MSU board gives go-ahead to nearly $24M in construction contracts

The executive committee of the Missouri State University Board of Governors on March 19 forwarded construction contracts valued at nearly $24 million, the vast majority of which is for the Clifton M. Smart III Advancement Center.

MSU Public Relations Strategist Emily Letterman said all of the agenda items were approved at the meeting. That includes contracts for the advancement center, Hutchens House and the Plaster Student Union.

With board approval, J.E. Dunn Construction Co. will serve as the construction manager at risk for the advancement center, which will replace a parking lot in front of Monroe Apartments, at the corner of National Avenue and Bear Boulevard. As the construction manager at risk, J.E. Dunn Construction is responsible for the overall project delivery, cost and management of subcontractors, Letterman said.

"They guarantee a maximum price of a project," she said via email of the CMAR project delivery method.

J.E. Dunn Construction's bid for the 28,000-square-foot project is $22.9 million, and Dake Wells Architecture Inc. was previously announced as the project architect when the advancement center was unveiled last spring. The facility would house university advancement, the MSU Foundation and the Alumni Association, along with an indoor event center and other amenities.

Letterman said the parking lot where the advancement center will be built is closing starting March 21, with a groundbreaking expected in the coming weeks. The advancement center is slated for completion in fall 2026, MSU officials have said.

The MSU board's executive committee on March 19 also gave the green light to WMC Inc.'s $314,277 bid for a water heater replacement at the Hutchens House residence hall and Garland/DBS Inc.'s $553,490 bid to replace the skylights at Plaster Student Union.

Work is slated for completion this summer for the Hutchens House and Plaster Student Union projects.

The advancement center, Hutchens House and Plaster Student Union projects have total budgets exceeding a combined $27 million.