Tidehaven ISD
District Program and Facilities Advisory
Planning Committee Meeting
April 15, 2008 

Summary of Meeting

 Mr. Jones began the open forum at 6:50 p.m.  There were 20 members and 1 guest present.  Following the welcome and a very brief review of the previous meetings, Mr. Jones answered questions/inquiries from the previous meeting. 

The committee had expressed their concern at the March meeting that if construction were chosen as an option that land might be difficult to acquire, as we had learned in a previous meeting.  In an effort to show the committee information on surrounding land, Mr. Jones contacted the appraisal district.  The Kopecky Family owns 20 acres on FM 1095 and another 25 acres on Hwy. 35.  Mr. Tom Uher owns 96.5 acres on FM 1095 (currently a grass farm).  Tresos Limited (the Schmickrath Family) owns 98 acres on Hwy. 35, but have already expressed that they are not interested in selling their land.  Mr. Jones inquired only as to the owner and acreage available, there is no implication that this land is for sale.  Mr. Jones explained to the committee that Blessing Elementary and Markham Elementary each have land that could be used for construction.   

Another item that arose from the March meeting concerned the possible savings for the district if the elementary campuses were merged together on a new campus. Mr. Jones estimated that the savings could be from $150,000-$200,000 per year when salaries and benefits are taken into consideration.  Other items that could affect savings might include managing one cafeteria instead of two, less maintenance, including travel for the maintenance department, and the possibility of less administrative staff and auxiliary staff.   

During the March meeting, the committee members expressed a strong desire to have construction costs before trying to reach a consensus of what they would like to present to the Board of Trustees.  Mr. Jones consulted with Dale Rabe, architect, and provided the following figures for the committee’s consideration: 

 Mr. Jones also presented the following information on average need/construction costs: 

 Another presentation showed the possible impact/increase on property tax should a bond election pass: 

 The committee reviewed current and past enrollment figures for the district and the current tax rate for surrounding districts: 

 After reviewing these figures, the committee members were asked to write down the three choices they would like the Board of Trustees to consider.  The choices were then summarized and the committee decided that they would like more information concerning the varied options presented.  Mr. Jones was asked to create a survey based on what was discussed so that committee members could better prioritize their options.  Mr. Jones assured the committee that he would create this survey and send it to each committee member.  The committee members then decided they would like the results of this survey compiled before the next Programs and Facilities Advisory Committee Meeting.   Mr. Jones said he would have the results by that time. The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. The next meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on May 13, 2008 in the High School LRC.