The architectural firm Harrison Kornberg Architects completed the design phase in late 2022.
“What that means is that the floor plans are complete,” Riley said in an interview. “The exterior design, the traffic flow, all of that design work is done. The next step is to go into cost estimates and make sure that what we’ve designed fits within the budget.”
The LSC-Magnolia Center is a part of the $485 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2014. According to the LSCS website, the building's allocated budget is approximately $28.86 million. Riley said the building will be roughly 51,500 square feet.
After costs and budgets are finalized, Riley said the project team will begin allowing companies to bid for contracts to build the center. She said she expects the LSCS board of trustees to choose the construction manager and other subcontractors by this spring.
“Assuming all of that goes well, and I have no reason to believe it won’t, because we’ve worked with these architects before, then we should be breaking ground with all the permits done towards the end of the summer,” she said.
Riley said, as of Dec. 20, the LSC-Magnolia Center is slated to open for classes by fall 2024. She said programs housed at the new location will include an HVAC training program, multiple computer and science labs, a small library, a testing center, classrooms, and an emergency medical services training program.
“The site design was done so that it will be relatively easy to expand the site either in partnership with Magnolia ISD or for something Lone Star decides to do down the road,” she said. “Right now, everything is on track, and it’s going to be a beautiful campus.”
The center will be located at the corner of FM 1774 and FM 1486 next to the Escondido community in Magnolia and across from Magnolia West High School.
