JEFFERSON CITY — Less than a week after Gov. Mike Parson broke ground on a new state laboratory facility, he learned Tuesday the building will be named after him.
During a hearing of the Missouri Board of Public Buildings in his Capitol office, the governor said he was unaware the honor was heading his way as officials called for a vote on the concept.
“I don’t remember that being on the agenda,” the state’s 57th chief executive said. “I’m just humbled to say the least.”
Parson, 68, is term limited and is winding down his six-year tenure.
The $151 million multi-story facility near the old Missouri State Penitentiary will help five state agencies share information, expertise, equipment and support services under one roof.
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The new lab, more than three years in the making, will serve the Department of Health and Senior Services, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Conservation and Missouri State Highway Patrol.
The building will be an upgrade of the state’s current fleet of laboratory facilities, some of which are aging and becoming outdated. The current labs also are spread across the capital city, reducing productivity and efficiency.
Similar naming honors were bestowed on former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt when he retired in 2023. A bridge carrying traffic over the Missouri River in Jefferson City is among a number of sites bearing his name.
A state park that has never opened was named for former Gov. Jay Nixon when he left office in 2016.