Construction will begin soon on a new multi-purpose classroom at the Missouri Institute of Natural Science (MINS) in southwest Springfield.
The museum held a groundbreaking ceremony for the project Tuesday afternoon.
MINS serves more than 5,000 students annually. In a news release, the Greene County Commission said the museum is ready to expand its educational impact with the new addition.
MINS was formed in 2003 following the discovery in 2001 of the nearby Riverbluff Cave during road construction. The cave was full of formations, fossils, claw marks and track ways left behind by animals that lived during the Ice Age, according to the museum’s website.
The museum opened in May 2009. Some artifacts from Riverbluff Cave are displayed there.
