College Station ISD presents Sylvester Road central‑office design, timeline and projected costs

District staff presented a detailed update on a proposed new central office building and site plan on district‑owned property on Sylvester Road.

"We landed on the decision that we felt like it was the most cost effective solution was for us to design and build on the property that we currently own on Sylvester Road," Josh said, explaining that two alternative renovation options proved too costly to retrofit. The bond proposition A from November 2023 allocated $31,110,000 for this and related projects and passed with roughly 69.35% voter approval.

Staff described the program and schedule: the new two‑level building would add about 61,000 square feet (approximately 47,000 sq ft on level one and 13,000 sq ft on level two) and yield nearly 84,000 sq ft combined with the existing central office. The new design increases boardroom capacity (from about 2,500 to roughly 3,100 sq ft and from 112 to about 192 seats), adds roughly 143 staff workspaces (from the current 85), and raises confirmed parking to 204 spaces (244 with alternate options). The plan also would relocate DAEP to the renovated existing building, freeing seven classrooms at Collegeview High School and creating space for program expansion.

Staff put the near‑term schedule on July 22 for bid advertisement, a month of bid analysis in August, and presentation of a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for board approval in September. If the board approves a GMP, staff estimated construction could begin quickly and target occupancy of the new building in December 2027 with remodel of the current central office starting January 2028 and the DAEP opening in August 2028.

Operating‑cost estimates were presented as approximations. For the newly designed building staff estimated annual utilities between $38,000 and $47,000 and set a conservative estimate of $45,000; total estimated annual net impact (including staffing and savings such as reduced rental storage costs for Kids Club) was presented around $251,000. The Sylvester Road property appraisal was cited at roughly $1,000,026 (down about $800,000 from the previous appraisal), and staff noted bid‑market timing and inflationary pressures as reasons to delay the GMP to September.

Trustees raised several concerns including declining enrollment and the risk of underutilized facilities if projections change. "I'm just very concerned that we're gonna be bringing aboard a new space, and we're sitting looking at some underutilized facilities that already exist," Trustee 4 said, urging careful evaluation of long‑term utilization before committing. Supporters pointed to voter support for the bond and potential local economic developments that could increase enrollment.

No action was taken at the meeting; staff will return with a GMP and further details in September.