By Greg Grisolano

ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com

A $7 million project that would have brought an indoor practice field and storm shelter to Missouri Southern State University’s campus is on hold — indefinitely.

MSSU President Bruce Speck announced the move during a faculty senate meeting Monday afternoon, and later during a meeting of the budget and audit subcommittee of Southern’s Board of Governors.

Speck said the university “thought we had a donor to help us” complete the project, but the potential donor stated last week that it wasn’t interested.

Downstream Casino

Speck confirmed in an interview Tuesday that the donor the university had been looking to was Downstream Casino Resort, which is just west of Joplin in Oklahoma.

“I started talking to them early on, and one of the issues was ‘casino’ in the title if there was a naming, and so on,” he said, adding that a contingent from the university met last week with representatives from the casino. “My understanding is they said this wasn’t something they wanted to pursue.”

MSSU Athletic Director Jared Bruggeman said he was under the impression that the casino planned to be a direct financial contributor.

“I’ve only been here a little over three months,” he said. “But I was under the impression there was going to be a financial contribution.

“It’s unfortunate (the project is on hold), but with the economy being what it is, it’s not hard to understand. There may be other projects of more need.”

Sean Harrison, a spokesman for Downstream Casino Resort, said the company “never committed any financial contribution” to the project.

“What we wanted to do, and what we still want to do, is help out with fundraising,” he said. “Nothing has really changed. We’re still willing to help. We’re just waiting to see what will happen with the project.”

Harrison said tension on the campus — which resulted Monday in an overwhelming faculty vote of no confidence in Speck’s leadership — “hasn’t made any difference to us.”

Storm shelter