SAISD bond projects on schedule, district seeks construction managers for three high‑school projects

San Angelo Independent School District staff told the board the district's bond program is on schedule and that design and construction work is advancing across multiple campuses, with Crockett Elementary under construction and several larger secondary projects entering preconstruction planning.

RJ Lopez, the district's construction representative, said Crockett has construction fencing in place, civil permits issued and is on track to open in August 2026 under contractor Lee Lewis Construction. McGill Elementary is in construction documents, and site surveys and design work are underway for the new Glenn Middle School. The district has advertised requests for proposals for construction manager‑at‑risk (CMAR) services for Glenn, Lakeview and Central high‑school projects; a virtual pre‑bid drew roughly 30 attendees and proposals are expected soon.

Lopez described district tours of recently built Texas facilities (Lubbock Cooper, Seminole and Brownfield) to evaluate cafeteria, gym and lab layouts and materials. Those visits informed choices about space sizes, cafeteria line counts and long‑term maintenance tradeoffs such as sealed concrete versus carpet. Lopez said design teams will hold charrettes with teachers and administrators in the coming days to refine program adjacencies for auto, welding and health‑science labs at Lakeview and other site‑specific details.

Board members asked whether a single construction manager could handle multiple projects to secure cost savings. Lopez said CMAR proposers may bid on one, two or all three projects and may include proposed cost or schedule impacts if awarded multiple contracts; selection will weigh firm capacity and current workload. The district expects to bring CMAR selection recommendations to the board at an upcoming meeting.

Lopez and trustees emphasized material choices'including long‑life finishes and repair costs'to reduce lifecycle replacement expenses, and said the design process balances up‑front cost with longevity and maintainability. There was no board vote on a construction manager at the meeting; staff said recommendations will return to the board for approval when selection is complete.