Bid Acceptance for Final Phase of Golf Course Construction on UCM Board Agenda

WARRENSBURG, MO (Nov. 24, 2014) – Acceptance of a construction bid that allows the University of Central Missouri to complete the final phase of golf course renovation at Pertle Springs was among action items on the Board of Governors agenda when it met on campus Nov. 21. The board also approved an out-of-state fee waiver that will impact students who have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, and a cable television services contract that affects residence halls and other facilities on campus.

After a presentation by Jerry Hughes, director of intercollegiate athletics, the board accepted a bid of $2,964,600 from Frontier Construction Company in Pennsylvania to renovate the greens at the 18-hole Keth Memorial Golf Course at Pertle Springs. Work is contingent upon the university’s ability to obtain private funding for approximately one-third of the total cost of the total $3.1 million project. It also will be funded through athletics reserve funds and a 15-year loan provided through the UCM Foundation.  Contributing to the overall cost will be $144,128 for Burns & McDonnell Engineering, Inc., to manage the renovation.

Discussion about golf course renovation began earlier this year. Working in cooperation with CE Golf Design, Burns & McDonnell has proposed a three-phase plan and schedule to renovate the golf course greens, which were constructed in 1972, and have now about seven years past their life expectancy.  Phase I and II of the golf course greens renovation project are complete, and the next step is the actual renovation of course greens. Once work is complete, the course is not expected to need major renovations for another 30 years or more. The golf course is an auxiliary enterprise, and user fees help cover ongoing maintenance. The construction, or final phase of the project, is expected to get underway in spring 2015.

In other business, the board approved the “Out-of-State Fee Waiver” for students who have official documentation as having obtained Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status. This applies to both DACA students who have lived in Missouri no less than one year or who are students from eight contiguous states to Missouri that are included under the Choose Red Grant program, which allows allows eligible students from those states to pay in-state tuition to attend UCM .  Board action took place following a presentation by Betsy Kreisel, interim vice provost for enrollment management, and Deborah Curtis, provost and chief learning officer.

Kreisel noted that in 2012 the Secretary of Homeland Security announced that certain people who came to the United States as children and meet several guidelines may request consideration of deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal. Once obtaining DACA status, under federal law, the students are considered “lawfully present” in the U.S. and eligible for institutional financial aid and state grants and scholarships. In many cases, DACA students may have resided in the state for a long period, and even graduated from state-accredited high schools.

Kreisel said developing a policy to allow DACA students who meet specific criteria to receive a waiver for out-of-state fees is consistent with a trend that is beginning at other Missouri colleges and universities, and is a proactive measure to allow more DACA students to be admitted to UCM. The policy will be enacted Jan. 1, 2015.

The board also accepted a bid from Charter Business for cable television programming through July 31, 2019. The projected annual cost for an estimated 2,760 lines in $230,000. This affects university residential housing facilities, including The Crossing – South at Holden, as well as the Student Recreation and Wellness Center and selected UCM academic, administrative and athletic facilities.

(Courtesy of UCM Public Affairs)