College Station ISD gives status update on 2023 bond construction: cranes, steel erection, roofs and CTE work under way

College Station ISD staff briefed the board on the status of multiple bond-funded construction projects at a Sept. 16 workshop, reporting finished middle school athletic improvements, active high-school additions and ongoing elementary and district office repairs.

The presenter said the district completed the middle school athletic improvements that began last October, and that athletic events and sub-varsity games have already used the new fields and tracks. He described new turf at all three middle schools, redone track surfaces, LED lighting, expanded restroom and concession facilities at several campuses, and increased bleacher capacity.

At a consolidated campus the presenter said crews were "going vertical with steel" and a large crane was on site with the last delivery of steel expected the week of the meeting. For College Mesa High School — a project the presenter said started late last spring — staff reported an original estimated completion of December 2026 but said they were pushing hard to finish by August 2026 to allow summer move-in and removal of six portable classrooms.

Rock Prairie Elementary work included stage curtain replacement, hallway flooring replacement and an office addition; staff said the car-rider line was reconfigured and that hydroseeded areas were being protected while they established. The presenter requested, on the record, a later start-of-school date after Labor Day to provide more uninterrupted summer construction time; he noted that request was made to the superintendent.

CTE phase 2 crews began in late May, drilling 223 auger-cast piles some as large as 36 inches in diameter. Staff said piers averaged 15–20 per day and reached 85 in one week. The project will house Ag Mechanics, Animal Science, Auto Tech, cosmetology, vet tech and welding labs.

Baseball and softball projects were in final grading and stone phases; turf installation at several fields was imminent. Stadium improvements and a field house expansion were underway; some press-box and permanent access work was deferred until after football season because of crane and bleacher access constraints.

District office and campus roof projects were described as ongoing. Staff reported recent mechanical repairs at Spring Creek had reduced leaks and noted a number of hail-damage roof repairs under review; College Hills was identified as needing a complete roof replacement. Staff said the district was coordinating with insurance adjusters and engineers and planned to begin major roof projects over the next summer when they would be less disruptive to students.

The presenter described contracting and cost controls: larger, competitively bid packages and "guaranteed maximum price" (GMP) contract arrangements, which lock price and substantial completion dates to limit inflationary exposure. He said when GMPs are in place, adding extra crews to accelerate schedule does not increase district costs unless there is a change order.

Finally, the presenter said the district had pursued anti-scalable black vinyl-coated fencing across campuses to meet state safety expectations and to improve aesthetics, and that remaining campuses would receive fencing soon.

Board members asked questions about scheduling, bid competitiveness and budget stewardship; staff said increased competition at bid openings and faster project pacing had helped stretch bond funds and would allow the district to return to items left off earlier bond packages.