Richardson ISD board approves third phase of J.J. Pearce High School renovation

The Richardson ISD board of trustees approved the final stage for the J.J. Pearce High School renovation and expansion project.

The board of trustees approved a guaranteed maximum price of just over $99 million for the third phase of construction during its May 9 meeting. Phase 3 of the project will consist of renovating existing classroom spaces, reconfiguring existing spaces and further upgrades to existing systems/infrastructure, according documents prepared for the board.

Two previous renovation phases were approved in 2021. The first phase of construction, which included the construction of a new turf softball field, the installation of new turf on the existing baseball field and the construction of additional campus parking spaces, was approved by the RISD board for a guaranteed maximum price of just over $6 million during a June 7 meeting, according to district officials.

The second phase of renovations, which included upgrades to existing systems/infrastructure and adding new building additions to increase campus capacity, was approved for a guaranteed maximum price of just over $17 million on Aug. 9. The second phase of construction was further approved by Richardson City Council during an Oct. 18 meeting.

Proposals for the third phase of the project were first received April 13 and were reviewed by district staff, Glenn Partners and general contractor Hill and Wilkinson.

District officials said the final phase of construction is expected to begin in June with work scheduled to take place throughout the summer on the southern side of the school. Construction is expected to resume in summer 2023 with work expected to be completed for the entire project by the start of the 2024-25 school year.

According to the approved proposal, the total project budget will be $140 million. Funding for the project will come from RISD's 2021 bond package, which was approved by more than 63% of voters during the May 2021 election.

During the meeting, the board also approved the final phase of construction for the Forest Meadow Middle School transformation project. The project, which is also being funded by the 2021 bond program, is expected to be completed by July 2023.