Rockport Fulton ISD trustees hear bond project update, approve $100,000 furniture purchase and extend bank contract

Rockport Fulton Independent School District trustees on March 20 reviewed construction progress on the 2022 bond projects and a long-range facilities plan that lays out multi-year HVAC, painting and security upgrades while voting to approve a furniture purchase for Fulton Elementary and to extend the district's bank depository contract.

The updates came as Teal Construction and district staff detailed on-site work at Rockport Fulton High School and Fulton Elementary and presented a five-year maintenance and technology plan that lists equipment replacement cycles, security upgrades and estimated costs. "We're still on track for substantial completion in December 2025," said Mike Nowotny, who presented the construction update, describing masonry, drywall and mechanical work now underway at the high school.

District staff emphasized the scale of deferred and upcoming work. Sean Fletcher, identified in the meeting as the district's coordinator of maintenance, said rooftop HVAC units replaced after Hurricane Harvey are approaching end-of-life around the same time and that an aggressive replacement schedule is needed; the presentation put a base equipment estimate for rooftop-unit replacements at about $1.8 million and a higher estimate including newer units at roughly $2.4 million. The broader facilities plan includes interior painting, athletic lighting and stadium work; the presenters summarized a five-year maintenance total of $5.1 million and a separate five-year technology estimate of $4.0 million, producing a combined figure presented as $9,248,043.

Chris Garris, who reviewed technology and security needs, told the board that current camera infrastructure includes about 340 cameras districtwide and that the bond work will add roughly 60 more; he said higher-definition cameras and integrated access control would require upgraded servers and software. "When we did our facility walk, the number one suggestion was upgrading our cameras and our access control," Garris said, summarizing input from local safety officials who joined the November walk-through.

How the district pays for the work remains unresolved. Kathy Henderson, director of business services, told trustees the local budget cannot cover the full package and said the district could consider a maintenance-and-technology bond or a maintenance note. She also reminded the board that $462,746 in previously recorded local expenditures could be reimbursed from bond funds but recommended leaving those bond dollars available for urgent needs such as HVAC and classroom technology.

Votes at the meeting

- Purchase of Fulton Elementary furniture: The board voted to approve a bond-funded purchase not to exceed $100,000 to finish furniture for Fulton Elementary's remaining classrooms and intervention space. Motion made by Trustee Bridal; seconded by Trustee Yarnell. Vote: 6-0; motion approved.

- Extension of Prosperity Bank depository contract: The board approved a two-year extension of the district's bank depository agreement with Prosperity Bank for Sept. 1, 2025 to Aug. 31, 2027. Motion made by Trustee Burton; seconded by Trustee Randall. Vote: 6-0; motion approved.

- Consent agenda: The board approved the consent agenda as presented. Motion made by Trustee Yarnell; seconded by Trustee Randall. Vote: 6-0; motion approved.

What trustees heard and what's next

Construction: Nowotny said Rockport Fulton High School work is approximately 48% complete with an authorized spend indicated in the presentation of about $18.9 million of a $39.2 million total; Fulton Elementary was reported at about 88% complete with $11.3 million authorized of a $12.87 million budget and a target substantial completion in April. Photographs shown to the board highlighted masonry veneers, waterproofing, interior plumbing and above-ceiling electrical and low-voltage work.

Facilities plan details: The maintenance plan lists categories including rooftop HVAC replacement cycles, interior painting (estimated at about $4.04 per square foot in the presentation), playground and athletic facility improvements, fleet and bus replacement schedules, and a proposed stadium LED conversion and field lighting. The presentation included phased cost examples: replacing critical HVAC equipment only was summarized at about $3.5 million; a full set of recommended facility projects totaled about $5.1 million.

Security and technology: The district's technology plan presented a five-year technology and safety estimate of $4.0 million, covering camera upgrades, server/recording infrastructure, and access-control software to integrate doors and video. The board heard that the middle school lacks full access control and that a roughly $700,000 plan was presented to bring that campus onto an access-control platform.

Funding options and next steps: Business staff said local funds cannot cover the entire plan and suggested either a targeted maintenance/technology bond or a maintenance note; board members asked staff to include installed costs where the presentation showed equipment-only estimates and to return with more detailed funding scenarios at upcoming budget workshops.

Ending

Board discussion on funding and phasing continued in the meeting but no additional formal action on the facility plan was taken at the March 20 session. Trustees directed staff to provide more detailed installed-cost estimates and funding options in future budget work sessions.