It was a bright, windy spring morning for a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the construction of Lake Travis ISD’s Elementary School No. 7.
The board of trustees and district administration hosted the April 16 event. Troop 786 Boy Scouts from Hudson Bend and Lake Travis middle schools and Lake Travis High School led the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the Lake Travis High School Choir’s national anthem.
“Projects such as this one have a lot of moving parts, and they certainly don’t happen on their own—it takes a community to bring them to fruition,” Director of Communications Marco Alvarado said.
Community members present included elected officials; Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce members; representatives from the district’s executive leadership team, education foundation and 2017 bond advisory committee; the Lake Travis Fire rescue chief and assistant chief; the project architects, general contractor and developer; and more.
School board President Kim Flasch said it seemed like just the other day voters approved the district’s largest bond issue to date.
“Approval of this bond was critical to the long-term vitality of our exemplary Lake Travis community,” Flasch said. “It will allow us to accommodate the continued increase in student enrollment.”
The new school is in Lakeway jurisdiction, and Mayor Sandy Cox also spoke to growth and the shift toward a younger demographic.
“In the last two decades, we have seen explosive growth in this community,” Cox said. “When I moved here 20 years ago, our average age was 67—today it’s 43 in the city of Lakeway.”
The city is looking forward to the next 20 years now, Cox said, and a key focus is trying to measure and monitor growth.
“We want to make sure we keep the essence of this community in tact for many years to come,” she said, adding she appreciates the partnership and shared vision with LTISD.
Superintendent Brad Lancaster said he has been here 7 1/2 years, and this is the fourth groundbreaking he has attended in that time.
“Most school districts are shrinking and closing buildings,” he said. “We have the good fortune to be opening schools across Lakeway, Bee Cave and unincorporated Travis County. For good or bad, that’s going to continue for the next 10 or 20 years.”
The $33 million facility will encompass more than 102,000 square feet and have the capacity to house 850 students. The project is part of the district’s $253 million bond program approved by voters in November 2017.
Special features include:
- a highly-efficient, Energy Star building envelope that makes use of geothermal wells
that will conserve operating costs for heating and cooling;
- a main distribution frame room with windows to the corridor to create student interest in the
building’s network system;
- a full-size basketball court inside the gym with cushioned vinyl flooring;
- outdoor learning and story areas at the library’s exterior;
- outdoor dining areas adjacent to playscapes, play fields and basketball
courts; and
- stormwater drainage directed to bio-retention basins that support
site landscaping.
