OTC approves $9.4M price tag for Table Rock campus

The Ozarks Technical Community College Board of Trustees has approved a $9.4 million project cost for its Table Rock campus currently under construction in Hollister.

The project cost, approved during the board's June meeting, includes site and building construction, equipment and supplies, information technology, permits, and testing and architectural services.

Multiple donations have offset the cost of the campus, and OTC has applied for a $1.1 million Rural Economic Development Loan through White River Electric Cooperative. The no-interest loan, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business-Cooperative Service, would have to be paid back over 10 years, according to a news release.

Officials broke ground in October for the campus, located at 10698 Historic Highway 165. It s expected to open to students in the fall semester of 2013.

In December 2010, OTC purchased 8.25 acres, including the now-demolished former Crockey's Restaurant, between highways 65 and 165. An additional, contiguous 0.83 acres was donated by the city of Hollister, creating a 9.08-acre campus.

The Hollister School District voted in April 2010 to join the OTC district, enabling Hollister residents to pay in-district tuition to attend the college, according to the release. The OTC Board of Trustees voted in April to increase in-district tuition to $91 per credit hour from $86.