Bridgeport to annex retirement community

(June 4) The Maplewood Retirement Community will be located within the Bridgeport city limits, spokesman Bruce Carter said Tuesday.

"I'm waiting for (Bridgeport's) attorney to send a draft of the agreement to me," said Carter, president of United Hospital Center and ex-officio member of the Maplewood board, which voted to annex recently.

Carter said the water issue was the biggest factor in the board's decision. Southwestern Water, out of Grafton, will provide water to the facility. Maplewood will have a sprinkler system, which will be fed by a fire line from Bridgeport, Carter said. Southwestern did not have the pressure to power the sprinkler system.

"The amount of (business and occupation) tax that we will have to pay up front is about what we would have paid to put in our own tanks and pumps," he said. "The cost of annexation didn't increase the cost of the project."

Bridgeport Mayor Joe Timms said the approximately $150,000 in business and occupations taxes the city will get from Maplewood construction will more than likely go into the city's general fund. Maplewood is a not-for-profit company and will not pay yearly business and occupation taxes.

"Maplewood should be a quality operation and we wanted to make sure that the city was a part of it, so that they could have adequate police protection and fire services," Timms said. "I think we're developing a good working relationship."