Construction of a new nearly $9.96 million Westlake High School aquatic center moved another step closer during the March 31 Eanes ISD board meeting.
The aquatics center is slated for a tract of land located east of Loop 360 and west of Camp Craft and will be funded by the district’s 2019 bond program.
Following a number of variance approvals from West Lake Hills City Council on Dec. 11, the EISD board of trustees approved a request for proposal for the operations and management of the upcoming center.
According to district information, the goal of the contract is for EISD to partner with a third-party entity for the regular operations of the aquatic center. This decision is an effort to mitigate or potentially eliminate the operational costs for the district.
The company WAQ LCC proposed to cover all operational costs associated with the center while adhering and maintaining to the guidelines of the EISD.
The proposed aquatics center is included within the district’s co-curricular and extracurricular project portion of the $11 million 2019 bond. Included in this portion of the bond were the construction of a new wrestling space and the expansion of a robotics center.
As the district moves into the final design phase, trustees reviewed updated renderings of each space.
The robotics expansion is projected to cost a total of $2.92 million and the wrestling space a total of $2.3 million, with the estimated start of all three projects set for June.
The wrestling center will be the first dedicated space for the West Lake High School wrestling team; however, it will also act as a multifunctional space and will include audio and visual technology. According to district information, the space is also designed to accommodate softball, tennis and fine arts programs.
The robotics expansion will adhere to a robotics competition format and will include two new classrooms for the district’s engineering program as well as three additional classrooms. According to EISD, the existing robotics facility cannot accommodate the necessary competition format.
EISD Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Trimble said the goal is to have all three spaces fully operational by the 2021-22 school year.
Construction is permitted to continue despite the shetler-in-place order mandated by Travis County, according to Trimble. Within that order, public works construction has been deemed an essential service.
Trimble stated EISD is monitoring the COVID-19 situation very closely with regard to how it could affect construction.
