Rehab work set to begin on Administration Building
TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM
Repair work on the Administration Building at Northwest Missouri State University is scheduled to begin July 5. During its April meeting, Northwest’s Board of Regents approved a $3.3 million emergency expenditure for repairs to the 106-year-old structure related to windows, lintels, and gable end-walls, some of which were likely weakened in a catastrophic 1979 fire.
Northwest Missouri State University has announced that general contractor E.L. Crawford Construction of St. Joseph will begin “preparation for initial phases” of structural rehab and window replacement at the campus’ historic Administration Building on Tuesday, July 5.
The repairs will help weatherize the 106-year-old landmark and also address deterioration associated with windows, lintels, and gable end-walls, some of which were likely weakened in a catastrophic 1979 fire.
According to a Northwest release, the project is scheduled to continue through late spring 2017. Initial work will focus on demolition and replacement of the south gable above the building’s west wing.
In late April Northwest’s Board of Regents approved a $3.3 million emergency expenditure for repairs to the Administration Building, which had been undergoing $1.1 million in state-funded deferred maintenance upgrades — largely for new windows — when a number of structural deficiencies were uncovered.
To make up the difference, Northwest dipped into an $8.5 million capital plant reserve fund and also received a $1 million emergency appropriation from the state Legislature.
The release stated that preparation work will include setting up safety zones and extending no-access zones that already exist. Initial tasks will also comprise materials and equipment deliveries.
Students, staff, and campus visitors are being urged to watch for barriers and obey all warning signs.
In May, the regents authorized Northwest to move forward with repairs and executed a not-to-exceed contract with Crawford for $3.4 million.
Repairs and capital improvements to the Administration Building and other campus structures are being funded in part with $6.9 million awarded to Northwest through Gov. Jay Nixon’s Building Affordability initiative.
Building Affordability is a component of Build Missouri, a General Assembly-approved measure that is funding nearly 500 projects statewide through bond proceeds and other sources.
In addition to university campuses, the program is paying for physical improvements at veterans’ homes, state parks, and other public institutions. It also includes money for a new mental hospital in Fulton.
Nixon said earlier that Build Missouri was made possible by the state’s “strong record of fiscally responsible budgeting” and AAA credit rating, which he claimed would save taxpayers $30 million over the life of the bonds.
Completed in 1910, the Administration Building has for decades served as the university’s landmark structure. It was badly damaged in 1919, when a tornado ripped off part of the roof, and again on July 24, 1979, when fire destroyed 60 percent of the building, including the north wing, which was never rebuilt.
