New Construction On 3130 S John Duffy Drive Joplin Mo

Several large construction projects in Joplin and the surrounding area are scheduled to either begin or be completed in 2018.

Just two months into the city of Joplin's new fiscal year, three multimillion-dollar projects have construction off to a strong start in Joplin, just after the completion of back-to-back years that were the city's strongest since at least 1999, according to city records.

The three largest projects for which building permits were filed in December are all worth at least $5 million, helping push the month's total past $22 million and the fiscal year's to more than $25 million. Those new projects set to begin soon are a renovation at Mercy Hospital Joplin, a senior housing project at 1712 W. 26th St. and a second skilled nursing center in the Wildwood Ranch development. The city's fiscal year runs from Nov. 1 to Oct. 31 and building permits reflect only the value of work done in the city limits, excluding land values.

Some of the projects approaching completion in 2018 include the new Joplin Senior Center, 1230 W. 26th St., which will replace the current building at 22nd Street and Jackson Avenue, which was damaged by the 2011 tornado; and a new Jasper County Juvenile Center, at Sixth Street and Pearl Avenue, to replace a building that was deemed unsafe in 2015.

The $6.8 million permit at 1712 W. 26th St. is for a housing project called Memorial Hills, which would provide some units with rent adjusted for income, primarily for senior citizens, according to developer Kevin Parker. Parker Development was awarded $1.6 million from the Missouri Housing Development Commission for the project in late 2016.

Construction continues on the new Joplin Senior Center on Monday. The building will replace the current center at 22nd Street and Jackson Avenue. GLOBE | ROGER NOMER

"I bought the property from the Joplin Redevelopment Corp.," Parker said. "So the city was able to put the ground together after the tornado and hold it for a period of time so it could be purchased and used in a way that benefits the city long term. So it took a lot of people working together to get it done, and we should be breaking ground in a couple of weeks."

The 4 acres where the three-story, 54-unit complex will be built were bought for a total of $400,000, according to City Attorney Peter Edwards. Edwards said that price covered the JRC's investment in the property. Parker said the project will take advantage of state and federal low-income housing tax credits, which have been targeted for reduction by Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. The Missouri Housing Development Commission, and multiple members appointed by Greitens, recently voted not to allocate $140 million in matching state funds for the project.

While Greitens and state Auditor Nicole Galloway have criticized the program for inefficiencies, Parker said projects like Memorial Hills "will either not exist or the number of them that are funded will be really reduced."

Joplin developer Jimmer Pinjuv, who has overseen several projects in the Wildwood property, said the $6.1 million permit on 3130 S. John Duffy Drive is for a nursing center similar to The Communities at Wildwood Ranch, which provides both residential and short-term care, as well as specialized services such as memory care and skilled nursing. Pinjuv said the project is expected to break ground this week.

Construction is moving along on the $8.5 million Jasper County Juvenile Center in Joplin. Despite some delays for recent cold weather, the project is slated for completion in November. Crews with contractor Dalton-Killinger are currently pouring concrete for a basement on the site.

Construction continues on the new Joplin Senior Center on Monday. The project on West 26th Street is valued at $6.8 million. GLOBE | ROGER NOMER

The building will include a new juvenile courtroom, eight holding cells for juvenile detainees and space for alternative classroom and extracurricular activities. A quarter-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2016 is funding the project.

"There were a few delays because it was really cold over the last few days, but outside of that construction is going as planned," said Erik Theis, Jasper County court administrator.

The $5 million project at Mercy Hospital Joplin is an effort to renovate the eighth floor of the hospital's main campus for its inpatient behavioral health unit, said Kelly Bigando, executive director of patient care services. The move from the current location on 32nd Street near Wildwood Ranch, Bigando said, will benefit both patients and caregivers.

"It's 24-hour care for unstable psychiatric disorders that could include suicide ideation," she said. "And it just provides a safe environment as well as therapies and medication for the treatment of acute mental illness. A lot of work has gone into it already and the architects (have worked) in great detail focusing on having a therapeutic environment, a safe environment for a very underserved population in our community."

The unit is expected to be ready for the move in November of this year.

Globe staff writer Koby Levin contributed to this report

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