The FISTA Development Trust Authority has chosen an Oklahoma City-based firm to guide construction of the long-planned FISTA Youth Science Institute, a facility that will expand science and technology education at the FISTA Innovation Park in Central Plaza.
Board members voted unanimously Tuesday to accept the recommendation of a selection committee and hire Quad Construction as construction manager for the project.
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The authority evaluated proposals from five contractors before identifying three finalists, according to FISTA President and CEO Krista Ratliff. Those firms — Quad Construction, Boldt and CDBL Inc. — were interviewed in depth prior to the final decision.
“It was narrowed down to Boldt, Quad and CDBL,” she said. “And the recommendation from the subcommittee that interviewed them was to award this project to QUAD Construction.”
Ratliff explained that the next step will be for Quad to establish a guaranteed maximum price for the facility. That figure will be presented to the authority at its next meeting, where members are expected to review the budget and potentially authorize a formal notice to proceed as early as April.
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The City of Lawton has committed $15 million through its Capital Improvements Project Extension, while an additional $5 million federal grant will support the development. The combined $20 million investment represents one of the largest educational infrastructure efforts in the region in recent years.
Once complete, the Youth Science Institute will provide hands-on instruction in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for students ranging from junior high to college level, along with professional development opportunities for teachers. The center is designed to work in tandem with FISTA’s existing STEM Lab, which currently serves elementary students.
Local leaders say the new institute will help prepare students for high-tech careers connected to the growing defense and innovation sectors in Lawton. FISTA Innovation Park has increasingly become a hub for collaboration between education, industry and the military, and officials view the Youth Science Institute as the next major step in that mission.
By offering advanced robotics, coding, engineering design and research space, the facility is expected to attract regional partnerships and strengthen the local workforce pipeline.
Eric Swanson has more than 20 years’ experience covering local government and criminal justice in Oklahoma, Kansas and North Dakota. He can be reached at eric.swanson@swoknews.com.
Originally reported by Eric Swanson in Swok News.
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