Missouri State Penitentiary tornado damage repairs may cost $9.4 million

The stone wall of the old Missouri State Penitentiary in the 700 block of East Capitol Avenue was heavily damaged in the May 22, 2019, tornado, as seen by the crumbled ruins in the foreground. Several buildings on the campus of the historic penitentiary suffered considerable structural damage in the twister.
The stone wall of the old Missouri State Penitentiary in the 700 block of East Capitol Avenue was heavily damaged in the May 22, 2019, tornado, as seen by the crumbled ruins in the foreground. Several buildings on the campus of the historic penitentiary suffered considerable structural damage in the twister.

It may cost $9.4 million to repair the Missouri State Penitentiary following the May 22 tornado, according to the Missouri Office of Administration.

Nine state-owned sites were damaged during the tornado and recent flooding, according to cost estimates from OA. The total estimated cost for debris removal, temporary repairs and building repair and replacement for all the sites may reach nearly $13 million.

Twelve MSP buildings, walls and a tunnel were damaged in the tornado.

Housing Unit 2 was hit the hardest, with estimated repair and/or replacement costs reaching slightly more than $3 million. It may cost more than $2 million to repair and/or replace Housing Unit 4.

Housing Units 1, 3, 5 and 8 were also damaged, along with the education building, gymnasium, north tunnel, recreation building, shoe factory and walls.

Jefferson City owns the old shoe factory building, which had an estimated $433,400 repair and/or replacement cost, according to OA.

The state is still reviewing its options regarding the estimated costs, OA Director of Communications Brittany Ruess said.

The Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau suspended its MSP tours following the tornado. The tours are canceled through Aug. 31.

The CVB will decide how to proceed with tours after it reviews the structural engineer report from the state, said Brittney Mormann, CVB communications and film manager.

It may also cost $1 million to repair and/or replace the Missouri Highway Patrol airport hangar at the Jefferson City Memorial Airport, according to OA. The hangar was damaged during recent flooding.

The airport opened earlier this month after being closed over 7 weeks due to the Missouri River flooding. It is only open to daytime traffic, Jefferson City Operations Division Director Britt Smith said.

It may cost nearly $1.6 million to repair and/or replace the Employment Security building and $602,000 to repair and/or replace the Missouri Lottery building, according to OA.

The Employment Security and Missouri Lottery buildings are insured, Ruess said.

"The repair and replacement costs are currently estimates," Ruess said. "We are working with our insurance company to better understand what it would cover for the Employment Security and Missouri Lottery buildings. The state's request to the federal government for a major disaster declaration for public assistance could also affect how much the state pays for these costs."

President Donald Trump approved individual assistance for several counties, including Cole County, on July 9. The state requested the federal government expand the disaster declaration to include more counties and assistance to public agencies.

It may cost more than $10,000 to repair and/or replace the Lewis and Clark building, according to OA.

It may cost nearly $9,600 to remove debris from the Missouri Career Center/Four Seasons.

It may cost $123,000 to repair and/or replace the Golden City Missouri State Highway Patrol.

It may cost $3,650 to repair and/or replace the Health Lab, according to OA.

It may cost nearly $6,000 for temporary repairs to state Lot 14. This expense is associated with the West Main Street curb removal to create temporary access, allowing employees to park in open spaces, Ruess said.

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