Construction from Lancaster ISD bond program almost complete

by Bill Conrad of Lancaster TODAY

The Lancaster Independent School District projects that were to be paid for by the 2004 Bond Election are nearly complete, according to Elvin Lotten, who oversees construction for the district. Lotten gave an update on the status of the bond program at a town hall meeting organized by Interim Superintendent Dana Marable Feb. 16.

The three major projects funded by the bond program have all been completed for more than a year. The new Lancaster High School was built on property located at the corner of Dallas Avenue and Wintergreen Road. The school features an auditorium with seating for 1,202 and a 4,080 square foot stage. The school also features a 14,180-square-foot cafeteria, a coliseum with seating for 3,400 and a large library and lecture hall. The high school opened fall 2006.

A new football and track stadium was also completed and has been named in honor of Athletic Director and Girls Track Coach Beverly Humphrey. The stadium seats more than 7,600 people and has a five-level press box on the home side. Offices for the LISD athletic department are also housed in the stadium, which opened fall 2005.

In addition to the stadium, a state-of-the-art practice facility was constructed south of the stadium. The facility features an indoor football field measuring 100 yards and also has batting cages which can be lowered from the roof for use by the baseball and softball teams. A 2,723-square-foot weight room is also featured inside the facility. Five practice fields were also built for use by the football and soccer teams.

The final new construction project was the new Houston Elementary School. The new school can accommodate 660 students and opened fall 2006.

The program also paid for renovations on nearly all property owned by the district. A board room was installed at the LISD Administration Building and the building also received other renovations including a new 100-spot parking lot, a new fire sprinkler system and a new ceiling.

West Main and Pleasant Run elementaries received renovations including asbestos abatement, parking lot striping and new carpet, but other renovations were not completed due to financial cost. A handout provided by Lotten said “Bid results showed renovation costs for West Main Elementary and Pleasant Run Elementary exceeded conceptual estimates by approximately 21.8 and 8.9 percent respectively. Using Houston Elementary School as a standard for comparison, further cost analysis indicated that the planned renovations with value engineered scopes were over the cost of constructing a new 600 student elementary school. The advantages were minimal and did not prove to be cost effective. On Dec. 12, 2005 the LISD Board of Trustees voted to move forward with minimal renovations.”

Projects that were not completed on the two campuses included work on the gymnasiums, kitchens and roofs as well as interior upgrades.

The four remaining elementary schools in the district received a variety of renovations including a new heating and air conditioning unit at Rosa Parks/Millbrook Elementary and Belt Line Elementary, a new water heater at Lancaster Elementary and new flooring at all four schools.

Lancaster Elsie Robertson Middle School and the Sixth Grade Wing received renovations including an asbestos abatement, technology upgrades such as keyless entry and a complete reroofing on both buildings.

Renovations also occurred at the J.D. Hall Learning Center.

In addition to the original items in the bond program, the district was able to complete additional projects. Some of the additional projects included purchasing 10 acres of land for a future elementary school, installing video surveillance systems and replacing the roofs at the Lancaster Middle School Auditorium and Band Hall.