District Executive Director of Planning & Construction Easy Foster announced his department contracted designers for renovations to the campus despite a potential budget deficit during the construction update in the Feb. 17 school board meeting.
“We know there are needs on the campus that exceed our available funding and we will work with the District and campus administration to prioritize what work can be included, with the funds available,” Foster said.
Foster said the renovation will review critical infrastructure like ductwork, electrical units and energy sources. The construction plan also includes non-essential security and safety upgrades.
The board contracted the design team, made of evaluators and architects, but has yet to bid a construction company matching their price, quality and timeframe standards.
When the board selects a company with a construction manager, the construction team will join the design team before work officially begins.
The design team will assess the air conditioning system and heating, which the district maintenance department have yet to replace, and may add them to the bid.
The design team will specifically review the duct and blower system, which regulates air flow throughout the school, and the electrical service equipment, determining if the equipment can be renovated or must be replaced entirely.
The team will also replace the emergency generator.
An outlier to the project are upgrades in Caney creek’s safety and security. Remaining exterior doors that lack access control hardware systems, or badge scanning technology, will be upgraded so that all outside doors use cards instead of physical keys.
Additionally, surveillance cameras will be installed around the exterior of the campus to capture and identify vehicles exiting and entering driveways if there is an emergency on campus.
Design assessments are scheduled to conclude in the last quarter of 2026, and bidding is anticipated to be done by the first quarter of 2027. Equipment ordering will begin in the spring of 2027, and all construction is planned to be completed by 2028.
