OTC board approves $7.3M price tag for Republic center

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The project is slated to be built on 8 acres south of U.S. Highway 60 and northeast of Colorado Avenue near the Christian County line.

The Ozarks Technical Community College Board of Trustees approved a $7.3 million project cost for a planned Republic education center.

During its Dec. 10 meeting, the board also awarded the general contracting bid for the project to Rich Kramer Construction Inc., with BatesForum LLC as architect. The total project cost includes $4.9 million for construction, according to a news release issued yesterday. 

The Republic plans were given the go-ahead by voters in April, who approved new and renewed tax levies over a 20-year period so OTC could fund the education center, as well as its estimated $20 million Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Technology in Springfield.

“We told voters if they approved tax levies back in April we would build a center in Republic,” OTC Chancellor Hal Higdon said in the release. “The construction of the OTC Republic center is another example of the progress as promised commitment that the college made to taxpayers.”

The 30,000-square-foot Republic education center is slated to be named Bussey-Cox-Lipscomb Hall after the families who donated 8 acres for the project south of U.S. Highway 60 and northeast of Colorado Avenue near the Christian County line, according to the release.

Officials plan to break ground on Bussey-Cox-Lipscomb Hall in January 2019 and open for classes in August 2020. The center would offer general education courses such as English, history, math and science.

The Republic education center would mark the sixth campus for OTC, joining operations in Springfield, Ozark, Hollister, Lebanon and Waynesville, according to the release.