BGISD BOND CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
Be on the lookout every Friday morning for a new Bond Construction Update! As we get into the school year, we want to increase the number of progress updates we share with our community and staff. We will roll these out in different ways so everyone can see the progress being made and understand where we are headed.
THANK YOU ELEMENTARY PARENTS, ELEMENTARY STAFF, & OUR CONSTRUCTION TEAM
First, I want to take a moment to say THANK YOU. Thank you to our parents, staff members, construction workers, Claycomb Architects, Brandon Armstrong, and the entire Bounds team for the tireless work, patience, and cooperation throughout this project. We knew there was a lot of anticipation surrounding the new traffic flow, drop-off, and pick-up procedures as we started school. But everyone worked together, adjusted, showed patience, and made it happen.
Pick-up and drop-off have been ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Thank you to our parents and staff as well as Bound Commercial Construction for making that possible.
LOOK WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN JUST TWO MONTHS!
In two short months, we have begun a major transformation of our elementary campus. Some of the biggest improvements aren't necessarily the things you can see when you drive by, so I want to highlight just how much work has already been completed or is currently underway:
- The new road was completed on schedule and is already being utilized.
- A new overflow gravel parking lot has been completed. This will give us much-needed additional parking for our big events throughout the school year.
- A new detention pond has been constructed to help improve the overall drainage of the property and better manage water throughout the campus.
- Demolition of the existing office spaces has been completed to make way for the new front entrance and office area.
- A new perimeter fence has been installed to improve student safety and better secure our campus.
- Large portions of the new underground drainage system have already been installed.
- The majority of the dirt work, grading, and leveling for the new parking lot has been completed.
- Curbs are currently being poured in this section of the new parking lot.
There has been an incredible amount of work happening both above AND below the ground, and we are really beginning to see everything come together!
NEW PARKING & TRAFFIC FLOW
As you can see from the picture, the new front parking lot is really starting to take shape!
When completed, the new parking lot will be approximately THREE TIMES the size of our previous parking lot. This is going to be a tremendous improvement for our students, staff, parents, and community. The new traffic flow coming from Highway 55 has also been designed to dramatically improve our drop-off and pick-up process. Once the entire drive is completed, vehicles will be able to double-stack all the way from the entrance to the drop-off area in front of the building.Think about how much additional traffic that will allow us to safely move off Highway 55 and onto school property! Even while operating with temporary traffic patterns during construction, our parents and staff have done an incredible job. Once the entire system is finished, the traffic flow is going to be simply AMAZING.
Crews are moving FULL STEAM AHEAD on the front parking lot and remaining drive. We anticipate those areas being completed in approximately 5–6 weeks.
Construction on the new front of the building will take a little longer, but you will begin seeing it go vertical soon!
FIXING THE PROBLEM... NOT JUST THE POTHOLES
One of the improvements that may not be as visible, but is incredibly important, is the work being done to improve drainage throughout the campus.For years, drainage issues have been at the root of many of the potholes and poor conditions in our parking lots. During heavy rains, water has also entered the building from the north side of the campus. We aren't simply putting a band-aid on these problems. We are fixing the underlying issues.Improving the drainage will protect the investments we are making today and help keep this campus in great shape for MANY years to come.
ELEMENTARY HVAC IMPROVEMENTS
Many of you may also remember the issues we experienced with the elementary HVAC system at the beginning of last school year. Utilizing bond dollars, we will be able to replace a large majority of the HVAC equipment that has been determined to need replacement. Much of the equipment currently serving this building is original to the facility. This is a HUGE improvement for our elementary campus. Replacing these systems will drastically improve air quality, efficiency, reliability, and the overall learning environment for our students and staff. Just like the drainage improvements, this is an investment that will help put this campus in great shape for many years into the future.
100% ON BUDGET
Something else that is extremely important for our community to know: this project remains 100% on budget. We have been fortunate to reach several construction milestones where contingency dollars that were set aside for potential unforeseen issues did not have to be used. Those savings matter. Our team has been very intentional and strategic about shifting those available dollars to other needs within the project so that we can maximize what our community receives from this investment. Our goal is to get every single penny of value possible out of the bond dollars our community entrusted us with.We understand the responsibility that comes with spending taxpayer dollars, and we will continue working with our architects, construction team, and Board of Trustees to maximize this investment while staying within our approved budget. \
There is still a lot of work ahead, but it is exciting to see how much has already been accomplished in such a short amount of time. When our community supported this bond, we talked about transforming BGISD for the future. We are now watching that transformation happen right in front of us.
Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your support. And most importantly, thank you for continuing to work together for our kids.
We are just getting started!
BE THE STANDARD