sports complex is the next project to be funded by the city's 1 percent restaurant tax. Past projects include the Show Me Center, Osage Centre and Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus.

The City of Cape Girardeau/Midamerica Hotels Corp. Feasibility Study joint committee formed last year selected the sports complex from four proposals, all agreed upon through an amendment to the settlement agreement between the city and Midamerica Hotels regarding restaurant and hotel/motel taxes. It was chosen by the committee because of its higher potential to boost economic activity -- including restaurant visits and hotel stays -- particularly in the sluggish winter months.

The restaurant tax is estimated to generate more than $22.5 million through 2030. The amended settlement agreement sets aside $5 million to be allocated to the new police station, leaving about $17.5 million for the indoor sports complex. Consultants have estimated the facility will be financially self-sustaining in about five years.

An artist's rendering of the South Kingshighway Investment's proposal for the sports complex. The proposal will be recommended as an alternate if negotiations for the Midamerica Hotels proposal fail. (Courtesy)

The city council accepted the recommendation from the committee and in January began advertising a request for proposals, outlining a need for a public-private partnership with one or more developers.

From that request, the city received six viable submissions. A facility review committee selected by the city manager -- consisting of parks and recreation director Julia Thompson, assistant city manager Molly Hood and Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO John Mehner -- narrowed the list to three.

Each submission was judged based on how teams addressed criteria listed in the request for proposals. Teams were asked to identify a property or location that could accommodate a 120,000-square-foot building with a site of seven to 10 acres, easily accessible from major roadways, close to "community amenities" and parking for 500 to 600 vehicles. The sports complex itself should have space for six collegiate-size basketball courts that could be converted to 12 collegiate-size volleyball courts, a collegiate-size soccer field with indoor turf and ancillary space for spectators, concessions, restrooms, storage, offices and meetings.

West Cape Development, South Kingshighway Investment and Midamerica Hotels each presented their proposals during a public meeting May 5. West Cape Development pitched a plan to renovate an existing facility at 1823 Rust Ave., and South Kingshighway Investment proposed building the sports complex on an 18 acres near the intersection of South Kingshighway and Southern Expressway.

The plan by Midamerica Hotels calls for the facility to be built on U.S. 61 at Interstate 55 -- an area between Cape Girardeau and Jackson known as Center Junction. Midamerica plans to donate 10.27 acres to be used for building the facility and parking areas. Work already has been done to prepare the site for development, and utilities have been confirmed at the location.

An adjoining 19.12 acres could be acquired by the city, possibly for outdoor facility creation and expansion, through purchase or exchange of ground owned by the city. The proposal included an additional soccer field, four drop-down indoor batting cages, space to convert three indoor baseball/softball training fields and electronically controlled basketball goals and divider curtains. Midamerica's projected cost for the project is $11,996,201.

The facility review committee's recommendation of Midamerica was unanimous, according to staff reports. The report highlighted the location, easily visible and accessible without substantial site development, as one of the biggest benefits. The entity also agreed to work with the city on master planning the remaining acreage if the city chooses to expand or create outdoor amenities.

The committee recommended South Kingshighway Investment as first alternate if talks with Midamerica Hotels fail.

Those who attended the public meeting and heard each of the three proposals were asked to fill out comment cards or visit the city's website and submit comments online with their thoughts on each team. Hood, a facility review committee member, said those comments fell in line with the committee's recommendations.

"Basically, what it boiled down to was the input we received at the meeting and subsequently was very consistent with the committee's evaluation based on those scoring criteria that we used," she said. "So it really reaffirmed the committee's recommendation and we presented that information to council so they could make that ultimate decision."

Mayor Harry Rediger said he feels confident in the process the city went through in choosing a partner. Through the request for proposals, each team was allowed to propose its own development, and the public was invited to review the top three before the matter was brought to the council for consideration.

With those steps in the process complete, "then, we discussed in council in closed session the merits of all and came to the conclusion that the Midamerica project was the best project," he said. "We get the biggest bang for the buck from that one."

The donation of the land that allowed Midamerica more amenities and stay within budget and the possibility for expansion were two of the biggest interests for the city, the mayor said. He also said the South Kingshighway proposal was a "very viable" option as well.

Councilwoman Loretta Schneider said each proposal comes with its own merits and that is why she does not want to rush the final steps of choosing a partner. It's a $12 million decision and comes with a lot of information for council members to process, especially if they were unable to attend committee meetings to help keep them up to speed, she said.

"I did attend most of the meetings and the consultants were excellent. It was very informative," she said. "But it was a very unusual process. We've gotten the recommendation from the committee and discussed it briefly, but I would like to talk more."

One issue with the Midamerica proposal that has been a topic of conversation is its location. While the proximity to the interstate is attractive, its distance from "city proper" has been mentioned by a few, Rediger said.

But the project still falls within city limits, he said, with hotels and restaurants just a few miles away.

Visitors still could choose to dine or stay in Jackson or another nearby city, but Rediger said "they probably won't." And if Jackson sees some benefit from the sports complex, the mayor said he certainly doesn't begrudge the boost to Cape Girardeau's neighbor.

"If [visitors] go to Jackson -- we're all one community, so if Jackson benefits from this, far be it from me to say that's a bad thing," Rediger said.

With so many issues to consider for each project, Schneider said there are bound to be lingering questions among council members.

"I'm anxious for some more discussion before we come to a decision," she said. "It's a big decision for us, and it has a lot of implications."

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau, Mo.