MSU board to vote on bid for JVIC expansion project

The Missouri State University Board of Governors this week is scheduled to vote on a construction company contract for a project at Jordan Valley Innovation Center downtown.

DeWitt & Associates Inc. submitted the low bid of $4.1 million for the project, and MSU staff are recommending the company's selection, according to the June 24 board agenda.

If approved for the contract, DeWitt & Associates would construct a sixth building at JVIC. The other companies that submitted bids are Branco Enterprises Inc., at $4.3 million; The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., at $4.4 million; Carson-Mitchell Inc., at $4.6 million; and Crossland Construction Co. Inc., at $4.63 million.

MSU President Clif Smart said via email the project is related to a nearly 1-acre parcel at 530 N. Boonville Ave. that the school bought from the city for $1 earlier this year.

The project calls for a roughly 12,000-square-foot pre-engineered metal building that would house a braider system and create a learning lab and classroom for advanced composite materials. Work is scheduled for completion during summer 2023, according to the board agenda.

The bid from DeWitt & Associates is part of a larger expansion of JVIC as MSU grows its IDEA Commons area downtown. The Brewer Science Innovation Annex is among recent projects at the innovation center, according to past reporting.