These kinds of opportunities don't come around often.
Missouri is to receive $2.8 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds through the American Rescue Plan. And about $195 million is to be used for capital projects.
Lincoln University is excited for the opportunity to be included in discussions about how the money is to be spent, said Sandy Koetting, vice president for Administration and Finance at LU.
"Our list of deferred maintenance has been growing. Ours is over $70 million," she said. "We really don't have the resources to do those types of things we'd like to do to improve our facilities."
Koetting and Jeff Turner, Lincoln University director of facilities and planning, were among a line of representatives from cities, colleges and universities, law enforcement and industrial organizations who presented requests to the Missouri House of Representatives Subcommittee on Federal Stimulus Spending on Monday.
The chairman of the committee, Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, describes the committee as on a fact-finding mission to determine the breadth of capital needs around the state. He promised more opportunities for organizations to present their requests to the subcommittee.
State leaders have said they are particularly interested in projects that are going to create jobs and improve the workforce.
Koetting pointed out that Lincoln University's nursing program is favorably looked upon from all corners of the state. Each year, its graduates generally pass their National Council Licensure Examinations - which tests to determine if it's safe for a person to begin practice as an entry-level nurse - at a higher rate than students from other nursing programs, she said.
"So, we're very proud of their success," she told the committee. "But what we would like to be able to do is expand the nursing program."
That would cost about $9 million, she told the committee.
"Essentially, right now we are bound size-wise because of the capacity of our facilities," Koetting said.
If funded, it could be about two years before the program actually expands.
The university would have to renovate and expand Elliff Hall. It would have to add parking.
Lincoln University would work with the state board of nursing to achieve a phased-in approach to growth. There would be a planning phase and a construction phase.
The four-year nursing program contains about 150 students.
"Our goal is to add a cohort each semester," Koetting said. "For the fall semester, year one, we would add 20 additional students. In the spring - 20 students. The fall the next year - 20 students."
And the following fall, there would be another 20 students - 100 total.
Turner told the committee the university is also asking for $22.4 million for repairs to three buildings - Founders Hall, built in 1967; Martin Luther King Hall, built in 1969; and Damel Hall, built in 1936.
Essentially none of the three has had any major work done since construction, he said.
Most of the money for those buildings would be used for deferred maintenance, Turner said. There are exterior concerns on the buildings, allowing for water intrusion. Another big issue is accessibility, he said. All were built before passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"These buildings create challenges for our students - to get into the buildings and out of the buildings," he said. "Life safety concerns - they have much older fire systems."
None has a fire-suppression system. Two are chemistry buildings. With biology and chemistry labs contained in the buildings, the college's focus is to get them into as safe a condition as possible.
"We've been working for a while on the expansion of the nursing program," Koetting said. "It's really important and vital to the state of Missouri - especially considering the pandemic that we're currently in."
She acknowledged deferred maintenance is a big issue on the campus.
Another local college that has been preparing Missourians for the workforce, State Technical College of Missouri, also arrived at the hearing well-prepared to ask for help expanding and improving services.
Shawn Strong, the college president, said the Linn facility is poised for growth, and has had architects designing new facilities for several months.
Despite the pandemic, the college has had an excellent year, Strong said.
Enrollment continues to grow. It's been dramatic over the past four years. It has grown by more than 50 percent over the past three years alone.
The college didn't put any classes online during 2020, simply because that is difficult to do, given the college's nature.
"Our problem is, 'Where do we put all these students?' Our three priorities here address where we're going to put those students," Strong said.
The top priority is the Engineering Technology Center, he said.
It's the renovation of two buildings with a third structure built between them. Several programs will stand within the center.
The center will contain HVAC, precision machining, drafting, welding, electronics, electrical, automation robotics and other programs.
"They're all good for preparing the workforce," Strong said. "Every one of those programs is full. Almost all of our programs at State Tech are full. And our goal is to continue to grow."
The Priority One project is 120,000 square feet, 79,000 feet of which is new construction.
That project is estimated to cost approximately $25 million.
Architects are working on all the projects.
The technical college is fortunate in that it doesn't have sports to support and has only a few dorms. So, it has used previous relief funding (CARES Act) to improve information technology and pay for other services.
It has, however, been able to hire firms to help it plan for the future. The administration saw months ago that more COVID-19 relief money might be coming and wanted to be prepared for it, Strong told the News Tribune. He has worked in the University of Missouri system, where he saw certain projects were standing ready for years, waiting in case revenue came available.
Ready or not, the rapid growth of the college demands that projects be completed, he pointed out.
"We don't know how we're going to get them done, but we do know we need to get this done to allow us to continue to grow," Strong told the committee.
Priority Two is a Utility Technology Center (Phase B), a $5 million project, he said. This center contains utility programs, power generation technology, the lineman program and electrical distribution. A new program in the center is the utility technician program, which started about three years ago and has doubled in size. The program focuses on broadband education.
"We saw what was coming down the pipe, and we got ourselves ready for it," Strong said. "The Power and Communication Contractors Association has partnered with five schools and we are, by far, the number-one school when it comes to preparing broadband technicians."
Priority Three - a $3 million project - is a commercial turf and grounds facility, Strong said. The current turf and grounds program has graduates who have worked in facilities for the Super Bowl and World Series, he said.
The college has already purchased a golf course, Strong continued during testimony.
"We're going to make some fairly significant investments in that property to help us to recruit students as well," he said.