Pine Bluff board approves design work for athletic master plan as new high school takes shape

The Pine Bluff School District Board of Education voted to hire Louis Elliott Architects to develop construction documents for a proposed athletic master plan at the district's new high school campus.

Architects showed a site fly‑through and photographs of recent progress at the high‑school site, including new steel framing, excavation for storm drains and concrete work for the auditorium. Blake (architect, presenter) described a plan that would flip the current home side to the west, add a new press box and video board, new turf and expanded seating, concessions with multiple serving lines, ADA ramps and a “Championship Plaza” raised out of the flood plain.

The design presentation emphasized tying the plaza and athletic improvements into existing site work already under contract. “This is a proposed plan based on the possibility of basing this project in, with the different types of funding that would be available to do so,” Blake said. The designers said moving quickly to complete construction documents would preserve current pricing and allow the district to bid selected elements or phase the work.

Why it matters: board members were told the athletic upgrades were not included in the bond financing that paid for the new high school and would require separate budgeting and approval before construction. Superintendent Barber and presenters said the district has already completed demolition, dirt work and other site work, which could make adding athletic improvements more economical now than later.

Key details presented to the board included a reported building‑fund ending balance for the project and the district's total spending on the school to date. In the financial report the presenters cited an ending balance in the building fund “right now” of approximately $50,000,009.37 and said the district has spent $17,302,968 so far on the overall project. The presentation noted remaining structural work and flood‑plain constraints that the design must address.

The board then voted to authorize Louis Elliott Architects to begin construction documents for the athletic master plan. The motion passed on an affirmative voice vote. Board members and presenters discussed the option of creating a prioritized “shopping list” of work so the board could choose which elements to fund and build.

The board was told the documents would allow the district to solicit bids and that the scope could be executed in phases. Presenters recommended full construction documents so the board could compare firm prices for particular elements and make phase‑by‑phase decisions.

Actions and next steps: the board approved the request to prepare construction documents. The architects will prepare drawings and engineering, and the district will return to the board with estimated pricing and a recommended phased approach before any construction contracts are executed. No construction contract was awarded at the meeting.

Ending: Board members said they wanted the district to return with cost estimates and a phased list of work so the board could decide which elements to fund. The motion to proceed with design does not obligate the district to build any specific athletic element until the board approves funding and construction contracts.