ECISD Trustees Still Considering Bond Proposal – KMID – Local 2 News

by: Erica Miller

Posted: Feb 9, 2022 / 05:19 PM CST

Updated: Feb 9, 2022 / 05:19 PM CST

ECTOR COUNTY, Texas (Nexstar)- The Ector County ISD Board of Trustees met Tuesday night and once again mulled over the idea of adding a school bond proposal to the ballot this May. 

Last year a bond committee, which spent months reviewing the state of all ECISD facilities, and held several public meetings with the community to listen to feedback, presented its findings to the board. Those findings focused on the following:

• A new high school ($183 million)
• A new Career & Technical Education center ($70 million)
• Technology upgrades ($15 million)
• Priority 1 Life cycle needs ($52.8 million)
• Priority 2 Life cycle needs ($122.3 million)

For clarity, Priority 1 and Priority 2 are definitions from the firm evaluating the conditions of all facilities. Priority 1 are projects that should be addressed immediately in the next one to two years. Priority 2 are projects that should be addressed in the next three to five years. The committee also recommended that the bond proposal not exceed $400 million dollars; the full recommendations from the committee exceed that amount. 

Tuesday night, trustees reviewed three different options for reducing the cost of the life cycle needs and the overall cost of the bond package, and came up with the following options:

• Option 1: would remove athletic items, Frost/Greenhouse and miscellaneous paving and sidewalk items, roofing HVAC, electrical, plumbing in ancillary facilities; bond cost would be reduced to $420.4 million.
• Option 2: is Option 1 plus removal of all Priority 2 scopes of work except mechanical, electrical and plumbing; things like roofing/waterproofing, paving, signage; bond cost would be reduced to $398.2 million.
• Option 3: is Options 1 and 2 plus removal of Priority 1 architectural and civil items like paving repairs, and millwork plus all Priority 2 scopes of work in Option 2 above; bond cost would be reduced to $397.6 million.

Trustees will again discuss the potential proposal during a meeting scheduled for February 15^th. Trustees must reach a decision by February 18.