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Gatesville ISD board weighs paying $1.4 million up front to speed junior-high renovations ahead of $26M bond
Summary
Board members discussed an option to pay $1.4 million now for architectural designs to accelerate junior-high field house and press-box work if a $26 million bond passes; administrators said reimbursements could come from bond proceeds but trade-offs mean some projects (turf, full auditorium overhaul) may be omitted.
The Gatesville ISD Board discussed an option to pay $1,400,000 up front for architectural designs so construction on junior-high renovations and a field house could begin immediately if voters approve a proposed $26,000,000 bond.
Speaker 4 told the board that architects returned higher-than-expected prices and that paying design costs now would allow the district to "hit the ground running" once the bond passes. She said the board could adopt a reimbursement resolution so those upfront costs would later be reimbursed with bond proceeds if voters approve the measure.
Administrators framed trade-offs: the bond could fund sixth-grade relocation into the junior high, cafeteria expansion into the library, ADA restroom upgrades and a 14,000-square-foot metal field house with a larger press box and about 1,000 added seats on the home side. But Speaker 4 cautioned that under the constrained budget the district "would not get the turf on football or baseball" and the Clay Reeves Auditorium would receive only acoustic fixes rather than a full redevelopment.
Financial staff (Speaker 7) told the board the district's unassigned fund balance was roughly $11,500,000 last year (final audited numbers pending) and said the administration had consulted Region 12 and financial advisors about the feasibility of an upfront design payment. Board members debated priorities: some argued limited fixes to the junior-high auditorium make sense if funds are scarce, while others said a larger renovation better serves fine-arts and assembly needs.
Speaker 4 said the administration will return with additional scenarios and cost options at an upcoming meeting so trustees can decide whether to authorize the upfront payment or re-scope projects. The board did not adopt a final financial commitment at this meeting.
