A multi-purpose center for athletics and other extracurricular activities is likely to appear in a May 2026 bond election after Lampasas ISD school board members resurrected the proposal in a called meeting on Monday.
Although a new Lampasas Middle School campus remains the focus of the bond, the LISD Board of Trustees believes the district needs to shift its focus to prepare for varsity football games to take place at the Lampasas High School campus. A multi-purpose center, including a 1,000 squarefoot concession stand, would be the first step toward that goal.
At the district’s Facilities Planning Committee meeting on Nov. 17, members were unable to settle on a bond proposal to pitch to school board members. However, after a show-of-hands vote, the committee felt the district should begin planning for football games at LHS.
Although the Facilities Planning Committee was unable to choose a specific bond proposal to recommend, members did agree on items that must be featured. These included fencing at each of LISD’s three elementary school campuses ($2 million), a new middle school ($92.67 million), approximately 22 new buses ($4 million) and demolition of the existing middle school ($1.48 million). These items together total $100.148 million and would not require a tax increase if approved by voters.
Along with the aforementioned items, committee members agreed that solving the traffic congestion at LHS was another item that should be included, and that a tax rate increase may be required for district upgrades.
SCHOOL BOARD DISCUSSION To start Monday’s discussion, Board President Ryan Shahan said he believed the $6.042 million for Badger Field concessions, restrooms and locker rooms that were included in a bond proposal presentation to the facilities committee would be better spent on an air-conditioned, multi-purpose center.
“If we don’t want to spend $6 million on that site [Badger Field] and we are going to spend it at the high school because we want to play there, that does bring that multi-purpose facility back into play in my mind,” Shahan said. “You are going to be able to put concessions in that building, put locker rooms in that building. We can accomplish two birds with one stone.”
Shahan told fellow trustees the locker room space at the LHS field house is at capacity. Securing a multi-purpose center in a May 2026 bond election could solve that issue and prevent an inflated price on the facility later down the road.
Shahan highlighted the example of a multi-purpose center developed by Brock ISD for $16.5 million that included space for a band hall, weight room and 70-yard turf field.
Justin Huling of American Constructors, the district’s construction manager at risk for the bond project, felt that price was unrealistic.
“Prices in the Metroplex area are cheaper than they are in this area,” Huling said. “To build it here, you probably wouldn’t get the same price for that. You are going to have a couple years of inflation, just because that is under construction versus when this one would start.”
Also, Huling pointed out the shape of the Brock ISD’s facility would not fit where Lampasas is proposing to place a muti-purpose center.
To make the facility fit, Shahan asked LHS Athletic Director Troy Rogers and Principal Paul Weinheimer if a 50-yardfield would suffice for football and marching band. The pair agreed it would do the job.
Although adding an auditorium was supported by the bond committee and ranked higher in a community survey than building a multi-purpose center, Shahan said the auditorium does not fall within the district’s bond capacity.
“An auditorium was discussed, and it was supported, but I don’t know that $35 million is something we would consider,” the board president said. “That gets us way above – we can’t afford it, let’s just say that.”
Trustee Sam Walker said the district needs to ensure its top priority is getting the middle school approved by voters.
“One of the overarching themes I heard was not to endanger building a new middle school over a debate over Badger Field, the high school multi-purpose facility, whatever that is,” Walker said. “How we facilitate that, I don’t know.”
Trustee Jeff Rutland said that after having discussions with various community members, many said they would support a tax rate increase. Nonetheless, items featured in a bond election would overwhelming support to ensure the bond passes. Trustees felt it would be best to split facility upgrades into multiple propositions for a bond election.
Proposition A would include all items agreed on by the bond planning committee. Plus, it could add $2 million apiece for safety improvements at the three elementary schools and more buses, a band/fine arts allowance ($1 million), a traffic solution at LHS ($1.5 million), and renovations at the maintenance and transportation facility ($1.2 million). These items would total about $113.280 million and require a $0.0313 tax rate increase.
Proposition B would include a multipurpose center to be located at the high school between the tennis courts and baseball field.
Previously, WRA Architects listed an indoor multi-purpose center at $23 million.
If approved, this proposition could raise the tax rate 9 cents, equaling an extra $11.25 per month on homes with a taxable assessed value of $150,000.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS ON CAMPUS
Trustees discussed at length what it would take to make the LHS field ready for Friday Night Lights. WRA Architect’s Justin Bell told school board members new bleachers and stands for the facility would run around $15.6 million.
Bell noted the fieldhouse located on the stadium’s west side, where home fans would be seated, makes it difficult to build a sufficient press box.
“You could probably build it up and over the top, but it is going to be more expensive,” he said. “There is going to be costs associated with that, and then you are going to have a restroom in a separate facility, and there is going to be more cost there.
“I don’t want to say you can’t do it, but there is some complexity there,” Bell said.
Huling told trustees it could be possible to make the track around the playing field narrower, which would prevent a new press box from overlapping with the fieldhouse.
It became clear to trustees that fullscale upgrades to the high school stadium will need to wait for another bond further down the road. But school board members felt a multi-purpose center with a concession stand would be a step toward that direction.
School board members will discuss their ideas with the district’s Facilities Planning Committee one final time on Monday at 5:30 p.m. in the LMS cafeteria.