From the Ground Up: Ozarks Tech Airframe and Powerplant Aviation Maintenance Training Facility

Owner: Ozarks Technical Community College
General contractor: Killian Construction Co.
Architects: nForm Architecture LLC, project; and frankZdesign LLC, landscape
Engineers: Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Inc., civil and structural; and Interpres Building Solutions LLC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing
Size: 29,065 square feet
Cost: $13.2 million
Funding source: City, county, state and federal allocations
Estimated completion: January 2025
Project description: Starting in 2025, students in the Airframe and Powerplant program at Ozarks Technical Community College will learn to service all parts of an aircraft, from nose to tail, including engines, the airframe body and mechanical systems, according to a news release from Ozarks Tech. The site of their instruction is to be a two-story pre-engineered metal building that is now nearing completion on the location of the former Springfield-Branson National Airport terminal. The project incorporates two labs and four classrooms, with an observation tower to overlook the runway. The main sources of funding are the state of Missouri, which has allocated $5 million, and a U.S. Department of Labor Community Projects Grant in the amount of $5 million. The city of Springfield and Greene County are each supplying $750,000 toward construction costs.