Weatherford ISD Bond Process Update

On May 9, 2015, voters of the Weatherford ISD community approved a bond package of three propositions totaling $74.9 million and the district has already been busy launching the planning and design phases of the approved projects. The district is working closely with its architect, Huckabee, and financial advisor, First Southwest, to detail our strategy, timeline, and plan to implement the approved bond package.

The bond package addresses existing facility improvements, grade realignment, growth, and safety and security.
• Proposition One, for $18.8 million, will touch every existing campus and includes improvements to comply with current codes and standards, increase safety and security, make schools more energy efficient and extend the life of each facility.
• Proposition Two, totaling $49,500,000, will construct a brand new Hall Middle School at its existing site for grades 6-8, as well as provide a sixth grade classroom addition as well as other improvements at Tison Middle School.
• Proposition Three, $6.6 million, includes the construction of controlled entrances to improve security at all existing campuses.

At its regular May meeting, the school board reviewed and chose its preferred construction delivery method and is now beginning the selection process of a Construction Manager at Risk. The district hopes to have a construction company on board by the end of the month to assist the district and architect with budget management as the details for each project are developed.

To address the needs in Proposition Two, the district formed a design committee at each campus that consists of teachers and school administrators. These committees are already meeting with the architect to discuss the planning of the two projects. This collaborative process will allow staff to have an active role in the decisions being made on the programming and design of their campuses. Dr. Jeffrey Hanks, superintendent of schools said, “We believe this process will yield a wealth of new, innovative techniques, concepts, and ideas that will ultimately result in a design that embraces 21st century learning opportunities.”

The Board of Trustees is expected to give final approval on the designs for the renovations for all facilities in Propositions One and Three in July, and for the new Hall Middle School and additions and renovations at Tison Middle School in August.

Construction sets and building permits for all work will be available in late fall, with construction kicking off in the early months of 2016 for all projects. Proposition One facility improvements and Proposition Three controlled entrances (with the exception of Tison) are projected to be completed by August 2016. Estimated completion of the new Hall Middle School and renovations and additions to Tison Middle School is July 2017 with an August 2017 move-in.

Weatherford ISD is excited to begin the journey to update and improve our district, and is committed to transparency throughout the process with the community. To do so, we will continue to update www.roobond.com to inform our community about the design and construction status of the May 2015 Bond Program.

Published June 17, 2015 Print