Crowder breaks ground on huge $2.1 million renovation
Pictured above at the ground breaking ceremony of Crowder College of Cassville’s renovations are: R.E. Smith representatives Corey Duncan, Dave Smith, Dick Smith and Clint Walton; Kirsten Whitehead, of Paragon Architecture; Amy Rand, vice president of finance at Crowder; Scott Fitzpatrick, Missouri State Treasurer; Diane Andris, Crowder board member; Vickie Barnes, Crowder board member; Dr. Glenn Coltharp, president of Crowder; and Angela Seymour, director of Crowder's Cassville Campus.
March6, 2019
Charlea Estes-Jones
Monday marked a historic moment for local Crowder College campus in Cassville. The junior college officially broke ground on a new $2.2 million addition and renovation to the campus.
Cassville campus’ director Angela Seymour said she is excited to see the expansion and growth that will benefit both students and staff at the local college. She said, “Coming out front of the administrative building, the new facility will be added on to the front of that. Our offices will move out front, and the addition will come out into the first row of the current parking lot. The student lounge will move out front, and it’ll connect buildings so students will be able to come in a centralized entrance and it’ll all be internal.”
The project overall will build a new approximately 5,000 square foot addition to the administrative building and will also connect the second building so that there will be one centralized entrance to administration and classrooms. The additional space will allow for the expansion of the campus bookstore, new classroom space and an improved facade that will give the campus a facelift. In total, the project will cost over $2.1 million with construction and engineering costs.
Crowder vice president of financed Amy Rand said that of the total cost, $1.33 million is coming from the State of Missouri. The actual construction will cost around $1.87 million and the remainder is engineering costs and similar expenses.
The ground breaking bore host to multiple board members and the president of the college. Also in attendance was State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick, who college administrators credit for the funds Crowder received from the state to help pay for the project while he was house budget chairman.
Fitzpatrick said he felt the renovation was much-needed. He said, “Crowder is an invaluable asset to the Cassville community. Having taken classes at Crowder during my time at Cassville High School, I know how much of a benefit having an institution of higher learning can bring to a small town. The community has worked hard for several years to support this project. I’m glad I was able to play a role in helping make it a reality during my time in the House Of Representatives.”
While completion of the project is estimated for fall of this year, the school already has plans for how the building will be used and how it will benefit students.
Seymour said, “The student lounge area will be vaulted ceiling and nice curb appeal. It’ll be rock face and nice textures.”
There will also be a new facade on the front of building two on the side that faces the parking lot, the Highway 37 side of the community building, and the side of building one that faces the road to the rodeo grounds. All of the renovations and new construction will make a more seamless look to the campus.
The changes will also ensure students are not walking out in bad weather between buildings. Seymour said, “We’ve loved the space we’ve had inside, but new students have been really confused when they’ve come here the first time on where they are supposed to go. Students won’t have to go out in the weather to go from one academic building to another building. The testing will be up front and more convenient. It’ll be a good thing.”
She added it will also be good for campus security to have a centralized entrance.
Seymour said, “The larger bookstore will allow us to have more that students want. More merchandise is fun, but more food items and things that make it feel more collegiate. I love that it will completely change the facade of the campus. It’s going to be a grand front entrance. That part will be tall ceilings.
“We’ll also be doing some renovation inside building one which is where the offices and student lounge are right now. We’ll add two large classrooms and a larger bookstore. In the student lounge area, we’ll be adding a couple study rooms and we’ll be pulling testing up to the main office. The additional classrooms will allow us to use extra space to add some classroom space for nursing skills. They’ll have twice the nursing labs skill space they have right now.”
Eventually, the college wants to add a similar addition onto the front of the community building. Seymour said that project is dependent on future funding. That addition would include an entire nursing wing.
She said, “I can move you to any classroom for an education degree. Nursing needs specialized, dedicated space. There are skills labs with hospital beds. So that will hopefully be next in the future.”
Charlea Estes-Jones
Monday marked a historic moment for local Crowder College campus in Cassville. The junior college officially broke ground on a new $2.2 million addition and renovation to the campus.
Cassville campus’ director Angela Seymour said she is excited to see the expansion and growth that will benefit both students and staff at the local college. She said, “Coming out front of the administrative building, the new facility will be added on to the front of that. Our offices will move out front, and the addition will come out into the first row of the current parking lot. The student lounge will move out front, and it’ll connect buildings so students will be able to come in a centralized entrance and it’ll all be internal.”
The project overall will build a new approximately 5,000 square foot addition to the administrative building and will also connect the second building so that there will be one centralized entrance to administration and classrooms. The additional space will allow for the expansion of the campus bookstore, new classroom space and an improved facade that will give the campus a facelift. In total, the project will cost over $2.1 million with construction and engineering costs.
Crowder vice president of financed Amy Rand said that of the total cost, $1.33 million is coming from the State of Missouri. The actual construction will cost around $1.87 million and the remainder is engineering costs and similar expenses.
The ground breaking bore host to multiple board members and the president of the college. Also in attendance was State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick, who college administrators credit for the funds Crowder received from the state to help pay for the project while he was house budget chairman.
Fitzpatrick said he felt the renovation was much-needed. He said, “Crowder is an invaluable asset to the Cassville community. Having taken classes at Crowder during my time at Cassville High School, I know how much of a benefit having an institution of higher learning can bring to a small town. The community has worked hard for several years to support this project. I’m glad I was able to play a role in helping make it a reality during my time in the House Of Representatives.”
While completion of the project is estimated for fall of this year, the school already has plans for how the building will be used and how it will benefit students.
Seymour said, “The student lounge area will be vaulted ceiling and nice curb appeal. It’ll be rock face and nice textures.”
There will also be a new facade on the front of building two on the side that faces the parking lot, the Highway 37 side of the community building, and the side of building one that faces the road to the rodeo grounds. All of the renovations and new construction will make a more seamless look to the campus.
The changes will also ensure students are not walking out in bad weather between buildings. Seymour said, “We’ve loved the space we’ve had inside, but new students have been really confused when they’ve come here the first time on where they are supposed to go. Students won’t have to go out in the weather to go from one academic building to another building. The testing will be up front and more convenient. It’ll be a good thing.”
She added it will also be good for campus security to have a centralized entrance.
Seymour said, “The larger bookstore will allow us to have more that students want. More merchandise is fun, but more food items and things that make it feel more collegiate. I love that it will completely change the facade of the campus. It’s going to be a grand front entrance. That part will be tall ceilings.
“We’ll also be doing some renovation inside building one which is where the offices and student lounge are right now. We’ll add two large classrooms and a larger bookstore. In the student lounge area, we’ll be adding a couple study rooms and we’ll be pulling testing up to the main office. The additional classrooms will allow us to use extra space to add some classroom space for nursing skills. They’ll have twice the nursing labs skill space they have right now.”
Eventually, the college wants to add a similar addition onto the front of the community building. Seymour said that project is dependent on future funding. That addition would include an entire nursing wing.
She said, “I can move you to any classroom for an education degree. Nursing needs specialized, dedicated space. There are skills labs with hospital beds. So that will hopefully be next in the future.”