From May 2022 to August 2023, the elementary school will undergo construction to improve the school in several ways. Angel Rivera with Huckabee, an architectural design firm, shared several planned upgrades for the campus.
“We’re doing a pretty significant facelift for Ross,” he said.
Ross Elementary has a single lane at the southwest part of campus for parents to drop off their children. Architects plan to upgrade it to a double-stacked lane, increasing capacity, Rivera said.
Additionally, there are about 96 parking spaces at the school, but based on enrollment, the number should be about 122. The redesign will increase the number of spaces to about 130, Rivera said.
Architects plan to build an administrative wing closer to the road to give Ross Elementary more of a presence. The school is set back from the road, and when visitors arrive at the school, they do not always know where to go to enter the school. The new suite will make it obvious, Rivera said.
One of the gyms near FM 518 will be converted to a library; another gym will remain as is. Architects plan to add a collaborative space near the library and gym with natural light. The library will have a maker space and green room, Rivera said.
The kitchen will remain in the same spot, but it will move into the dining room by 10 feet to make room for a new serving line. New kitchen equipment will be installed as well, Rivera said.
Collaborative spaces will be created in the middle of the suites that make up several classrooms. Folding partitions for the spaces will be installed so teachers and students can make open and closed-off areas, Rivera said.
In total, the upgrades will cost $20.65 million, he said.
“We’re real excited about how those spaces are going to look,” Rivera said. “It’s gonna be a complete ... makeover of the current campus as you see it today.”
Phase 1 will run from June 2022 to August 2022 and include the new drop-off lanes. Phase 2 will go from September 2022 to June 2023 and include the new administrative wing. Phase 3 runs from May 2023 to August 2023 and includes the kitchen and classroom upgrades, Rivera said.
Board members expressed excitement for the project before giving it unanimous approval.
“There’s a lot of creative solutions in here,” President Laura DuPont said.
