Ozarks Tech to expand parking north of campus 

After four months of working with consultants, Ozarks Technical Community College is ready to move forward with a proposed parking lot expansion.

The Ozarks Tech Board of Trustees will be asked to vote March 11 on a roughly $1.4 million project to add spaces north of Pythian Street, west of National Avenue and south of Scott Street.

Six general contractors submitted proposals through the college’s electronic bidding system.The lowest was $1.2 million from Courtney Construction LLC, which is based in Mountain Grove.

Chancellor Hal Higdon said more parking is needed as buildings are added to the Springfield campus. The latest is the Michael L. Parson Student Union, a student hub, slated to open in August.

Higdon said pending board approval, work to expand parking will start quickly.

“We’ll start pulling permits pretty much right after the board meeting, soon as we move forward to award the bid to the low bidder,” he said in a March 9 interview.

The work will continue through the summer in time for classes to start in August.

“We’ll try everything we can to have them ready…when school starts in August,” said Rob Rector, vice chancellor for administrative services, in an interview. “The third week in August, we hope that there’s more parking places available.”

The project is expected to add at least 230 parking spaces.

Rector said the expanded parking lot will include LED lighting, landscaping and security surveillance cameras – items that have become “a master plan standard.” The new lot will also connect to parking that was added in 2024.

The college worked with CJW Transportation Consultants LLC on design and engineering and Gerken Environmental Enterprises Inc. on environmental services.