JOPLIN, Mo. — The Joplin City Council is preparing to put items on the April ballots.

The Joplin City Council held a work session to understand two projects that could revitalize downtown. Joplin entities discussed their roles in the Launchpad and CAPS programs.

Toby Teeter, President of Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, said, “Our biggest issue we have is talent attraction and retention. We are trying to close that loop.”

Tuesday night the Joplin City Council held a work session at Missouri Southern to the programs. The Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, the MSSU Board of Directors, and Joplin Board of Education would work together for the projects.

For Launchpad Missouri Southern would relocate their Small Business Development Center downtown to the old library on fourth and main.

“The challenge for years now is turning this 300 block of main back to life. This is a viable opportunity to bring it back to life.”

The caps program would be a collaboration with Missouri Southern.

The library would also be the central location for the CAPS Program — that would allow students in the Joplin, Webb City, and Carl Junction School District an opportunity to earn college credit.

Dr. Melinda Moss, Joplin Public Schools Superintendent, said, “The CAPS program will give us an opportunity to give our students a vision of possiblities right here in joplin and several career strands. Not only get a vision and exposure to project based learning with actual business and industry partners, but also then to have dual credit on their high school transcript.”

On Monday, The Joplin City Council will review the ballot language for the project that will be a bond. If council votes to move forward with these projects they will create a ballot item for April 2022.