ALICE, Texas — The Alice Independent School District is anxiously awaiting the completion of phase one bond projects that were approved by voters back in 2019.
The $20.7 million bond helped to pay to renovate and improve a number of facilities that were built after the year 2000. It also meant closing both intermediate schools and an elementary.
"We are now going to four elementary schools and one middle school and we’re adding additional classrooms at each of the facilities as well as gymnasiums for our elementaries," Superintendent Dr. Carl Scarborough said.
Those projects should be finished and ready for the fall semester. Dr. Scarborough also said there are a number of district construction projects that are not part of the bond and are also close to completion.
The AG mechanical shop should be open within the next few weeks as well as the new multi-purpose indoor practice facility.
"For the non-bond facilities, our board of trustees were very gracious and helping us designate $4.5 million dollars," Dr. Scarborough said. $4.5 million out of our fund balance to those projects.
The district’s Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Kyle Atwood is definitely anxious for this multi-use indoor facility to open up. He feels it’ll help prolong the life of the high school’s gym floors and much more.
"We are going to utilize it for our P.E. program," Atwood said. "We’re going to preserve the life of our gyms. That’s a lot of work on those wood floors so it’s going to help preserve those lives. We’re going to use ROTC in there. We’re gonna have band in there.”
Also, the $20 million bond paid for a new roof and parking lot at the high school. District officials plan on eventually renovating the high school as part of its three phase plan to improve all of the schools and facilities in Alice.