The Jefferson City Council on Monday will consider extending the deadline to reach an agreement with developers for the Missouri State Penitentiary redevelopment plan.
Under the new proposed schedule, an agreement wouldn’t be needed until January 2023, when construction needs to start, based on the resolution.
Mayor Carrie Tergin said an agreement likely would not be reached before the initial deadline at the end of this month, but she doesn’t think it’ll take the full extension length to reach one.
“There will be one,” she said. “We’re just not certain what that date will be. Basically, it’s not going to be by the end of December. It’s not quite ready yet.”
The resolution would also align the city’s internal deadlines — such as the one for the agreement — with deadlines set through the state or additional funding for the project.
For instance, the city received a $1.5 million matching grant from the Economic Development Administration for disaster relief.
Those funds, along with the almost $1.6 million from city and county sales tax revenue, are scheduled to go toward building roads and concrete construction sites at MSP.
In June 2020, the City Council selected a developer for the project — a team of companies from the St. Louis area including Chesterfield Hotels, architecture firm Arcturis, Peckham Architecture and Central Missouri Professional Services.
The group’s proposal is to transform the approximately 30-acre property at MSP into a multi-use space with a 150-room Tapestry by Hilton Hotel and conference center at the heart. Other proposed elements include parking garages, a two-sheet ice arena, retail, housing and other multi-use buildings.
Tergin said the city, state and developer are still negotiating the potential for additional space.
The May 2019 tornado damaged some of the prison buildings, which weren’t part of initial discussions for the project.
When the city requested proposals in 2019, the tornado had just hit and developers were told to include any ideas they had for outside the city’s area.
That land is still in discussion, Tergin said.
The details of negotiations are being kept confidential until they reach an agreement.
The goal of the city’s deadline, she said, was to make sure the project was moving forward because these other deadlines were already in place.
“Since this project is moving forward, which was the whole point of putting those deadlines on there, they’re unnecessary now,” Tergin said.
Consent agenda
The City Council will vote on a lease renewal for Fischer Farms for $66,614.97.
Bills introduced
• Authorizing a contract with Structural Engineering Associates for study and design services related to rehabilitating the Madison Street and Jefferson Street parking locations for $320,000 through the parking fund.
Bills pending
• Authorize a referendum to put $4.4 million in bonding on the April 5 ballot to upgrade the wastewater system. The city needs citizen approval to seek bonds.
• Amending Chapter 29 of the city code, which refers to sewers and sewage disposal, to accommodate state and federal clean water laws.
• Amending Chapter 29 of the city code, which refers to sewers and sewage disposal, to incrementally increase the surcharge for high strength waste from 2.8 percent to 5.8 percent during the next six years.
• Amending Chapter 1 to default to state or federal law if there’s a discrepancy with city code and allow the city to seek attorneys’ fees when it uses outside attorneys to enforce city code.
Resolutions
• Designating the City of Jefferson Fraternal Order of Police as the collective bargaining unit for police officers.
How to participate
The City Council will meet in person Monday, but will have a virtual option due to COVID-19 and social-distancing recommendations.
Community members can attend the meeting at the council chambers in City Hall, 320 E. McCarty St., or view the meeting live via the city’s YouTube page.