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Gatesville ISD outlines $26 million bond option focusing on junior-high renovation, field house
Summary
Trustees and community members endorsed keeping a proposed bond package near $26 million to renovate the 60-year-old junior high (auditorium acoustics, seating, ADA access) and build a field house; board staff emphasized safety, phased scope, and a community engagement timeline ahead of a Feb. 9 decision to call an election.
Gatesville ISD trustees and community members spent the bulk of the board meeting discussing a proposed bond package that officials say can cover a junior-high renovation and a field house while staying near a $26 million cap that the district believes will be more likely to pass with voters.
Parents, teachers and junior-high staff described daily uses and safety problems in the junior-high auditorium: broken, splintering seats; poor acoustics that make assemblies and instruction difficult; steep stage access that limits ADA use; and regular movement of students across a busy street to use high-school facilities. A parent and teacher said keeping rehearsals, practices and morning assemblies on the junior-high campus would reduce hazardous crossings during peak traffic times.
Mike Boyle, lead architect with Huckaby, told the board that middle-school-level renovations typically sit below the scope of a high-school performing arts center and that design and cost options can be evaluated to find a middle ground that supports small-scale performances, improved audio-visual systems and safety/ADA upgrades.
Board presenters described a strategic scope that would combine the junior-high renovation with a field house to keep the package under the $26 million target; that configuration avoids listing a press box as a separate line item, which staff said would likely be viewed as less student-focused. Trustees and staff also flagged geological concerns near the football stadium (sliding hillside) and the need to address turf and track repairs in the near term.
A district representative said the board will continue design work, produce pricing options, and use community feedback to prioritize elements (seats, acoustics, lighting, ADA access) before voting to call any election. The board identified an Oct. 29 design-committee meeting and community focus sessions this fall as part of a pre-bond engagement timeline that leads to a special call meeting on Feb. 9 if trustees decide to place the bond before voters.
The discussion did not produce a final bond call at the meeting; staff said further evaluation and public engagement will shape the final package.
