Impact study proposed for Mozingo Lake
There seems to be little question in the minds of local officials these days that Mozingo Lake Recreation Park is a hot property.
Several thousand people were in and out of Mozingo over the weekend to celebrate the city-owned reservoir’s 20th anniversary, and the 3,000-acre park’s rental cabins and RV campground are routinely filled to capacity during peak-season weekends and, increasingly, weekdays as well.
What, in the view of many, is the park’s centerpiece — the Sechrest 18 golf course — also attracts a flow of play that includes everything from duffer foursomes to collegiate tournaments.
Waiting in the wings is the neighboring and still-unopened Watson 9 youth course, designed by PGA legend Tom Watson and the object of plaudits by the national golfing establishment.
Seeking to capitalize on all the buzz, the city of Maryville is taking a page out Northwest Missouri State University’s playbook and considering an economic impact study designed to underscore the park’s positive effects on the region.
Maryville City Council members are currently reviewing a proposal submitted in response to a request for proposals by Economic Modeling Specialists International, or EMSI, which in May completed a similar study commissioned by the university.
That analysis gauged Northwest’s economic footprint at $617 million in terms of “added regional income.” The report is being used by the institution as a marketing tool in an attempt to spur private donations, grant awards, legislative support and recruitment.
In the Mozingo proposal’s cover letter, EMSI principal Aaron Olanie said the lake study would embrace four major categories: operations spending, spending by recreational visitors, event and commercial uses and “a number of broader functional impacts.”
The prospectus goes on to state that the lake, in addition to direct economic impact, also contributes by bringing improved health benefits to Maryville residents, boosting property values and encouraging “the growth of Maryville community unity.”
EMSI is proposing to spend 19 weeks putting the study together, an effort that would be divided into three phases: data collection, compiling a draft, and issuing a completed written report and PowerPoint presentation after incorporating feedback from the city.
Proposed cost of the study is between $35,000 and $40,000. Cost of the Northwest report was $29,000 for 20 weeks of work by EMSI staff.
Assistant City Manager Ryan Heiland, City Hall’s lead Mozingo administrator, suggested at Monday’s City Council meeting that the study, currently unbudgeted, take place this summer and fall while the park’s camping areas are still experiencing high levels of use.
Heiland added that the completed study would be especially useful in seeking grants to pay for improved park facilities and operations.
“When we apply for grants, one of the questions is always, ‘What is the impact?’” Heiland said.
Asked by Councilman Jerry Riggs how that question has been answered in the past, Heiland answered that staff has “patched” data together using information gleaned from the Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce and other sources.
With the council in full budget mode — the city’s new fiscal year begins Oct. 1 — Mayor Renee Riedel asked that City Manager Greg McDanel and his team crunch some numbers before moving forward.
“Lets try to find out what we may have to give up in order to do this,” Riedel said.
Should a Mozingo economic impact study not prove feasible, McDanel said it is possible similar research could be conducted “at some level” in house.
One factor likely driving the city’s effort to place Mozingo in a positive economic light is the approaching expiration date of a half-cent sales tax used to subsidize the golf course and other park operations.
The tax was first passed in 1997 and renewed by voters in 2007. Unless once again approved at the polls, the revenue source will end June 30, 2017.
