Thursday, Mar. 04, 2010
MIP strategy, Starner questioned
John Beaudoin, Journal Publisher
John Beaudoin, the Journal
District 3 city council member Sheila Solon questions Blue Springs Economic Development Corporation President Brien Starner during his presentation on the proposed Missouri Innovation Park at the Blue Springs City Council meeting March 1.
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closeThe proposed Missouri Innovation Park sparked quite a bit of discussion during Monday night’s Blue Springs City Council meeting.
District 3 council member Sheila Solon peppered Blue Springs Economic Development Corporation President Brien Starner with questions ranging from funding, when the taxpayers will see some return on the investment and even if the EDC has paid city council members for services provided.
Starner and University of Missouri Provost Brian Foster were on hand for the city council meeting to give an update on Missouri Innovation Park – a 117-acre office and research park that will be surrounded by Adams Dairy Parkway to the west, U.S. 40 to the south and R.D. Mize Road to the north.
Starner presented background on the roots of the MIP, including the formation of the Blue Springs Growth Initiative, which was formed to help facilitate business in Blue Springs.
If Starner and his vision come true, Missouri Innovation Park will be home to several research and university related activities in the future. Starner said he hopes the growth of the MIP and companies moving in will help to link scientific research and higher education and help establish and grow a “knowledge-based workforce.”
Funding for Missouri Innovation Park – $1.2 million so far – has come from three sources, the city of Blue Springs, Kansas City Power & Light and the BSEDC. The lion’s share of that $850,000 has come from the city.
Foster told the council, unequivocally, that the University of Missouri was behind the MIP project.
“Let me start by saying that, flat out, we are committed to this project,” Foster said, adding that the university has decided to come into the project early with a “physical presence” and not wait until later in the development of the MIP.
“We’re going to be here now, we’re not going to wait two years,” Foster said.
After Foster and Starner completed their presentations, the meeting was opened to the council for questions on the project.
“I know everyone in Blue Springs is very excited about the possibility of new businesses and new jobs coming to our city,” Solon said. “At what point and time will the taxpayers be reimbursed…for the money they actually kind of fronted?”
Starner said he is working on a spreadsheet of cost recovery repay the $600,000 plus interest and that will happen as the park is developed.
“There’s not going to be one single transaction where we can turn around $600,000 plus interest,” Starner said.
“I guess my question would be, when can we anticipate that we will receive our first reimbursement?” Solon asked.
Starner reiterated that would happen closer to the first sale of property.
“We were told in May (2009) that there was going to be a timeline and the goal was September 2010 to start receiving payments,” Solon said.
Starner also cleared up questions regarding the master developer for the project, saying that MC Realty was not the master developer and that they have been donating their services. Trammell Crow was the previous master developer.
Solon also took Starner to task about MU building a facility at MIP.
“At what point in time did you realize that MU was not going to actually build a building at MIP?” Solon asked. Starner said that the recent leaked memo was the first indication that he had.
“The schedule has changed, and it’s no reflection on any individual or any party,” Starner said. “I frankly think it’s a reflection of what’s happened (in the last three months).”
Starner said his intention was to frame what the MIP would look like and what components would be in the park, whether or not that meant the University of Missouri would have a physical building there.
“You told us, you told us in the meeting that they were building a building. You reassured us that,” Solon said.
At that point, Mayor Carson Ross stepped into the conversation.
“Things change,” Ross said. “Certainly, he doesn’t have a crystal ball to know all of these things.”
Solon also expressed concern about whether or not Starner and the EDC will be raising funds for the University of Missouri.
“Will I be out raising funds? No,” Starner said. “Will I be a part of the conversation? Absolutely.”
Starner also had to answer ethical questions that Solon said she had gotten from various constituents regarding whether or not EDC or BSGI board members are paid and if those groups had ever paid a city councilman for services rendered.
In both cases, Starner said no.
Councilmen Ron Fowler and Solon also asked Starner to entertain the idea of the 104 acres of land that are open for development around Remembrance Lake on the north side.
“We continually talk to individuals that own property in this community, including people on the north side,” Starner said.
“We shouldn’t be playing favoritism with certain landowners…,” Solon replied, before Ross interrupted her and told her it wasn’t a matter of favoritism.
According to Starner, Missouri Innovation Park has the potential for 41 corporate tenants in fields ranging from animal health sciences to alternative energy. That development will occur over a period of 15-25 years. In his economic snapshot, Starner estimated the average salary of jobs at MIP to be $51,000 per year with more than 3,700 direct jobs created by the development.
Starner also noted that the MIP has been supported by various local elected officials, including state representatives Bryan Pratt and Gary Dusenberg.
To reach Journal Publisher John Beaudoin, call 816-282-7001, or e-mail jbeaudoin@ bluespringsjournal.com.
