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Board approves schematic design to convert Higginbotham building into maintenance, warehouse and district operations hub
Summary
Trustees approved schematic design to repurpose the former Higginbotham building on Highway 29 into a larger maintenance and warehouse facility with secure professional‑development space, locker rooms, storm‑shelter capability and a district police office; architects estimate bid award in May and construction completion in November 2025.
Trustees on Wednesday approved schematic design documents for a district maintenance and warehouse facility located at the former Higginbotham Building on Highway 29.
Architect Tim Koons of VOK Architects presented plans to enclose portions of the existing 17,000‑square‑foot pre‑engineered metal building and add conditioned space for a professional‑development room (designed as a storm shelter with emergency power), a district nurse office, a secure police suite, expanded warehouse/conditioned shop area, locker and shower rooms and an organized keying storage room for district access control.
Koons said the design relies heavily on the building’s existing structure to limit cost and that the southern attic‑stock storage enclosure is proposed as an alternate bid item. The architects estimate finishing design development in March, issuing construction documents and bidding in April, awarding a contractor through a CSP procurement in May 2025 and completing construction by November 2025.
Trustees asked about the need for a loading dock (architects said forklift operations from trucks make a loading dock unnecessary and would add cost), the size of the professional‑development room (to host district transportation, maintenance and other staff training) and officer presence in the new site. Administration said the police chief will maintain campus presence while the central office location will house the chief and an assistant.
Trustee Hargrove made the motion to approve the schematic design; the board carried the motion by voice vote.
The schematic approval does not authorize construction dollars; administration stated no costs were associated with the schematic approval and that future board actions will be required to award contracts and appropriate funds.
