Saint Joseph council approves airport construction contracts, amends TIF closure and handles multiple grants and withdrawals

The Saint Joseph City Council on Feb. 20 approved a series of measures including construction and management contracts for the Rosecrans Memorial Aviation Complex, took steps to close a tax-increment financing (TIF) district tied to the American Family building sale, approved River Bluff Gateway Project grants, and accepted the withdrawal of a Civic Arena painting contract after the bidder declined to perform.

City Clerk read an ordinance authorizing a lump-sum contract with E.L. Crawford Construction Inc. for $11,088,918 and a lump-sum management contract with Wolford Inc. for $2,323,079.06 for the Rosecrans Memorial Aviation Complex. Council member Trout moved and council member Schomburg seconded attaching the management contract to the ordinance; the amendment and the ordinance passed on voice/roll-call votes recorded as carrying (8 ayes).

The council also addressed an ordinance to terminate the special allocation fund for the Mitchell Avenue corridor TIF plan and end the redevelopment-area designation tied to the American Family building. City Manager explained that outstanding TIF bonds are being paid off as part of the building sale and that, once bond redemption is confirmed, the ordinance will allow the special allocation fund to be closed. Council amended the ordinance with a substitute document and then passed the ordinance to enable the TIF closeout when the financial steps are completed.

Clerk read two River Bluff Gateway Project resolutions: a $31,600 grant to Community Missions for a cement parking area at 700 Olive Street and a $38,770 grant to the YWCA for partial roof replacement at 323 North Eighth Street. Council moved to substitute revised documents to include contractor names and passed both items.

Earlier in the meeting the council considered an ordinance authorizing a contract with CertaPro Painters for interior and exterior painting of the Civic Arena and an ARPA budget transfer not to exceed $419,545.16. City Manager informed the council that CertaPro requested to withdraw and had forfeited an amount equivalent to its bid bond (staff said this amount is slightly under $21,000). Council member Krauss moved and council member Grama seconded to withdraw bill 709-22; the motion carried 8-0 and staff said it would proceed to the next lowest bidder and apply the bond toward completion of the work.

Other consent and first-reading items read into the record included budget amendments for tourism and civic facilities, grant agreements with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission and the FAA totaling $19.7 million for the Rosecrans project, stadium and fire-station equipment and repair authorizations, and environmental financial-assurance commitments requested by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Votes at a glance (selected items):
- Ordinance to redistrict 2123 Garfield Avenue to C-3 (Commercial): passed, 8-0.
- Withdrawal of bill 709-22 (CertaPro painting contract): passed (withdrawn), 8-0.
- Resolution 27 (Community Missions River Bluff grant $31,600): passed (as amended), 8-0.
- Resolution 28 (YWCA River Bluff grant $38,770): passed (as amended), 8-0.
- Postponement of CDBG award to East Hills Cleaners ($20,000): postponed 2 weeks, 8-0.
- Postponement of CDBG award to Big Sky Donuts ($40,000): postponed 2 weeks, 8-0.
- Ordinance authorizing E.L. Crawford Construction Inc. contract ($11,088,918) and Wolford Inc. management contract ($2,323,079.06) for Rosecrans Memorial Aviation Complex: passed, 8-0.
- Ordinance to terminate Mitchell Avenue corridor TIF special allocation fund: passed (substitute), 8-0.

The council approved the consent agenda as amended earlier in the meeting. The meeting record shows routine procedural approvals and several administrative substitutions to ensure contractor names and explanation letters were included in resolutions and ordinances before final passage.

Quotes from the meeting illustrate the record: City Manager said, “The CertaPro, the contractor that had been involved in this, requested to actually get out of doing that work. They no longer wanted to perform that work and actually forfeited an amount that's the equivalent of their bid bond,” noting staff would move to the next lowest bidder and use the bond toward completion. The clerk read the ordinance figures and grant amounts into the public record.

The council’s actions lock in construction contracts for the airport complex and clear the procedural path to close a TIF once bond payoffs are finalized; several smaller economic development grants were postponed for additional clarification.