A proposed renovation plan for Memorial Parkway Junior High School was presented at the June 15 Katy ISD board of trustees meeting. Architectural firm Stantec and construction company Drymalla are working jointly on the renovation, which is the largest renovation funded by the 2014 bond measure.

Laura Sachtleben, a senior associate and project director at Stantec, presented the design to the board and said a funding strategy would be addressed in October with construction beginning in November. The 2014 bond committee allotted a finite budget of nearly $23.5 million for the project.

“We made a layout in this plan that would make the best use of this space,” Sachtleben said during her presentation to the board.

She said the new design improves circulation and creates six new “flex areas” for collaborative learning.

The project has eight phases: Phase 1 is set to begin in November with a completion date of August 2017. Additional time was given for this project because the labor force is smaller than it was when previous district projects were completed, Sachtleben said.

The school opened in 1982 and has had no major modernizations since then, Sachtleben said. Many of the facility’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems have reached the end of their life cycles.

Renovations include upgrading mechanical, electrical and plumbing components as well as creating a new entrance on the south side of the building with more space for parent drop-off and pickup. An additional 40 parking spaces will be added on the west side, and the interior will be redesigned to address federal Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and more efficient use of classroom and administration space, Sachtleben said.