Jefferson City Parks, SOMO collaboration abandoned

Chamber to submit proposal to have Training for Life Campus on unidentified 12 acres

A potential collaboration between the Jefferson City Parks and Recreation Commission and Special Olympics Missouri has come to a halt before it ever really began.

Randy Allen, president and CEO of the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce, gave a short presentation at a special commission meeting on a response the chamber is planning for a request for proposals issued by Special Olympics Missouri, or SOMO.

Last month, SOMO issued a request for proposals from Jefferson City and Columbia for a site for the planned Training For Life Campus, which would also include SOMO headquarters. The request was issued after the chamber and parks staff began working on a proposal that sought to combine the project with the commission's planned multipurpose building. The chamber's proposal also included using 15 acres of land owned by the Jefferson City Public Schools and using lodging tax funds previously earmarked for a conference center.

Proposals are due to SOMO by Monday, though Allen noted the chamber has asked for an extra three days to prepare their response.

In a letter dated Oct. 9, Bob Gilbert, board chairman at the chamber, detailed three options for proposals, with the first one being the previously discussed collaboration with the commission.

"This proposal appears to lack support from the council and (Parks) Commission due to the proposed site location and use of the 4 percent tourism lodging tax to support the civic event center," Gilbert wrote. "We believe there is a high likelihood this proposal would be accepted by SOMO and would be the most competitive of all proposals our community can offer. However, without further consideration and confirmation from the City Council and (Parks) Commission in a matter of days, we will not be able to propose this option."

Allen believes that option is still the best, but noted members of both the council and commission have indicated "that's not going to fly."

The letter also notes chamber officials believe Columbia's response to SOMO likely "will be very competitive and may mirror some form of partnership with their Parks and Recreation Department's plan for a multipurpose space at Phillips Park, just south of the Route AC interchange with (U.S.) 63."

"Details on their proposal are not made public for obvious reasons, but we need to have a very attractive proposal for us to win in this venture," Gilbert wrote.

The second option detailed in the letter sought to include SOMO on a potential partnership between the commission and Lincoln University for the multipurpose building that also would operate as a student recreation center on Lafayette Street. Allen said that option is not competitive enough because the site does not offer space for expansion.

"The site is too restricted," Allen said.

The third option, which Allen said the chamber will propose to SOMO, would revolve around an unnamed developer who has offered to donate 12 acres for the Training for Life Campus. Neither the site owner or the location of the site were revealed in the letter or at the meeting, but Allen noted he believes the option will be seriously considered by SOMO officials. The letter notes the site is "in closer proximity to area hotels and restaurants than the currently owned SOMO site on Bonne Femme Church Road, south of Columbia ... (and) would not include any facility partnerships."

"You have no role in No. 3," Allen told commissioners.

The letter notes some local incentives would be needed for the proposal to be competitive and those would need to be provided by either the city or the county.

The commission went into closed session for contract negotiations right after the presentation, but in a brief discussion noted the importance of keeping SOMO in Jefferson City.

"This community needs to see SOMO stay here," said Commissioner Steve Duncan.

And while Allen assured commissioners the third option would be competitive and taken seriously, the letter notes the first option is still believed to be the best, most competitive proposal.

"Our most competitive proposal would have been option one, which we originally had the opportunity to work exclusively on with SOMO," the letter states. "Now we are in a competitive process with Columbia, and we want to make it clear that option one is still our best option if the community wants to retain SOMO and this new Training for Life Campus and headquarters."