CCISD yet to receive final figure for pre-bond architectural services
By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
The CCISD board of trustees held its workshop on Monday, and among the agenda items for discussion was an agreement between CCISD and Waco-based RBDR, the firm that provided pre-bond architectural service for the district ahead of the May 2024 bond election.
This agreement presented for approval is retroactive for services already performed, something that CCISD Superintendent Joe Burns emphasized.
According to the agreement – dated April 18 of this year – there were two elements to the project. The first was for the pre-bond services, and the second for architectural services as part of the bond planning.
The board approved agreements for professional services with a bond strategist and also with pre-bond legal counsel services in October 2023. However, there was no agreement with RBDR presented for its professional services until this week’s meeting.
At Monday’s workshop, Superintendent Burns explained the reason for the delay in presenting the agreement from RBDR. He said that the agreement was not received until in the last week or two, due to delays with the attorneys.
He also said that the estimate for the architectural services rendered is somewhere around $100,000, at the most. The agreement with RBDR says that the cost for services will be no more than $175,000, should the bond not pass.
At its Tuesday meeting, the board approved the professional services agreement 7-0.
As for the payment due to the architect, Burns said that the district has worked with RBDR in the past and will pay for the services rendered so far.
As part of the bond planning process for the May 4 election, RBDR provided a number of renderings and floor plans, to include the new cafeteria, floor plan for the high school expansion, the new entrance to include offices and lobby seating, changes to the junior high, high school athletics grounds and facilities, renderings for the Fairview/Jewell and Clements/Parsons campuses, and more.
These preliminary documents were used when presenting elements of the bond to the community.
It remains to be seen what form a future bond will take, and it is not known at this time if any of the work done thus far by RBDR will be used for a future bond project.
The May 4 bond election failed with a margin of 69 votes, 1,261 to 1,192, or 51.41 percent to 48.59 percent.
The district is in the process of regrouping and is forming another facilities committee to explore a future bond option.
It is not known at this time what another proposed bond might look like, when it would be presented to Copperas Cove voters, nor if the public will be invited to attend or be provided updates during the committee’s planning process.
Other school districts with bond elections over the past several years include districts like Belton ISD, which in 2022 passed a $173 bond in two propositions. Prior to BISD calling for the bond election, its bond committee held meetings at campuses and invited the public to attend. The committee likewise provided reports to the community prior to the BISD trustees calling for the election.