$30M Joplin Memorial Hall ballot initiative fails

The future of Joplin’s Memorial Hall looks bleak.

Voters on Tuesday REJECTED a ballot measure that would have authorized up to $30 million worth of bonds to reconstruct, renovate, expand, and improve the 97-year-old war memorial.

The initiative got 2,124 ‘YES’ votes, compared to 2,586 ‘NO’ votes.

It needed 57.14% of the vote but only received 45.09%.

It is unclear what will be done with Memorial Hall, which has not been in use since June of 2020, when a partial roof collapse closed the building to the public.