A new multi-purpose facility at Lampasas High School likely will be one of the big-ticket items, along with a new middle school campus, in a 2026 bond election.
At Monday’s final Lampasas ISD Facilities Planning Committee meeting, only two of the 30-plus members present believed a multi-purpose center would not be a good fit for the district.
Previously, the Facilities Planning Committee held what was supposed to be its final meeting on Nov. 17. After reviewing four possible bond scenarios, committee members expressed their displeasure that a solution to traffic congestion at LHS was not included in any of the proposals. Also, members overwhelmingly signaled they wanted a shift away from Badger Field for football games.
“That was probably the best facility committee meeting in 30 years of doing this,” LISD Superintendent Dr. Chane Rascoe said to committee members on Monday. “You guys had a tremendous impact on what the board had to talk about at its previous meeting.”
With committee members having differing thoughts on what direction to take with a proposed bond, the LISD Board of Trustees went back to the drawing board during a called meeting Nov. 24. Trustees agreed a multipurpose facility could be the first step in preparing for Friday night football at LHS.
POSSIBLE BOND PROPOSITIONS Rascoe presented two bond propositions to committee members in Monday’s meeting. Proposition A, totaling approximately $111.7 million, would require a $0.0276 tax rate increase, equaling an extra $4.60 per month on a homestead with a taxable assessed value of $200,000.
Proposition A includes the following:
• new middle school and improvements to the LMS football field ($95,973,343)
• demolition of the existing middle school ($1,481,273)
• safety and security improvements at the district’s three elementary school campuses ($4 million)
• new fleet of school buses ($6 million)
• improvement to alleviate the LHS traffic flow ($1,489,158)
• traffic solution at Taylor Creek Elementary School ($588,600) maintenance and transportation facility improvements ($1.2 million)
• band equipment and fine arts allowance ($1 million) Proposition B includes the multi-purpose facility ($26,514,468), plus a track and field replacement at LHS ($1.5 million).
If both propositions are approved, that would raise the bond price to approximately $139.715 million and require a $0.087 tax rate increase. Homeowners with a taxable assessed value of $200,000 would pay an extra $14.50 per month.
COMMITTEE THOUGHTS
The multi-purpose facility outlined to committee members would include a 55-yard turf field to accommodate football and band students during times of inclement weather. Additionally, it would feature a new, larger band hall, weight room, meeting room and locker rooms.
Before Monday’s meeting, some committee members spent time touring the current field house at the high school. Committee member Nancy Yeary was the first to speak in support of a mutipurpose facility to provide more locker room space for athletes.
“The number of kids that are inside that building every day all the time is just unreal,” Yeary said. “When we go back to the history of things of why it’s so small, it’s because of the bond issue; it didn’t get passed. So it had to be teeny-tiny back then. That is all they could get.”
Committee member Craig Hammett agreed that the new facility would be a good first step in moving toward hosting football games at LHS.
“If we are going to move from Badger Field, that is just one thing we are building early to cut down on the cost to build later,” Hammett said. “If you are going to play games there, you have to have locker rooms, concessions and all of that. Part of this facility covers this now, because prices aren’t going to go down.”
LISD plans to base its multi-purpose facility on a similar structure used by Brock ISD that was developed for about $17 million, according to LISD Board of Trustees President Ryan Shahan. The board president said the facility could allow additional classroom space in the old band hall if the multi-purpose facility is approved by voters.
Shahan believes now is the best time for the district to capitalize on building the facility, since costs always are on the rise.
“The space the band hall vacates from the main building, we can reutilize for CTE space,” Shahan said. “It opens a lot of options, and we have the opportunity. We think we can do it for that amount.”
A new band hall will be one of the major components of the multipurpose facility. LHS head band director Eduardo Zambrano noted the new space would be better than what the Badger Band currently utilizes.
“It’s an upgrade from what we have, and it improves the storage, improves the acoustics and improves the size, so I am up for it,” Zambrano said.
Committee member Rex Keele, one of two members not to show support for the multi-purpose facility, said the district would be better served by spending money on making the high school field playable than building a new facility. Also, Keele said the district must be strategic in how it markets the project to Lampasans.
“You have to word it very carefully because if you remember in the community survey, the activity center was last number seven on the list,” Keele said. “There are still a lot of people that talk about that.”
MORE DISCUSSION
Multiple committee members were curious about what a traffic-flow project would entail at LHS.
WRA Architect’s Justin Bell provided a glimpse into what the new entrance could look like.
“It is a whole separate entrance and exit on [U.S. Highway] 281 on the south side of campus that would wrap down the fence line and then back up to the high school,” he said.
Another theme voiced among committee members was that the district should make the proposition that includes a new middle school not require a tax rate increase. Members don’t want the new campus to be in jeopardy if voters are not on board for higher taxes.
“To me, a three-cent increase isn’t much, and that is fine,” committee member and LMS assistant principal James Allison said. “I don’t think it is a big deal. To someone else, maybe. I’m curious how many people come out and vote against, just because of the increase.”
The propositions discussed at Monday’s meeting are not yet official. More talks surrounding the bond could occur at the next school board meeting, set for Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. in the district’s Administration Building.
