Missouri lawmakers have authorized Lincoln University’s spending $200,000 to determine the best use of the old St. Mary’s Hospital for future university programs.
A nearly $1 billion state capital improvements bill sent to Gov. Jay Nixon on Thursday also approved the State Technical College of Missouri spending $1 million for a health technology building on the school’s Linn campus.
Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, said both projects will benefit the Mid-Missouri region.
“They’re very critical because — as I say all the time — those are two of our best assets as far as education is concerned,†he explained. “And State Technical College has done a fantastic job of managing their facilities and resources.â€
Kehoe noted the $1 million appropriation is part of a matching grant. “They’re raising money on their own, and then there’s some state money involved, so they have some skin in the game,†he said.
Today is the last day the state Constitution allows lawmakers to act on budget bills, and Thursday’s passage of the capital improvements bills completes that legislative requirement.
“We appreciate very much the building funding being placed in the bill and we are grateful for the support we receive from the Missouri General Assembly and the governor,†State Tech President Don Claycomb told the News Tribune.
State Tech operates three medical education programs — dental assisting technology, medical radiologic technology and practical nursing technology — at Jefferson City’s Nichols Career Center. The programs were started by the Jefferson City Public Schools but transferred to State Tech when national accreditation requirements changed.
State Tech’s physical therapist assistant program is located at Capital Region Medical Center’s Southwest Boulevard campus.
In March, Claycomb said school officials had decided to move those programs to the Linn campus.
“There are both pros and cons for students, faculty and staff,†he said then. “It is believed this decision is in the long-term best interest of both students and the college.â€
State Tech had planned on moving the programs to the former St. Mary’s Health Center complex when state government was planning to take control of those buildings in 2014. But that plan ended when Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed the state’s $6 million appropriation for renovating the complex.
Lincoln also was part of those 2014 plans.
In that version, LU was going to move the nursing program and some other classes to the old St. Mary’s property.
“As they go forward with their full nursing program,†Kehoe said, “they’re trying to find a facility where they can implement that program the most-affordable, gives the best experience for the students, as well as the best investment for Missourians and their tax dollars.â€
However, he added, the evaluation study won’t be “that full-blown of a program as we were talking about a couple years ago, but it certainly allows a consultant to come in and look at the facility and find out if it’s able to be used for what Lincoln’s desires are, without rebuilding the whole thing.â€
The capital improvements bills also provide money for the Office of Administration and the Natural Resources, Public Safety, Economic Development and Transportation departments, for maintenance projects throughout the state.
The larger of the two bills provides re-appropriations for projects previously approved for funding but not yet completed.
That includes $1,049,282 for renovations and repairs at State Tech and $4,020,838 at Lincoln.
Under the new projects bill, the Natural Resources department would be prohibited from using the money to add more than 20 acres at a time to any existing state park.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, said DNR needs more oversight after bypassing the Legislature to buy land for two state parks.
And House Budget Chairman Tom Flanigan, R-Carthage, said the limit shouldn’t interfere with the department’s current operations.
The Associated Press contributed information used in this story.