Three SW Missouri schools to receive tornado shelter funding

Three Missouri school districts will receive a total of $3.5 million to build tornado shelters.

The State Emergency Management Agency announced Thursday that the grants will go to schools in Christian, Lawrence and McDonald counties. The planned safe rooms would shelter more than 2,250 people.

The projects will require local matches ranging from 10 to 25 percent.

Christian County’s Sparta district plans a stand-alone safe room, which will also be an early childhood center, for its elementary/middle school campus. Lawrence County’s Miller district would build a stand-alone safe room on its high school campus, and McDonald County’s Goodman Elementary School would build a stand-alone safe room that will also be a gymnasium.

The Goodman Elementary School campus was hit by a tornado in April 2017. School was not in session but the building was a total loss.