Trustees table decision on Menchaca staging area; limestone option for partial lot favored in staff framing

Trustees reviewed options Oct. 15 for the Menchaca campus parent‑staging area and possible partial or full parking‑lot construction. Facilities staff presented three temporary‑surface options and turnkey estimates for a half lot, a full lot, and a permanent paved lot.

Staff gave three material scenarios for the frequently muddy staging area: (1) a limestone base that can be driven on in rain and reused later if a permanent lot is built; (2) recycled asphalt millings (including possible savings if millings are sourced from a track project); and (3) a full asphalt parking surface. Price estimates varied considerably by contractor and material. For a half lot, staff’s sample numbers ranged from roughly $42,000 (limestone, lower contractor) to over $300,000 (asphalt) depending on scope and contractor; a turnkey full paved lot schematic was roughly $2.5 million in staff’s high‑level estimate.

Trustees discussed safety concerns (cars stacking onto the roadside on rain days), cost and vendor differences, and whether the district should proceed now or wait for additional trustees to participate. One trustee said the issue had persisted for three years and urged action; others preferred to include two absent trustees in the decision. A motion to approve a half‑lot limestone option from the lowest‑cost contractor was made and then an amendment to table the item carried; trustees formally tabled the item for a later vote to allow absent trustees to take part.

Ending: The item was tabled; staff will bring revised estimates and include absent trustees in a future meeting for a final decision.