Collaboration Ideas

Central High School is located in an urban area midway between downtown Springfield and the Commercial District.  The specific area is identified in Springfield's master plan as "Government Plaza".  Business and Institutional neighbors include:  City Utilities, Greene County Courthouse, City Hall, Cox Health, Drury University, Ozarks Technical College, Greene County Public Library, Worldwide headquarters of The Assembly of God Church.  These large institutional neighbors may share needs with Central High that could be met through collaborative efforts.

The Educational Mall - Choices for lunch are limited in the immediate neighborhood.  An educational mall could provide dining, book store, specialty retail, fine arts entertainment options to daytime employees while also providing career and trade opportunities for students. 

Early Childhood Development Center - A high percentage of parents are either single parent families or two income families requiring a need for high quality daycare for employees.  Additionally, there are students who are single parents.  Some day care is currently provided for students.  This need will likely continue into the future.  A high quality daycare option for the large employers in the neighborhood would meet an unmet need and perhaps give downtown employees the opportunity to see their children during lunch.  It would also create a career development opportunity for students interested in pursuing careers in early childhood development of elementary education.

Parking Garage / Specialty retail or Auto repair - Parking is very limited in the urban neighborhood.  The parking that exists has created an impervious surface that causes storm water runoff and micro climate effects - higher temperatures in the summer.  A collaborative parking garage could become a bridge to the community. 

Assembly space  / FEMA Shelter - Central High's enrollment is 1600 students.  They don't have an assembly space that will accommodate their entire student population.  Perhaps they could incorporate FEMA specifications into the design of their new assembly space and receive Federal funding.

Healthy Living Center - If Central decides to build an athletic complex to meet their assembly needs, they could offer the facility as a community "Healthy Living Center" in the afternoons and evenings when not in use.  Education about fitness and nutrition and perhaps even an organic garden / green house and food outlet could be managed by Central High School's consumer science and practical living department.

Third Place - People occupy their homes and their work place but they also look for a separate location for social interaction, out of office work, and enjoyment of public spaces.  Central could develop a "Third Place" for the local neighborhood.  An outdoor Wifi space could contribute to attracting a students and professionals.

Parkway system - Central is bordered by Jefferson, Benton, and Central Avenue.  These are busy streets with little accommodation for pedestrian or bicycle traffic.  The city of Springfield has identified the corner of Central and Benton as a major gateway into "Government Plaza".  Developing a network of landscaping, bike paths, sidewalks, and urban park spaces could create a space worth caring about in the immediate vicinity of Central High School.

Educational / Administration / Mentoring Building - Creating a central Administration service that serves area businesses and gains economies of scale reducing costs could also become an educational employment opportunity for Central High School Students and lead to mentoring opportunities for downtown workers and Central Students.

Full ADA retrofit and integration between new and historic facilities at Central High.  Perhaps a focus on ADA needs for Central High School could identify an incremental funding source.