MSSU to build storm shelter, dorm on campus

(AP) Missouri Southern State University is moving ahead with plans to build a $2 million storm shelter and a new residence hall on its campus in Joplin.

The MSSU governing board on Friday advanced plans for the storm shelter and the new dorm.

Rob Yust, vice president for business affairs, said the 11,520-square-foot storm shelter is slated to be built in the same area as the residence hall. It will meet standards set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and hold up to 2,000 people, he said. The shelter is a square concrete building designed to withstand high winds, Yust said, and will also serve as a multipurpose center.

Funding for the shelter will come from a grant of approximately $1.26 million from FEMA, Yust said. The board on Friday authorized an additional $800,000 from its cash reserves for costs not covered by the grant.

An EF-5 tornado hit Joplin on May 22, 2011, demolishing a broad swath of the city and killing 161 people.

The 74,000-square-foot, three-story residence hall will be built near the existing residence halls and will add about 200 beds that will be arranged in four-person suites. Each suite will share a kitchen, living quarters, bathroom and showers, and a balcony.

Funding for the residence hall will come from bonds issued by Missouri Southern in the amount of $14 million, excluding issuance costs.