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Board approves schematic design for new maintenance and warehouse facility at former Higginbotham site
Summary
Trustees approved schematic designs to convert a 17,000-square-foot pre-engineered building on Highway 29 into a consolidated maintenance, warehouse and operations center with a secure professional-development room, district nurse space and a police department suite.
The Liberty Hill ISD board approved schematic designs Wednesday for a new maintenance and warehouse facility at the district’s recently purchased former Higginbotham building on Highway 29.
Designers and district staff told trustees the 17,000-square-foot pre-engineered metal building has “good bones” for conversion and will provide conditioned workshop space, expanded warehouse storage and a secured front vestibule. The schematic includes a professional-development room intended to serve as an emergency power–capable technology hub and an interior “shelter” space designed to meet storm-shelter needs for users of the facility.
Key features and rationale
- Use of existing structure: Architects recommended adapting the purchased metal building to reduce cost while adding interior office, nurse and police department space.
- Program spaces: The design includes conditioned shop space, a larger warehouse (roughly double the district’s current conditioned storage), a professional-development room sized about two classrooms, a district-nurse office, a staff break room and a secured area for the district police office and evidence/storage.
- Alternate work: Designers proposed a small enclosed attic-stock storage area as an alternate bid item and three covered outdoor storage bays.
- Schedule and next steps: The board approved schematic designs; staff will proceed to design development and construction documents, target contractor selection in April–May and anticipated a construction completion date in November 2025. Presentation materials noted no construction costs were being approved at schematic stage.
Board discussion and action
Trustees asked whether the facility would include a loading dock; architects said the district’s delivery patterns and equipment made a loading dock an unnecessary cost. Trustees also discussed the facility’s role as a base for the district police chief and the site’s relative security; district leaders said the police chief will remain engaged on campuses and the facility would serve as an administrative base rather than a campus command post.
Trustee Hargrove moved to approve the schematic design; Trustee Neighbors seconded the motion. The board voted to approve the schematic as presented.
Provenance: The schematic design presentation and board approval took place during the meeting’s action items (schematic design discussion in agenda item 8a, approval recorded under the action item vote).
