LU Board of Curators approves renovations for Dawson Hall
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Lincoln University Board of Curators gave the OK on Wednesday for the school to seek bids to renovate its largest residence hall.
The construction at Dawson Hall will make the building compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, LU officials said.
Several dorm rooms on each floor of the 10-story building will be renovated. Shared bathrooms on each floor will also be updated to fit ADA standards, Vice President for Administration and Finance Jeff Barlow said.
The university will begin the closed-bid process next week. The project cannot exceed $17 million.
The project is expected to begin between November and January, and the expected completion date will be December 2023, Barlow said. The expected open date is January 2024.
The school originally expected to close Dawson Hall before this fall but needed rooms because of increased enrollment, Barlow said. The original intent was to keep the building closed during the duration of the construction.
“It’s currently being used and we’ll reassess in January to have it closed, if possible,” Barlow said. “If not, we’ll have to do it a few floors at a time with students possibly living there.”
The building holds 364 rooms and the renovations will not increase that total. No streets will be closed for the project.
The Board of Curators also approved the purchase of a property in Charleston, Missouri, for a university extension site.
“We currently have a facility in Charleston that we’ve outgrown and we have an opportunity to take on a new property,” Barlow said.
The purchase will use federal land grant facility funds, which must be approved by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Curators also approved two name changes on campus. The third-floor hallway of Martin Luther King Hall was renamed for Merilyn Minor, a graduate of the university. Founders Hall was renamed Dr. James Frank Hall, after a former university president.
