BRENHAM SCHOOL BOARD HEARS FACILITY ASSESSMENT

  

Several Brenham ISD facilities were identified as needing of attention during a pre-bond planning facility assessment presented at Monday’s Brenham School Board meeting.

Kyle LeBlanc, Project Manager at Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam (LAN), provided an overview of conditions at Brenham ISD’s seven campuses, as well as the Brenham Community Education Building, administration building, and transportation and maintenance.

Using a five-year outlook, LeBlanc proposed that at least $33.8 million would be needed for repairs and renovations across the district, with much of the cost coming from three locations: Community Education, Brenham Junior High School, and the Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC).

 

The three facilities scored among the worst on a 1-5 scale of average condition ratings, with Community Education coming in at a 1.8, the ECLC at a 2.2, and the junior high campus at a 2.6.  LeBlanc said the scores were evaluated using 34 different points of the make-up of a building or campus, covering components such as HVAC, building exteriors, foundation and code compliance.

The administration building scored at a 2.4 on the rating scale, while transportation and maintenance scored at a 2.7.  All of the campuses aside from the junior high and the ECLC scored above a 3, with Brenham Middle School rating at 3.3, Brenham High School at 3.4, Krause Elementary School at 3.5, Brenham Elementary School at 3.8 and Alton Elementary School at 4.5.

LeBlanc estimated that the junior high school needs the most work overall from the standpoint of a K-12 campus, based on its condition score and projected five-year cost total of $13.4 million, the highest of any of the 10 district facilities included in the report.  Brenham Community Education’s estimated costs totaled $8 million, while the ECLC’s costs valued at $5.3 million.  LeBlanc noted that the costs presented do not address expansion, functionality or educational quality, and that facility needs can be assessed with capital planning and scheduled maintenance planning and budgeting.

A bond planning committee organized by Brenham ISD will hold its first meeting on Tuesday, August 31^st, and will hold eight meetings over the course of the fall semester.  The committee will present a recommendation to the board on whether a bond is necessary at its meeting in January.