Meeting rooms at the Black River Coliseum could be upgraded to serve as city council and city court chambers for about $2,400, but some officials are concerned the move would conflict with operations at the event center and pool.
The matter was discussed Monday during the city manager's report at the end of the regular city council meeting.
The council asked to discuss the matter again at their March 19 meeting.
Several locations have been considered, but most would need extensive repairs or renovations, city manager Mark Massingham said.
"What I'm trying to do is relocate these meetings and court with the least expense we can have," Massingham said.
Massingham does not know how long a temporary space will be needed. It would depend on when questions about the future location of city hall and the police department are resolved, he said.
A figure of $10,000 to move meetings into the coliseum has previously been discussed during a council meeting.
Costs were reduced because the city recently installed fiber optic cable at the coliseum, using extra supplies and labor from Municipal Utilities, according to Massingham. This was needed to improve internet speeds and broadband.
The only additional cost would be for finalizing the installation of the fiber and tying it into city systems, Massingham said. No renovations would be needed, he said.
He proposed using a meeting room in the back hall of the coliseum, which could be cordoned off from other areas of the building. The space is designated as room 4 and is just under 2,200 square feet.
It would be shared by city court, which met four times in January, the city council and more than a dozen advisory boards.
He would hate to pay rent for another location, Massingham said, receiving agreement from council member at-large Ron Black. The coliseum would make a reasonable temporary space, Black said.
Mayor pro tem Susan McVey and Ward 4 representative Philip Crocker expressed concern about how the meetings would impact coliseum operations, and vice versa.
McVey said she believes there will be a lot of problems, asking questions about noise from the pool, parking space allocation and other concerns.
Even as a temporary situation, Crocker said, he does not like the option.
"If I had my druthers, we wouldn't even touch it, but I don't think we have a lot of choices right now," he said.
Court dates and city meetings are the only operations that remain at the Second Street complex that previously held the police department and city hall.
Options for a new city hall and police department have been discussed by council members since 2014, without a resolution.
Both have been relocated to rented buildings, but neither have large meeting rooms.
City court staff offices are located now at the current city hall location on Vine Street and would remain there.
Downtown Poplar Bluff, Inc., Director Jerrica Fox suggested utilizing a vacant commercial building in the downtown area, offering to bring back additional information on spaces.
The city could see extra cost at other locations, Massingham said. Any location will need to be tied into the city's fiber network, he explained.
Locations already considered as a temporary space include a city-owned building on Second Street that previously served city cable, vacant space in the St. Vince de Paul location on South Broadway and rooms at Rodgers Theatre.
All of these locations would require extensive renovations, Massingham said.