Spring ISD trustees approve $89.675 million guaranteed maximum price for EPIC building

The Spring Independent School District Board of Trustees on Aug. 12, 2025, approved a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) of $89,675,524 for Package 3 of the district’s Education, Performance, and Instructional Center (EPIC).

The motion to approve the GMP was made by Trustee Natasha McDaniel and seconded by Trustee Rhonda Newhouse. The board voted to approve the GMP; the motion was recorded as carrying unanimously. The price covers construction of the building itself; previous GMPs covered site development and parking work.

Why it matters: the money for EPIC comes from a voter‑approved bond election, and the approved GMP clears the way for the district to move from site work into full building construction. Trustees and staff said the vote implements community direction given in the bond election and allows the district to begin the next phase of the project.

Discussion and board questions focused on safeguards and oversight. Trustee Winford Adams reminded the public that the project is funded by the previously approved bond and thanked the community for support. Adams asked about the role of the district’s third‑party construction auditor, a representative from the Townsend Group, in reviewing contractor pay applications. Chief of District Operations Mark Miranda and staff explained that the auditor reviews pay applications alongside the architect and district operations staff before payments are made.

Miranda described the GMP development process: the construction manager‑at‑risk works with subcontractors to solicit multiple bids across divisions (mechanical, plumbing, electrical, finishes, etc.), and the district and architect review line‑by‑line costs to bring the GMP into budget. He said most line items with $0 amounts in the GMP exhibit are either not part of this package or are included in earlier GMPs; items listed as “allowance” are budgeted in a different part of the packet and represent controlled maximums the district oversees.

Trustees asked about materials escalation and contingency allowances. Miranda said allowance amounts represent maximums and that any savings below those maximums remain district funds. He said there is a small chance the board could be asked to approve minor, late project items, but the administration believes this will be the final major GMP for EPIC.

Trustee Debbie Jensen and others asked about stormwater and site preparation. Jensen noted prior work on detention and runoff and said the district has studied these factors during earlier ground preparation phases. Trustee McDaniel requested a public dashboard to show bond project spending and comparative data to prior bonds; staff said a dashboard is in the pipeline and that they have reviewed bond‑reporting models used by other districts.

Action details: the motion text on the record was: “that the board of trustees approve the guaranteed maximum price for the education, performance, and instructional center package 3 in the amount of $89,675,524.” Trustee McDaniel moved; Trustee Newhouse seconded. The board chair called for the vote and the motion carried as recorded by the meeting minutes.

The board then authorized staff to continue with construction procurement and pay‑application processes under the oversight described. Staff said routine auditing, architect review and third‑party auditing will continue as pay requests are processed.

Ending: The district will publish additional project materials and staff indicated they plan to come back to the board if any additional approvals are required for small end‑of‑project items. The board asked staff to return with a bond dashboard and periodic bond updates for public review.