The Georgetown ISD board of trustees unanimously approved contracts to Lee Lewis Construction, Braun & Butler Construction and Hellas Construction for several construction projects during its meeting Feb. 16.

David Biesheuvel, GISD executive director of support services, told trustees that five contractors had submitted cost proposals to build the district's fourth middle school. Four of those companies turned in bids ranging from $38.9 million to $42.3 million.

The board approved hiring Lee Lewis Construction for the construction of the building and three additional pieces of the campus—providing LED lighting throughout the facility, using concrete paving instead of asphalt, and installing a rainwater collection system that will help with irrigating the campus' landscaping. The cost is for $39.3 million, and the school is scheduled to open in fall 2017.

The board also awarded a contract to Braun & Butler Construction to build secured entrances at Pickett, Cooper, Village and Ford elementary schools for a cost of $185,130. Biescheuvel said the work on all four entrances should be complete by mid-summer.

“We’re not going to interrupt school, it will be during spring break," he said. "But if we can’t get it during spring break, we’ll certainly do it in June.”

The board also  approved a contract with Hellas Construction to replace the turf at the GISD athletic complex and the Georgetown High School practice field for $970,000. While the company submitted the highest bid out of five companies, Biescheuvel said GISD has had good experiences with the construction company repairing the district's turfs in the past. Hellas Construction has rebuilt the GHS track, the turf at the GHS baseball field, the practice field at GHS and both the softball and baseball fields at East View High School.

"They have come and done repairs at those fields. It wasn’t their turf, but they came and spent quite a bit of time and effort fixing that for us and did an excellent job," he told the board.

He said the work on both the athletic complex and the practice field is scheduled to be completed in July.