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Facility Upgrades Continue At MHS, MISD

Facility Upgrades Continue At MHS, MISD

May 19, 2020

Marshall ISD’s Board of Trustees approved recommendations for wide-ranging facility improvements and additions to Marshall High School and the district during the regular May board meeting Monday night.

The projects continue what has become a year-long period of renovation of MHS and its surrounding facilities, providing a complete facelift of the 40-year old high school campus. Funding for the projects comes from a combination of previously-budgeted money for specific projects as well as money from the district’s fund balance, which is essentially a savings account.

“The students of Marshall deserve it,” said Dr. Jerry Gibson, MISD Superintendent of Schools. “The community is ready. A plan, dreams and a vision with a supportive community and school board is unbeatable.”

Specific projects approved for construction on Monday night include renovation of the restrooms on both the home and visitors sides of Maverick Stadium; new playground equipment for students at Marshall Early Childhood Center; new furniture purchases for Marshall Early Graduation School; installation of artificial turf at both the MHS softball and baseball fields; construction of a co-curricular, multi-purpose practice field and covered pavilion; and installation of new flooring at MHS.

Renovations to the Maverick Stadium restrooms were awarded to Casey Sloan Construction in the amount of $102,447.00. The project will include new furnishings in the restrooms, new paint and a cleaning and “blowing out” of the plumbing lines.

The playground equipment at MECC is a separate project from the playground that was installed earlier this spring for Little Mav Academy. This playground will be installed near the new LMA playground but is designed for children specifically at MECC.

The furniture for Marshall Early Graduation School, located on Evans Street, will be purchased through the charter school startup grant. The bid was awarded to Lone Star Furnishings with delivery ensured by Aug. 1, 2020.

The turf project was awarded to Hellas Construction, Inc., which is the same company that has installed the new turf at Maverick Stadium. Turf will be installed on both the MHS softball and baseball fields at a combined cost of roughly $1.7 million. The installation of turf fields will allow for minimized reduction of field usage during inclement or wet weather, as well as allow the district to actively seek to host tournaments and playoff games throughout the year.

The multipurpose practice field and covered pavilion was also awarded to Hellas. The project will include a 120-yard turf practice field with markings for football, baseball, softball and soccer. The field will be covered by a pavilion that will be approximately 60 feet tall at its highest point, and will include lights, netting and dividing curtains.

The multipurpose pavilion will also be available for use by other MISD groups such as Mavettes, band, ROTC, etc., for practices, as well as provide a covered area for field days in case of inclement weather. Scheduling for the pavilion will be handled through the principal’s office at Marshall High School.

The pavilion, which will be built on the current practice fields between Maverick Stadium and the softball fields, will be the first of its kind in Texas. There are currently only two completed pavilions in the United States, at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and at the University of South Alabama.

Combined cost of the pavilion and turf field is roughly $2.3 million, with the funds coming from the district’s fund balance.

The high school flooring project was awarded to Paint, Etc., of Longview and will include the removal of all existing tile floor in the high school excluding the 12 new science labs that were installed two years ago. New tile will be installed with grey and red being used as primary and accent colors, as well as installation of commercial walk-off carpet at entry points to the school.

Two MISD “M” logos will be installed at the main entry and primary landing leading to the second level, similar to the logos that are available in the Legacy 2017 elementary schools and Marshall Junior High.

Total cost of the flooring project at MHS is $632,108.

The recent additions that are being paid out of the district’s fund balance leaves MISD still with a balance of roughly $13.7 million in the fund balance, which is within state recommendations for a fund balance of 3-4 months of district expenses.

The sweeping additions and renovations approved Monday night are part of a larger renovation and facility improvement push around the district over the past two years. At MHS alone, the following projects have been completed, are in the works or are being considered:

• New Science Labs
• New, secure main entryway and secure doors at all entrances
• New security gate on Maverick Drive
• Renovated boys and girls locker rooms in Maverick Gym
• Renovated restrooms throughout the school
• Resurfacing of tennis courts
• New lighting at baseball field, softball field and Maverick Stadium
• Renovated softball locker room
• New press box in Maverick Stadium
• New turf in Maverick Stadium
• Resurfacing of the track in Maverick Stadium`
• New restrooms in Maverick Stadium
• New weight room and renovations to Y.A. Tittle Fieldhouse
• New parking lot
• New Ag Barn
• New lighting throughout the school and parking lot
• New sound and lighting in the auditorium
• New carpeting in the library
• Artificial turf being installed on both baseball and softball fields
• New roof and HVAC systems
• Construction of new multipurpose, covered practice facility with turfed surface
• New bleachers, new floors, paint, scorers table and new sound system in Maverick Gym
• New ceiling tiles throughout the school
• New flooring throughout the school

Potential projects still being considered for presentation to the Board of Trustees include:

• Renovation of the paneled walls throughout the school
• Removal of lockers throughout the school

Throughout the past year, these facility upgrades and additions have either been completed or are in progress:

• New playground for Little Mav Academy
• New playground for Marshall Early Childhood Center
• New HVAC systems throughout the district
• Extension of parking lot at MECC
• New fencing at MECC
• GPS systems on all MISD buses
• New furnishings for Marshall Early Graduation School
• Upgraded security entrances at the MISD Administration Building and the Learning Resource Center
• New gas storage tanks at MISD Transportation

All the changes above have taken place since 2017, when the district also added three new elementary schools, a renovated elementary school, and a new junior high school that were all part of the Legacy 2017 bond project.