The Ector County Independent School District estimated a bond for the construction in the district, set at $129 million dollars. Construction costs are now $8.1 million over the estimated amount. Cuts are beginning to take place to reduce those costs. Along with new plans, renovations and all of the construction must be completed in time to bring the freshman up to the high schools in the fall of 2015.
According to Principal James Ramage the construction that has most recently taken place was the pouring of concrete before and after Thanksgiving break that is now the foundation of the new Academic Wing.
The next thing that will be started is the bringing in and setting up of the pre-fabricated walls which will most likely happen over Christmas break. Ramage said construction on the Academic Wing should go smoothly, but until then more parking will be lost to students in the front parking lot.
The Academic Wing will hold the juniors and seniors, but it’s still up in the air of who will be upstairs or downstairs. The dividing of teachers by departments is also another option being considered, such as all of the math teachers for juniors and seniors in one area, all of the science, etc.
The freshman and sophomores will be located in the older part of the building. F-Wing will be all freshman, G-Wing will be primarily freshman and some sophomores, and sophomores will be mostly be in J and K-Wing. Additional dens will also be added onto to the expansion to accommodate the increase of student population.
Plans have been discussed for renovations and construction on the cafeteria, but it is unknown exactly when it will begin.
“I met with the team of architects,” Ramage said. “We were making some slight changes in the plans. One was for the cost effectiveness that they were going to wipe out the “P” mural in front of the cafeteria. I was dead set against that. They were going to move the bathrooms down about 50 feet west, I suggested instead of moving them to just redo them and save a ton of money. It will save the district several hundred thousand dollars.”
The band hall will be completely rebuilt, bigger than before and will extend into what is now teacher parking. The orchestra will move into the old band hall. The choir room will have an addition made to it.
“The loop between the band hall and JROTC building will be cut off,” Ramage said. “Teachers won’t be able to park there anymore. They were pretty upset about that one.”
All the portables will be moved behind J-hall. This process was started at the beginning of this week, as they are relocated one-by-one.
“The portables will be moved to just South of the J-wing,” Ramage said. ”That’s where all eight of the portables will be.”
As each teachers’ portable is being moved their class will be relocated that day to either the auditorium, cafeteria, or an empty classroom.
“I know some teachers won’t be happy about moving rooms,” Ramage said, “because they have been in there rooms for 20 years or so, but everyone is moving.”
The South parking lot was shut down so the construction company can move the JROTC building behind the “Home of the Permian Panthers” sign. It will remain closed as the other portables are moved.
“They will start gutting the U building which is two classrooms, the boy’s trainer and Coach Feldt’s office,” Ramage said. Once done, the building will be for all boys athletics classes.