CCISD new administration building project forges ahead

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

The renovation of the future administration building of the Copperas Cove Independent School District is well under way at the site of the former National United Bank at 408 S. Main St. 
The project, once completed, will bring all of the district’s administrative services under one roof, to include Student Services, Special Education, and Administration. The move is part of CCISD’s implementation of its strategic plan known as Vision 2020, but it will also help staff and administration with simpler matters, such as all departments having access to a restroom in the building. 
Presently, Special Education and Student Services staff do not have restrooms in their buildings that now make up part of the district’s Central Administration on Avenue D. 
Initially, there was a delay on the work at the site of the former bank due to the need for asbestos remediation. 
At this time, the roof is being replaced on the building and the contractors are working on working on duct work and framing the future office space. 
CCISD Deputy Superintendent Rick Kirkpatrick also oversees the district’s facilities and is looking forward to what having everyone under one roof will mean for the district. 
“It’s going to speed up communications greatly. That’s one of the big things, bringing everyone together quickly and easily under one group.”
The inside of the former bank looks different, after the relocation of the elevator shaft the rear of the building in order to make room for the renovated, now ADA-compliant restrooms. The cost to build the new elevator shaft was $40,000 per floor. In front of the new shaft is a front stairway to the building’s second floor. Both are located behind what will be a reception area facing the Main Street entrance of the property.
More space is another plus for the project and eventual move to Main Street. There will be more parking and a larger board room for meetings on the first floor.
“We may still have some standing room only board meetings, but there will be more space,” said Kirkpatrick. There will also be more space from a training perspective for district staff.
“This will provide us space to do it. There is an HR conference room that seats about eight, right now. That, and the board room,” he said. The second floor above the drive through will have a small conference room space and room for 40 in the training room. There will be offices along the perimeter of the second floor, and the second-floor space that was open to the first floor below is now filled in with a brand-new floor which did not exist in the bank. Part of the space on the second floor will also be for storage, as well as space for itinerant personnel. 
Recently, the board of trustees approved the hardware purchases for the new building. There will be a projector in the board room and three 70-inch TVs. 
At this point, the project is on schedule, and Kirkpatrick meets every two weeks with architect, project manager and construction manager. There are a lot of moving parts separate from the renovation and building construction itself, with the district’s technology department overseeing the technology aspect of the new building and hiring an independent contractor for that, the district working with Oncor on power, CenturyLink for connectivity—all not part of the construction contract itself, Kirkpatrick said.
If all goes according to schedule, the move to the new building will take place in early June, the week after graduation, Kirkpatrick said. The district will host an open house to invite the community to see the finished project. 
As for what will become of the district’s current administration buildings, Kirkpatrick said it is still in the early planning stages, but the district is looking to use that space to expand the high schools’ career education program.