MFISD bond funds available for use
By Nathan Hendrix
Staff Writer
The Marble Falls Independent School District and Superintendent Dr. Chris Allen provided an update on the progress of the $55 million bond at the monthly school board meeting on Tuesday.
As of Tuesday, the bond funds were deposited in the district's account and are ready to be used, according to Allen. However, there are still plenty of details that need to be ironed out before that happens, he said.
“We're involving stakeholders and gathering lots of input,” Allen said. “We're trying to come up with ideas and plans in ways that are representative of what our community wants for this school system.”
The board started by approving a $32,250 contract for geotechnical engineering services with Raba Kistner, Inc. Allen said the board typicallly does two readings before voting on approval, but the process was expedited this time to get the work started. He said the past experiences with the company allow him to be confident in quickly approving the contract.
“Geotechnical services are step-one on everything we need to do with paving,” Allen said. “[Raba Kistner has] been exceptionally flexible and easy to work with. We've had very positive experiences in the past.”
The board also approved a project development agreement with E3 Entegral Solutions, Inc. for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning services. The company will perform an evaluation of current conditions and equipment in the district in order to be able to provide an accurate estimate on the cost of HVAC work.
The approved measure costs the district no money at this time; the district will be charged a “walk-away fee” of approximately $33,000 if E3 completes the assessment but the district chooses not to proceed with a work contract. This figure was negotiated down from approximately $60,000, according to Allen, although the district doesn't anticipate exercising the option. . . .
Find more on the bond issue potential spending, including plans for school bus traffic improvements, in the Friday, Feb. 22 issue of The Highlander. To offer a comment or news tip about school news, send a note to nathan@highlandernews.com.
