Joplin City Council tables proposal to spend $598,000 on downtown justice center

Feb. 5—A Joplin council bill to spend nearly $598,000 for replacement of water lines at the Donald E. Clark Justice Center was tabled Monday night with council members citing the expense and public opinion.

Half of the cost would be paid by a grant from the American Rescue Plan Act. The grant was obtained after a recent assessment and report on the conditions of the building and its mechanical and plumbing systems recommended replacement of the water lines within five years.

Councilman Phil Stinnett's comments opened a discussion on the request. He said that a lot of people asked him why that amount of money should be spent on a building the council is willing to have torn down.

The council recently agreed to propose a property tax to voters in August to generate funding for the proposed construction of a new downtown headquarters for the public safety building. The building at 303 E. Third St. houses the main fire station, the police department, the city jail and municipal court. The replacement buildings are proposed at a cost of $65 million to $67.3 million.

Council member Chuck Copple said the council should approve the request. He said that by the time the vote is held on the proposal and the city can start collecting money for two or three years to accumulate money toward the project, the city would be bumping up against that five-year timeline.

"This is a critical building," he said, and it is necessary to have water service there, particularly for people housed in the city jail.

Councilman Josh DeTar said he felt much the same as Stinnett about it. "The citizens have to vote. Not only could it take four to five years, but we don't know if we will be building a new building" until that vote occurs.

Councilman Mark Farnham said the weight of his opinion was against spending that large amount of money. If a pipe starts leaking, it could be fixed, and the proposal could be passed at a future date.

Mayor Pro Tem Keenan Cortez asked the age of the water lines.

Public works director Dan Johnson said the lines are largely the original ones installed when the building was constructed in 1967. There have been some repairs over the years, he added.

Council member Christina Williams asked the requirements of the grant and whether the grant money could be reallocated to another project.

Johnson said it is to be spent on the infrastructure of the building. City Manager Nick Edwards said there is a Dec. 31 deadline to have the money obligated.

Councilman Gary Shaw said he agreed the building's water lines are not as old as those in many other buildings, are indoors and are not exposed to the elements.

"I'm not going to replace my water line until it breaks," Shaw said.

Williams asked if one of the options in the architectural plans was for an expansion of the building instead of replacement.

The city manager said representatives of the architectural firm will be back next month to discuss the project and the council could inquire then if there is a way to reuse the building or part of it in a new plan.

Mayor Doug Lawson called for a motion to table the measure for the water lines replacement; the motion was made and passed 7-2.

The council also approved the renaming of North McKee Street to J.D. Love Way in honor of Love, a former longtime Joplin police officer and county coroner.

In other business, representatives of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce said the presentation on the TEConomy report had to be delayed.

The report was commissioned by the Joplin Regional Alliance for Healthcare and Health Science, composed of representatives of city government, the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, medical and educational institutions and business.

They wanted an assessment and guidance on how to spur long-term growth and economic development related to health care, health science, jobs and economic development.