MIDLAND The Midland community in November passed a $1.4 billion bond referendum that will see new high schools, a new elementary school and improvements at campuses across Midland ISD. A month later, work has already begun.
The MISD Board of Trustees at its regular meeting Tuesday, received an update on the progress underway.
Trustees voted to approve the hiring of architecture and engineering services firm Parkhill for the new elementary school to be built in the fast-growing Lone Star Trails area of Midland.
Parkhill is the same firm that was chosen for the construction of Fasken and Yarbrough elementary schools last decade, and the new school’s design will be similar to these facilities. This saves money in the design and construction phases and speeds up the construction timeline.
Plus, the design has been very popular with teachers, students, and staff. It implements a “neighborhood” model, whereby each grade has its own dedicated space that includes restrooms, movable walls to enlarge classrooms when needed, and a common area.
Several Requests for Quotes have been issued.
Scoring of the submissions from architects and engineers is currently underway, and a pool of firms will be brought to trustees in January for consideration of approval. Trustees approved Parkhill as the program manager in November.
An RFQ for underwriting services has also been issued, and responses are due Dec. 21. A committee will score the responses and bring them to the board for consideration of approval in February. Discussions concerning bond sales will begin after underwriters have been selected.
MISD has issued an RFQ for surveying and geotechnical services, and a pool of vendors will be brought to the board for consideration of approval in January.
Bond Advisory Committee
The committee held its first meeting in November, where its 24 members received reports on District Operations, Finance, and communications efforts. The committee will meet quarterly.
The advisory committee, as well as the bond planning committee, were recognized at the December trustees meeting for their dedication to this massive undertaking that will reshape education in Midland for decades to come.
Stay up to date with the progress of executing the bond at midlandbond2023.com.
