The Belton ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously Monday to move forward with construction of the new 394,000 square foot Lake Belton High School, which was originally approved by voters in 2017.
The board amended and firmed up a contract Monday with Bartlett Cocke General Contractors. That amended contract set a guaranteed maximum price of $106.4 million. For that money, the district will get artificial turf for the baseball and softball fields, two extra tennis courts and approximately 100 more student parking spaces than the base bid had planned.
“This is an exciting time for Belton ISD," Superintendent Dr. Susan Kincannon said. in a statement.
Belton ISD is growing rapidly. The district currently has 3,278 students enrolled in high school. But, by the time the first class graduates from the new Lake Belton High School in 2023, Belton ISD anticipates having roughly 4,500 high schoolers. The new building will be capable of housing 2,500 of those students.
“Construction projects of this size have a substantial impact on our local economy. A significant amount of the work on this project will be completed by local subcontractors, creating new jobs and a positive impact for many other local businesses,” Belton ISD Board President Randy Pittenger said in a statement.
The groundbreaking for the new campus will be at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. The school will be built at FM 2483 and Highway 317 -- right behind High Point Elementary School.
Click here for artist renderings of the building.