The Whitesboro ISD Board of Trustees received good news at this week’s meeting when construction and consulting firms confirmed that plans for the district’s bond projects are moving right along.
A representative from Gallagher Construction Management reported that crews have started digging in Areas B and C of the project site. Conduit is ready for a telecommunications line; cement stabilization (mixing cement with dirt to strengthen the material) has begun for the parking lot; the concrete contractor for the auditorium is ready to go on their piece; building pads are ready for all but the Career and Technical Education (CTE) building; and while the crew needed to relocate an active gas line it found on the CTE pad, it has been moved between the building pad and the sidewalk.
Gallagher is currently at 6% of the overall cost of the project, but this will start to build monthly as more trades come in with their portion of the projects.
A representative from WRL Construction reported that they have the CAD (computer-aided design) drawings they need and are just waiting on permits from the city to move forward with the agricultural and multi-purpose buildings. (Superintendent Ryan Harper said City Inspector Dalton Fallaw released the ag building permit Thursday afternoon, but it hasn’t yet been received by WRL Construction.)
Surveyors are doing their part and, once permits are finalized, construction should begin in about one-and-a-half to two weeks.
Next, Tyson Bennett with Boss Consulting Partners presented a long-range facility plan. The plan consisted of seven elements, including instructional programs, history of projects throughout the district, condition of facilities, demographic reports (enrollment, capacity, etc.) and safety and security (access controls, communication infrastructure, visitor management protocol, exterior doorway numbering, etc.)
All of this information had been gathered and compiled into one user-friendly document, the long-range plan, which will be good for five years. If the district takes on any more projects, the document will need to be updated.
“It’s been exactly one year since we first started planning these projects,” Bennett said. “A lot of work has gone into the planning phase. I want to thank everyone who has played a role in getting us to this point, but especially the community. This wouldn’t be possible without them.”
Also at the board meeting, trustees recognized teachers and staff of the month at each of the district’s campuses. Whitesboro High School awarded Teacher of the Month to English teacher Eric Littleton and Employee of the Month to Ashley Drake. Whitesboro Middle School recognized Teacher of the Month Julie Cooper and Employee of the Month Adrianne Hammock. Whitesboro Intermediate School’s Teacher of the Month was Haley Ross and Employee of the Month was Angela Wolf. Hayes Primary School honored Teacher of the Month Suzette Strong (who is currently in her 37th year of teaching Kindergarten at WISD) and Employee of the Month Ms. Edicia.
The board adopted a resolution to nominate Charlie Williams to serve as a member of the Grayson Central Appraisal District Board of Directors. It also approved the addition of a new classroom SPED teacher position for severe and profound behavior. As a result of the decision, the district will begin the interview process to fill this position.
