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Board hears design development and timeline for ECC, high school renovations, transportation and CTE projects
Summary
Design team and contractors briefed the board on design development, site surveys, geotech borings, asbestos testing, renderings and a procurement schedule targeting August construction documents and Oct–Q4 bidding; ECC may open in early 2028, while high-school renovations require multiple summers and more complex sequencing.
The board received a detailed capital-program update on March 2 as district project leads and design consultants described progress on four priority projects: the early childhood center (ECC), transportation facility, high-school renovations and CTE/auxiliary work.
"We are focusing on the big four projects," the project lead said, introducing design-team members and contractors, including a project manager for the ECC and transportation, a high-school project manager and representatives from BuiltRight Construction and Friends Consulting Group.
The team summarized recent site visits (noting Texarkana ISD’s ECC and Texas High School CTE as case studies), described play-based pre-K design choices (family-style dining, pod commons) and said Exhibit Concepts will be engaged for experiential pre-K design. Technical work reported included completed surveys, imminent geotechnical borings and asbestos sampling at the high school because of the building’s age. Renderings shown to the board reflect a newly acquired parcel that improved circulation and helped the schedule and logistics.
Project details included relocating the new kitchen to one side of an existing kitchen to avoid disruption during school operations, building three bus-shop bays with a wash area and fueling station for the transportation facility, and designing flexible large-group instruction (LGI) spaces that can be partitioned for multiple uses. The team said material selection work (including brick matching) and consultant coordination are underway.
On procurement and schedule, the team outlined a path of construction documents in August, advertising and bid windows in September, and bidding in October for some projects. The ECC’s construction was described as requiring roughly 12–14 months and an opening targeted for the 2027–28 school year (early 2028). High-school work will be phased across both summers to reduce disruption and will need more complex student-movement planning.
Board members asked logistical questions about the LGI room layout and cafeteria/common spaces; the team said large gatherings would use the gym (a tornado shelter) and that the commons and outdoor dining would provide daily meal spaces. A board member asked about bid timing; staff confirmed local and metro advertising of bid opportunities and said the district will post formal dates as construction documents complete.
Shortly after the capital-program update the board adjourned into a closed session under "Texas government code section 55101."
