As part of the homecoming activities Saturday, officials from Lincoln University and the Jefferson City Parks and Recreation Commission celebrated the ceremonial groundbreaking of the planned multipurpose/wellness center on Lafayette Street.
The ceremony was held as part of half-time during Lincoln University's homecoming game Saturday. LU President Kevin Rome was joined by officials with the commission and the Boys and Girls Club of the Capital City at Dwight T. Reed Stadium as they performed a ceremonial groundbreaking by turning the dirt on a platform set up on the field.
Rome said though the groundbreaking itself was only ceremonial, the project alone is groundbreaking, as it brings together the parks department, the university and the Boys and Girls Club in two facilities that will benefit the entire community. (The Boys and Girls Club is planning a new headquarters on Lincoln's campus, near the planned wellness center.)
"This whole area will look very different just a few months down the road," Rome said, referring to the facility's planned location on Lafayette Street overlooking the stadium.
Denise Chapel, commission president, said the facility's programs will enhance the well-being of the entire community and the collaborative effort is the beginning "of a beautiful friendship."
After the dirt was turned, the band began to play and children of the Boys and Girls Club waved toward the stadium from the site of the two future projects.
Project moving forward
The plans have been approved and the bids have been authorized, moving Jefferson City that much closer to a new multipurpose facility.
Last week, the Parks and Recreation Commission gave approval to the final floor plans and construction documents for the planned building, as well as authorized the construction bid to go out. Bids will be opened Nov. 5, with the commission expected to approve a bid at its Nov. 10 meeting and the Lincoln University Board of Curators expected to approve it at its Nov. 12 meeting.
Last year, the Parks and Recreation Commission authorized Parks staff to pursue a collaboration with Lincoln on the multipurpose building, which would operate as both a multipurpose facility and a student wellness facility on Lafayette Street.
Between LU and the parks commission, $11.1 million is available for the collaborative project, which includes a $1.5 million line of credit approved by the Jefferson City Council in December at the commission's request. According to the agreement, Parks is solely responsible for repaying that loan.
In July, commissioners approved shrinking the building's proposed footprint from 90,000 to 79,000 square feet after cost estimates had risen above the available funds for the project. By trimming the overall square footage, the estimated cost of building the facility became between $11.4 million and $13.6 million, which still leaves a potential funding gap of up to $2 million.
In September, the LU Board of Curators unanimously approved an agreement with the commission, which also unanimously approved the agreement, laying out divisions of responsibility for the planned multipurpose building or wellness center.
Have an idea?
The Parks and Recreation Commission is accepting ideas
for the planned multipurpose/wellness center. Don't forget to submit your ideas for the facility at www.jeffersoncitymo.gov/share_your_idea_for_the_center.php.