The architectural firm hired to design a medical school building at Missouri Southern has been put on hold “indefinitely.”

That’s the word from Rob Yust, vice president for business affairs. Crawford Architects, a Kansas City firm, was tabbed by Southern’s Board of Governors in January to develop plans for the project at a rate of 6.5 percent of the total cost for a $10 million building on campus.

Yust said the firm has been paid around $10,000 so far, and won’t be paid while they aren’t working.

“They are not doing anything for us at this time,” Yust said.

“We don’t want to spend any more money,” he added. 

University attorney Jon Dermott told the Board in January that the contract did contain a release provision. Governors also supported a decision then by Southern’s Foundation to borrow $250,000 to cover initial planning for the project.

On April 20, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences nixed a partnership with Southern to open a branch campus in Joplin. Plans called for Southern to construct a building on the northeast corner of Duquense and Newman roads and lease the facility to KCUMB.

“We informed them (architects) of KCUMB’s decision and at this time we are not proceeding ahead until we receive some indication there may be another medical school on the horizon,