Taylor Creek Elementary School is more of a reality now after the Board of Trustees of the Lampasas Independent School District accepted a guaranteed maximum price at Monday night's called board meeting.

Blair Williams, president of Baird/Williams Construction of Temple, the builder hired for the Kempner elementary and the new Lampasas High School, offered trustees a bid for $9,204,173.

Board members accepted the bid, which was down almost $1.4 million from about three weeks ago after Williams came up with a list of items that helped reduce the overall cost.

"A group of people has been working tireless hours to get where we are," said Williams. "When prices came in, we had lots of bidders -- some projects had 10 to 12, while most had at least five bidders."

Williams said plans and specifications for the 650- student campus were thoroughly reviewed by all contractors.

Items that were cut, Williams said, "will lower the cost, but not lower the quality or value or change expectations. You will see a beautiful, well-built, welldesigned project," he said.

"We have reviewed all the numbers and we are confident that it is correct."

Superintendent Dr. Brant Myers thanked everyone involved in getting the LISD to the point that it is today. "I feel very good about what we've done. The quality will be excellent. We are spending the money as best as we can for the district and the taxpayers."

James Briggs, president of the LISD board, said the district has been fortunate to get all the bids in when it did. "We are all real pleased."

Williams, the project manager at risk, said his company will move on-site next week and get started.

The campus will hold prekindergarten through fifth-grade students in about 65,000 square feet.

Taylor Creek Elementary -- which sits on a 30-acre site along Big Divide Road -- and the new Lampasas High School under construction on U.S. Highway 281 South, are being funded by a $48.85 million bond passed by voters in May 2007.

Both campuses are slated to open for the 2009-10 school term.

With approval of the bid, trustees moved on to an issue that has been tabled for the past several meetings while they waited for total Taylor Creek Elementary costs to come in.

Ron Poage, district technology director, had requested in early May that the LISD agree to replace outdated computer routers, hubs and switches that make up the district's internal connections.

After the LISD was advised it would not receive a large discount on the cost of infrastructure improvements, board members were asked to approve funds of about $81,000 to cover the discount not applied toward the purchase.

Board members approved the expenditure, and they were assured the upgrades could be completed prior to the start of the 2008-09 term, which begins Aug. 25.

Finally, trustees accepted resignations from Jimmie Cain, social studies/economics teacher at the high school. He also was assistant girls' basketball coach and assistant track coach; and Judy Patterson, prekindergarten, Kline Whitis.

New hires include Jeanne Holt, career and technology, LHS; and Ida Hegerty, Kline Whitis.