Residents plan to take city complex location concerns to council Monday

Members of the public are expected to speak Monday at a Poplar Bluff City Council meeting regarding concerns over the location of a new city hall, police department and Municipal Court.

The matter does not appear on the council’s formal agenda, but is expected to be raised during a public comment period at the beginning of the meeting. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the city council chambers in the Black River Coliseum.

A representative of Downtown Poplar Bluff Inc., will present the results of two polls started Friday regarding the location of the proposed city complex, according to officials.

One poll was issued to members of the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce and the second posted on the chamber’s Facebook page for members of the public.

Both are open until 3 p.m. Monday, said Steve Halter, chamber president.

By early Friday afternoon, nearly 1,000 votes had already been received on the Facebook poll. Of those, 864 were in favor of a downtown location. Another 135 votes were for a Shelby Road location.

In a surprise 4-3 vote, council decided Sept. 3 to pursue a Shelby Road location for a new city complex.

Council members are considering a possible 20-year financing plan for a proposed $16.2 million project. This would include approximately $11 million in construction costs, $1 million in site acquisition, $1.7 million in professional services and other costs.

Residents at the Sept. 3 meeting spoke out against the decision, questioning the move away from a downtown location, as previously discussed by the council.

In January, the council purchased an additional lot near the site of the former city hall, which city council members had previously discussed using for a city complex.

Finding a new home for city hall, city court and the police department have been an ongoing discussion since late 2013. The city currently rents two buildings, one for city hall and city court personnel, and one for the police department.

City council chambers and city court share space at the back of the Black River Coliseum.