An Editorial--The Civic Center Issue

Now that Walgreen's has seemingly found a site at 13th and Main for its new store in Grove, the pressure is off to sell the current Civic Center, a converted Wal Mart which cost the city about $600,000 to purchase. Current value is estimated at $3.5 million, which is the amount estimated for a new multi-purpose events center.

Councilor Dave Helms has stated that the issue is "dead on arrival." He and Mayor Nuckolls have stated that they do not want to sell the center and don't even want to discuss a new one. GIDA Chairman David Adzigian advocates a "go slow, get educated, do the homework, get the facts and figures, cool down period" and we would agree with that approach.

Meanwhile, at the Civic Center the roof leaks and the AC/Heat units are starting to fail. The unit has gone out over the conference room and a replacement will cost $5,000. The building has 14 units that have been in service 20 years or more; only three of the 19 total units are still under warranty. Total cost to fix the problems is estimated at nearly a half million dollars.

The old phrase "keep your eyes on the ball" should be the key here. There has been so much arguing and disagreement and controversy over the location of a new center the "ball" has been lost.
Decisions need to be made as follows:

1. Does the public want a new multi-purpose events center?
2. Can the current Center be sold to pay for a new one?
3. Can the current Center be transformed and updated to better suit the community?
4. What type of facilities should be included in a new center?
5. Should it serve primarily local residents or be built adjacent to a motel/hotel for out of town business? Or both?
6. Is location important and if so, where should it be built? This subject should be put away until the other issues are handled.

A simple market research study mailed to GMSA customers could go a long way in answering question 1. While not a vote of the people, such studies are often used in other cities to guide officials.
It is probable that the current center can be sold to pay for a new one, according to the McSorley Architects Study of 2005. They estimated a total of 35,000 square feet would cost around $3.5 million, built with room to add on as needed.
The facilities, in our view, should include conference and meeting rooms; a banquet hall, a complete kitchen for wedding receptions; space for high school proms, local civic clubs, city council and other government meetings, an auditorium with tiered seating for plays, concerts, etc. and an events hall for trade shows. Audio/visual equipment should be part of the meeting room plans. That old bugaboo, alcohol, will need to be addressed in order to attract some events like GEFFE or Winterset to a city owned facility.
It should serve primarily local residents rather than try to compete with Tulsa for convention and meeting business. After all, Shangri-La couldn't make it with its huge facilities. The KPMG study which cost $47,700 was so ludicrous we should get a refund.
Is location important? Yes. The two much argued-over sites, Leisure Lane and 7th Street, and land east of town near the new hospital, don't impress us much. The people that have been arguing over this issue are so focused on location that they can't seem to think about anything else. Our choices, in no particular order, would be the land north of the First Methodist Church; Ballerina Point; land adjacent to the Stonebrook Inn; or Royal Bay. None of these sites are on the "donation" list but then if land is worth something, why would it be donated. There are several other possible choices as well. City leaders need to think "outside the box" and even consider development adjacent to a casino which might already have meeting facilities and a hotel. Arm twisting for donating land, or contributions from the public, should also be considered.

No one will benefit by sticking this issue in the dead pile for a year. Perhaps GIDA could step up and organize a series of town hall meetings, or small groups, to sort through the issues, leaving the location time bomb out of the discussion for the time being. We must get through the Downtown Revitalization and Highway 59 Project before spending any money on a new events center, but we can do the homework in the meantime.

There are basically three groups of people in Grove fighting over this issue: Those that don't want to do anything; those that favor location A; and those that favor location B.
Lost in all of this are the other questions posed above. It is time to begin answering those questions using the local citizenry. Grove is blessed with people who are extremely intelligent, have an excellent business background, and can focus on problem solving and what is best for Grove.
Let's put them to work and use their input.