Pearsall ISD breaks ground for new performance center
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Facility among several paid through $12M bond
Pearsall ISD Superintendent Dr. Nobert Rodriguez joined Trustees (L-R) Rochelle Camacho, Marco Reyes, Luisa Martinez, Mari Benavides, Sandra Waldrum, Tommy Navarro and Eric Fletcher in breaking ground for a new performing arts center at the high school last week.
(CURRENT Photo: Marc Robertson)
Construction equipment will soon be moved into place beside Pearsall High School, where a new performing arts center will be built as part of a long-awaited $12 million facilities project approved by voters.
School board trustees joined PISD Superintendent Dr. Nobert Rodriguez in front of the construction site Thursday, April 28, to break ground for the facility that will serve as a high school band hall and auditorium.
The PHS development is one of several construction projects planned for the district with funds that have been secured through a bond sale, according to the superintendent.
Dr. Rodriguez added that the district has already begun repaying the debt.
Also on the list are a new gymnasium for the Ted Flores Elementary School and renovations across that campus.
Supt. Rodriguez said Thursday that he believes the community stands to benefit greatly from the additions, particularly with a high school facility that may serve several purposes.
“We will be able to host events here, and this facility will be versatile and serve our district for generations to come,” Supt. Rodriguez said. “We are all very excited about this super new facility.”
“This has been a long and tedious process,” PISD Trustee Eric Fletcher said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “It started with a vision to equal the playing field and provide more opportunities for our students. These buildings will add to the defining character of Perarsall ISD.”
Stages in the development plan included the formation of a steering committee of community members and school administrators who prioritized the district’s needs and long-term goals. A presentation of that list to the trustees resulted in the 2019 decision to seek voter approval for a bond issue whose $12 million would pay for the performing arts center as well as a shopping list of other vital needs. These included fencing and air conditioning system improvements at several district facilities, the gymnasium, and a renovation of the Pre-K and Kindergarten wing of the Ted Flores school.
Delays in the project’s progress since the bond election three years ago have been due in large part to the coronavirus pandemic and a spike in materials costs as well as supply-chain interruptions, according to district staff this week.
Supt. Rodriguez said he believes the district’s construction goals will be met under the finance plan.
“The great news is that this bond payment and all of the district’s remaining debt will be paid off in eight more years,” Trustee Fletcher said.
Sedge Engineering and Architect Bob Shelton have been hired by the district to build the facilities. The FA Nunnely company is contracted as construction manager at-risk and has begun overseeing the first stages of work.
The performing arts center will be situated on previously undeveloped land to the west of the high school campus, accessible via Maverick Drive.
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