District News & Notes
GISD Building Projects Update
To: GISD Family & Friends
From: George G. Garver, Interim Superintendent
Topic: Update Regarding Building Projects
Your Board of Trustees has requested that we provide you with current information concerning the remaining projects which are a part of the May 2005 bond issue. Please take a few minutes to review the following information and feel free to share this update with your friends and neighbors.
The tenth elementary is under construction at the corner of Inner Loop SE and CR 110. Due to the rain this past summer and a number of other issues the building is running behind schedule. Our contractor is working very hard to make up the time lost. We are still hoping this building will be ready for occupancy by the start of school 2008. The building will be very similar to Ford and Village Elementary schools.
Elementary Boundaries
In the very near future a demographer for the school district will start the process of drawing new elementary school boundaries. Some students and staff will be moved from McCoy, Williams and Purl. Other schools may also be affected as we look for the best balance of enrollment. We are seeking to provide space in schools where growth is likely. With a new elementary school needed every other year boundaries may be in a constant flux.
New 9th Grade Campus
The new 9th grade campus at the corner of SH 29 and CR 104 is progressing nicely. It appears that the building will be completed on schedule and will open in the fall of 2008. The building will be complete with everything the current campus enjoys. Athletic fields, bleachers in the gym, locker rooms, weight room, library and cafeteria but to name a few. Mr. Lenox and his staff will pretty much move to the new campus intact. Questions about shared programming with the current Georgetown High School have yet to be answered. As a safety measure, the agencies that make such decisions have approved a traffic light at the new 9th grade school which will allow for a protected left turn when exiting the campus.
Georgetown East View High School
Georgetown East View High School will not come into existence for some time. To use the 9th grade campus as a high school will require both a new bond issue and a growth in our 9-12 grade enrollments. To repeat the 9th grade campus can not become a high school until a large addition is added to the existing building. Depending on the date when a bond issue is approved and when enrollment growth dictates, Georgetown East View High School will open with grades 9-11 in either 2010 or 2012.
New Athletic Stadium
The new athletic stadium is also progressing according to schedule. The new score board has been purchased with the revenue for advertising on the score board paying for the costs of the board. The artificial turf will be installed in December and the stadium should be completed early in April. While it is not known at this time what use the stadium will have before the football season begins, it is likely that Georgetown High School will hold their 2008 graduation ceremony there.
Other Construction Projects
During the summer of 2008 work will take place on the current Georgetown High School. Covered walkways and heating and air conditioning renovation are two of the items on the agenda. Frost Elementary will have a new bus turn around constructed and Annie Purl will have some added covered walkways near the bus loading areas. In addition to this, there is a possibility of new facilities for Richarte High School and GAP.
New Bond Issue
In either May of 2008 or May of 2009 the board will likely request one or more of the following:
- Two new Elementary Schools, one needed in 2010 and other in 2012
- A new Middle School, needed in 2011
- An addition to the new 9th grade campus to allow the school to open as a high school. The addition could be for an enrollment of 1800 students 9-12 or a larger addition to allow for an enrollment of 2500 which would be the same approximate size as the current Georgetown High School
- Funds for additional land purchases
- Also under review will be the future of McCoy Elementary, a need for a district warehouse and a more comprehensive renovation of the current Georgetown High School
Posted: 11/1/2007 • Department: Office of the Superintendent
