ST. LOUIS— A stalled hotel project at Missouri Research Park is reportedly springing back to life, thanks to new financial backing. Ground was broken on the 100-room Wingate Inn in November 2004. However, the lot at the University of Missouri-owned business park has sat undeveloped since financing fell through in early 2005. Premier Bank reportedly has stepped into the role for the hotels owner, the Fifth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The St. Charles County property sits above the ninth hole at the Missouri Bluffs Country Club, near Highway 40 and the Missouri River. “Were overlooking a world-class golf course and down a valley and onto a lake,” said Rick Finholt, executive director of the research park. When announced in 2004, plans for the $7.1-million hotel included a 24-hour business center, a conference room for as many as 200 people, and indoor and outdoor pools. CB&E Construction Group started site preparation in 2004 but stopped within months because the project lost its financing, said Chris Kerckhoff, a principal at the Chesterfield-based contractor. The blueprints have not changed, he said, though the price likely will. CB&E intends to start work again this spring as soon as the new loan closes, Kerckhoff said. “We have already started rebidding it with the subcontractors,” he said. Harold Woodfield, executive director of the African Methodist Episcopal Churchs Fifth District Economic Development Fund Inc., didnt return calls for comment. The hotel officially will be owned by Inn at Missouri Bluffs LLP, a business entity of the church.
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