Dripping Springs ISD voters approved a $132 million bond referendum on May 5, 2018. The bond package included funding for expansion of Dripping Springs HS to capacity for 2,500 students, construction of a new elementary school (#5), construction of a new Walnut Springs Elementary adjacent to Dripping Springs MS, conversion of the current WSE campus into space for the district administration and daycare facility, miscellaneous projects at Dripping Springs MS, Dripping Springs Elementary and Rooster Springs Elementary, turf and track improvements at Dripping Springs HS and Dripping Springs MS, improvements and expansion of the District Transportation facility, district-wide technology infrastructure improvements and maintenance upgrades, and land acquisition. As construction begins, updates will be provided on various projects below.

IMPLEMENTATION OF BOND PROGRAM:
Sale of the bonds occurred on Sept. 20, 2018. Corgan was chosen as the architect for the projects and on Nov. 26, the Board approved three different Construction Managers at Risk – American Constructors for the high school expansion project, Cadence McShane Construction for the DSE and RSE renovation projects, and QA Construction Services for the Transportation facility expansion. As part of the "programming" phase of major projects, the architect team meets with stakeholder groups to gather input that is applied to the design of facilities.

The 2018 Bond projects are divided into Phase I and Phase II categories; they are as follows:

PHASE I

High School Additions and Renovations
Budget: $21,070,000

Scope of Work:

• Expand student capacity to 2,500 with additional classrooms
• Address approved assessment report upgrades
• Courtyard building addition; including engineering, floral design, business/marketing, audio/visual, and physics spaces
• Add new flexible gym
• Expand ag barn

Current Work:

• The Corgan architect team and district's Facility and Construction Department has worked closely with campus administration and teachers at Dripping Springs High School to identify program needs for the planned additions and renovations.

Next Steps:

• Construction documents are complete
• General contractor will send the project out to bid (early May)
• Construction on this project will start following the conclusion of the 2018-19 school year

Dripping Springs Elementary Renovations and Furniture Upgrades
Budget: $4,380,000 (DSE) and $700,000 (furniture)

Scope of Work:

• Address approved assessment report items (HVAC central plant, plumbing, exterior wall panels, paint, etc.)
• Replace stage curtains
• Renovate space shuttle
• Replace regular classroom furniture throughout campus

Current Work:

• Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) Contract Amendment approved by Board
• General Contractor (Cadence McShane) continued working on subcontractor buyout and equipment submittals
• District staff is holding coordination meetings in preparation for summer work to begin

Next Steps:

• Equipment submittal review by DSISD staff and consultants
• General contractor began ordering equipment with long lead times
• Renovations are expected to begin at the conclusion of the 18-19 school year

Athletic Improvements (Turf/Track Replacement)
Budget: $2,810,000

Note: the turf at Tiger Stadium dates back to 2009; it was not replaced when the new stadium structure was built around the field.

Scope of Work:

• Replace turf and track at both DSMS competition field and DSHS track field
• Replace turf at Tiger Stadium (installation time-frame to be determined based on pricing)

Current Work:

• Construction documents are complete
• Turf and track replacement selected vendor approved by the Board

Next Steps:

• Renovations are expected to begin at the conclusion of the 18-19 school year

Rooster Springs Elementary Renovations
Budget: $440,000

Scope of Work:

• Address approved assessment report upgrades (interior paint, front office carpet, etc.)
• Add ventilation to art room

Current Work:

• Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) Contract Amendment approved by Board

Next Steps:

• Equipment submittal review by DSISD staff and consultants
• Renovations are expected to begin at the conclusion of the 18-19 school year

DSISD Transportation Site and Building Improvements
Budget: $3,080,000

Scope of Work:

• Address approved assessment report upgrades
• Parking expansion for buses and cars, including re-striping
• Drainage improvements
• Renovate existing warehouse space
• Improve site lighting for safety
• Maintenance bay addition

Current Work:

• Corgan Architects, District Staff, and General Contractor (QA Construction) met to continue programming process

Next Steps:

• Renovations are expected to begin near the end of 2019

PHASE II

Walnut Springs Elementary Relocation/Dripping Springs Middle School Renovations
Budget: $34,700,000 (WSE) and $4,100,000 (DSMS)

Scope of Work:

• Coming Soon

Current Work:

• Architects and the project manager have met with the principals of each school to start planning.
• Corgan has held meetings with teachers at both campuses to gather input that will be applied to the design.
• Meetings are being held with parent and community members to gather input that will be applied to the design.
• An online survey also has been used to collect input.
• A summary of input will be provided at meetings May 28 (a.m. at WSE, p.m. at DSMS)

Presentation from May 7 and May 8 Parent/Community Input Meetings

Frequently Asked Questions

Summary of Input Gathering on WSE Relocation/DSMS Renovations

Next Steps:

• Additional stakeholder feedback meetings will be planned.
• Construction is tentatively set to begin around June 2020.

Dripping Springs Administration Relocation
Budget: $4,120,000

Land Procurement
Budget: $9,000,000

Elementary School #5
Budget: $37,500,000

Technology Upgrades
Budget: $7,600,000

Note: Budget for bond also includes 2% contingency ($2,500,000)

BOND UPDATE PRESENTATIONS (most recent listed first):

June 2019 Board Meeting

May 2019 Board Meeting

April 2019 Board Meeting

March 2019 Board Meeting

January 2019 Board Meeting

December 2018 Board Meeting

November 2018 Board Meeting

October 2018 Board Meeting

BOND PREPARATION/INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS:

In preparation for the bond program, The district’s Long-Range Facility Planning Committee met throughout the fall to assess the status of current district facilities and identify potential new facilities or improvements to existing ones that would support DSISD's mission and serve students. The open-invitation group included representation from more than 100 community members, parents, faculty, and district administrators. The committee discussed various options regarding locations and models of future schools, including the concept to place elementary and middle schools at the same location where possible. This concept led to the proposal to relocate Walnut Springs Elementary to the Dripping Springs Middle School site and convert the current WSE building to the DSISD Administration Building and child care facility. Three community meetings were held in December and January to provide updates on the long-range facility planning process, including the idea of creating shared elementary and middle school campuses where possible. In addition, Superintendent Bruce Gearing discussed facility planning at several staff and parents meetings at various campuses.

Starting in early January 2018, the DSISD Bond Steering Committee (23 members) took the work of the Long-Range Facility Planning Committee and developed a recommendation for a bond package to present to the Board of Trustees. That process included examination and prioritization of the full list of potential projects identified and submitted by the Long-Range Facility Planning Committee, consideration of bonding capacity, discussion of input, and identification of projects to be included in the recommendation for a bond package totaling $132 million.

Bond Brochure English

Bond Brochure Spanish

Bond Fact Sheet (English and Spanish)

Frequently Asked Questions

Bond Informational Video