Ozarks Technical Community College is relocating its Medical Laboratory Technician program to its Richwood Valley campus in Christian County. The program's immunohematology class of 12 students this spring started the transition, and other classes will move during the summer, school officials said. In addition to the medical tech program, Physical Therapy Assistant Program classes will move from the Springfield campus in the fall. OTC said the moves will meet student demand and alleviate crowded classroom and parking conditions in Springfield. The 60,000-square-foot Life Science Technology Center at Richwood Valley opened for class in spring 2007. More than 1,000 students attend classes there.
Changeup at Glenstone/I-44
An $8.3 million, 18-month reconstruction project is under way at Glenstone Avenue and Interstate 44, and the work will create multiple lane closings. The project involves: converting the cloverleaf interchange to a diamond interchange, replacing the two bridges over I-44 and adding traffic signals at the new ramps on Glenstone; widening Greene County Route H to three lanes between I-44 and Valley Water Mill Road north of Springfield; and setting up detours to send traffic along highways 65, 60 and 360, as well as along Highway 65, Kearney Street and Glenstone or Kansas Expressway.
Emery Sapp & Sons of Columbia is the primary contractor, with completion scheduled for July 2010. The city of Springfield and Greene County each are putting in $1.5 million for the Route H widening project.
Federal Funds Fight Foreclosure
The city of Springfield's Housing Authority is expected to receive more than $26,000 from a pot of $900,000 in U.S. Housing & Urban Development money headed to Missouri this year. U.S. Sen. Kit Bond's office said the federal funds are available through HUD's Housing Choice Voucher-Family Self Sufficiency program. Public housing authorities across the state will use the FSS funds to help Missouri public and private partners develop strategies to allow "very low-income families" to achieve economic independence and self-sufficiency.
In addition, Bond said Missouri will receive $42.66 million under HUD's Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The state intends to acquire and redevelop foreclosed properties.
Turner Reading Awards
The Foundation for Springfield Public Schools is seeking nominations for outstanding reading teachers in Springfield Public Schools. The 2009 Turner Reading Awards will be awarded in late March to five outstanding teachers who show excellence in teaching students how to read. The nomination deadline is March 2, 2009. Applications and nomination rules can be found at www.foundation4sps.org. Honorees will each receive a $2,000 cash prize to be split between use in the classroom and at the teacher's discretion. The Turner Reading Awards, now in the eighth year, were established by the Bill Turner family of Springfield. For more information, call (417) 523-0144.
This installment of Springfield Business Journal’s Architects & Engineers Project Report showcases 26 endeavors by area design and engineering professionals.
