UMKC issues call to developers interested in new performing arts conservatory

Heartened by signs that Missouri Gov. Mike Parson would support funding a University of Missouri-Kansas City conservatory in the future, university officials have issued a call to developers interested in designing and constructing the project.

Plans for an updated and expanded conservatory have changed since former Gov. Eric Greitens vetoed legislative funding for a downtown arts campus last year.

The university's current plan calls for a new $100 million space to house UMKC's recently-merged Conservatory of Music and Dance and theater departments. The plan no longer is limited to a downtown location.

A request for interest issued by the University of Missouri curators this week asks for proposals on securing land and funding, as well as design and construction services, for a new facility and parking lot for UMKC's performing arts students.

The request indicates the university is willing to consider various proposals for the new conservatory's location, from off-campus land or buildings made available through public or private partnerships to design ideas utilizing university-owned land on the school's main campus.

The current space is outdated, small and inadequate, university officials have said.

Last month, UMKC officials announced that they intended to seek support for a new performing arts space after the previous plan for a $96 million arts campus/conservatory downtown stalled in 2017.

UMKC had raised $48 million in private funds to match $48 million in state-issued bonds promised by the legislature through a 50-50 matching program.

But Greitens vetoed state funding last summer, and the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation, UMKC's lead donor, subsequently pulled a $20 million pledge.

Earlier this year, Missouri Rep. Noel Shull, a Republican, reintroduced a bill that would fund half the cost of building and furnishing a downtown conservatory, but the proposal didn't make it out of committee.

Greitens' resignation has revived hope for future legislative support for the project.

And Parson, Greitens' successor, indicated last week that he would consider state funding for the project.

"It's something I've worked on before in the past for this area," Parson told reporters in Kansas City. "And I do think it's important for Kansas City, and I do think it's a good investment for the state of Missouri."

This story was originally published June 21, 2018 at 11:35 AM with the headline "UMKC issues call to developers interested in new performing arts conservatory."