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District presents Freedom Monument High School designs and bond phase‑two plans
Summary
District operations and design teams updated the board on bond phase‑two planning and showed schematic designs and renderings for Freedom Monument High School, citing a ~$21 million project budget and an estimated $16.3 million construction cost as designs move into cost‑estimate review.
District officials and project partners briefed the Board of Education on Oct. 7 about progress on bond‑funded facility projects and early designs for Freedom Monument High School.
Clint Garcia, the district’s chief operations officer, offered a phase‑one recap and phase‑two outlook, saying about $28.8 million was budgeted for initial projects and roughly $23.4 million is committed to date, leaving approximately $5 million in savings that could be reallocated. He told the board phase‑two includes 11 schools with a combined budget near $38.6 million and that the team expects contractor estimates within days to compare against the budget.
On Freedom Monument High School, Garcia said the project budget is about $21 million with an estimated construction budget of approximately $16.3 million. “We’re early on in design,” presenters said, noting schematic designs recently completed and updated cost assessments expected in four to six weeks.
Architect Daniel Gardner of Chamberlain Architects described three main additions in the schematic plans: a southwest science addition with two laboratories, a northwest corridor to integrate exterior‑doored classrooms into the main building for improved security and circulation, and a CTE addition linking the A building with the main facility. “These additions really bring the whole campus into a single whole, which is huge from a security standpoint,” he said, and showed interior and exterior renderings intended to modernize 1970s classrooms.
Why it matters: Officials said several recent projects came in under budget (safety and security upgrades, priority improvement projects) and that savings help extend work into phase‑two. The district also noted a remaining backlog of deferred maintenance — cited at about $600 million — and said future bonds will be required for larger capital needs.
The project team reported that schematic design documents are advancing to design‑development and construction‑drawing phases and that site utilities and geotechnical investigations are underway. The district will receive estimates from three selected general contractors and use those to confirm scope or adjust plans prior to summer construction work next year.
Board members and district leaders thanked the design and construction teams for cost‑conscious work and emphasized the need to be prudent with bond dollars while continuing to pursue facility improvements.
What’s next: Project teams will finalize design‑development documents in November and present updated cost estimates to the board in the coming weeks; phase‑two contractor estimates were expected immediately after the Oct. 7 meeting.
