Tonight at their bi-weekly meeting, the Joplin City Council is expected to center into an agreement with Joplin School concerning Memorial Hall. KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.

For residents, the issue of parking has been front and center long before the ground was broken for Connect 2 Culture’s Cornell Complex which is now under construction and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2022. Where the complex is being built in the former parking lot of Joplin’s Memorial Hall. Residents were concerned about having to walk long distances when visiting either of the two buildings. Tonight, the City Council will enter into an agreement with Joplin Schools that will allow Memorial Hall visitors to park in lots the district owns in five locations in a two-block radius from the hall.

The agreement will go into effect if voters in Joplin approve a 30-million dollar overhaul of Memorial in April of 2022. Or if the city locates an alternative funding source if the voters do not approve the initiative. The parking agreement is for five years and can be terminated at any time.