BY DENNIS SPELLMAN
KATY, TX (Covering Katy) – It frustrates Katy Independent School District Superintendent Alton Frailey that less than 7 percent of the district’s latest bond proposal is getting nearly 100 percent of the media attention even before the school board has approved sending the issue to voters. Frailey calls the district’s proposal to build a second football stadium “the big elephant in the room.”
One year after the districts stadium plan was defeated at the polls Katy ISD is back with a less expensive plan, 48 million dollars to build the facility and all the needed infrastructure such as parking lots, driveways, and a field house. Last year’s plan was 11.5 million dollars more expensive.
Frailey does not even like calling it a “football stadium,” pointing out that it will be used for more than football games. It will also be utilized for soccer and band competitions and other smaller gatherings. He prefers calling it “a student activity facility.”
CLICK FOR KATY ISD BOND PACKAGE FLIER- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The total bond, if sent to voters by the school board, would be slightly more than $748 million. The KISD Board of Trustees is expected to put the issue on the November 4th ballot.
BOND DRIVEN BY GROWTH
From left: Keith Carmichael, Alton Frailey, Bryan Michalsky brief the media on the proposed 2014 bond referendum.
Covering Katy photo
Katy is one of the fastest growing school districts in the nation and the stadium is the elephant in the room because it is the reason voters defeated last year’s bond proposal. Katy is growing by about 3,000 new students each year.
If the bond is approved by voters nearly half of the $748 million would fund construction of one new high school, two new junior high schools, and three elementary schools.
The new schools would provide relief to Morton Ranch and Katy High Schools; Katy, Morton Ranch, Wood Creek and Seven Lakes Junior High Schools; King, Randolph, Morton Ranch, WoodCreek and Wolman Elementary Schools.
Nearly 20 percent of the money would be used to renovate Mayde Creek High School, Memorial Parkway Junior High and Memorial Parkway, Cimarron, Golbow and Pattison Elementary schools.
The agricultural sciences center was on last year’s defeated bond referendum and is also part of the 2014 proposal.
SMALLER, LESS EXPENSIVE STADIUM
“We’ve heard the voters,” Frailey said referring to the reduced cost of this year’s stadium proposal.
The total cost has been cut from $69.5 million dollars to $58 million dollars. The savings gained are primarily from reducing the seating capacity by 2,000 seats from 14,000 to 12,000. Frailey says fewer seats means a smaller parking lot, fewer bathrooms and other savings related to a smaller facility.
“What has yet to be determined is the degree to which this complex can meet program needs outside of athletics and fine arts. As we continue into the design phase and are able to get more certainty on costs, we will have a better idea of the specific differences,” Frailey said.
Some have suggested putting the stadium on the ballot as a separate question but Frailey and the bond committee believe that doing so would pit one group of students against another.
APPLES TO ORANGES
Rhodes Stadium is currently shared by seven high schools and an eighth high school is being planned.
Last year’s proposal was called the most expensive high school football stadium in Texas history, even more expensive than the one in Allen, Texas that is currently the priciest in the state. Frailey has always maintained comparing the Katy plan to Allen’s stadium is “apples to oranges.”
Frailey says much of the infrastructure already existed in Allen so their cost went almost completely to the stadium where Katy will need to spend on infrastructure to support the facility.
Bond committee chairman Keith Carmichael say when you remove the infrastructure costs the numbers look much different.
“That stadium (Allen) is “$63 million for just the stadium . Our proposed stadium – just the stadium – is $43 million.” He says the remaining $5 million would be spent on infrastructure and a field house.
FIELD HOUSE
The field house will provide space for athletes and officials to change and prepare for the game.
“The current Rhodes Stadium field house is approximately 9,800 square feet and consists of two locker rooms, restrooms and support space. The proposal for 12,000 square feet (in the new stadium) would include additional space for co-ed training rooms, a police office, an EMT room, and meeting area for coaches. A second floor shell space is planned for above the field house for future build out,” Frailey said.
SCHEDULING PROBLEMS
Bond supporters say Katy is in a bind and will have to lease stadiums in other communities if Rhodes is the only facility available in the future. “We are the only district with seven high schools in the state of Texas that has only one competition stadium,” said Katy ISD Board of Trustees Chairman Bryan Michalsky.
If the bond is approved an eighth high school will be built.
LOCATION OF STADIUM
The new stadium would be built next to Rhodes stadium.
Courtesy: PBK Architects
The district would build the second stadium on property next to Rhodes Stadium that is already owned by the district.
Frailey estimates that purchasing land elsewhere could cost more than $20 million dollars. In the past he has said game times could be staggered and two contests could be ongoing at once utilizing the same police staff to direct traffic which would save money.
Additional savings could be derived by using the same crew to maintain the two facilities because they would be next to each other.
Michalsky says when you look at the future expected growth of the district north of I-10 the location of both stadiums will be in the middle of the district.
TAX IMPACT
The bond committee says taxes could increase one-cent meaning a home valued at $200,000 would pay $20 dollars more annually if the bond package is approved by voters. Katy ISD points out that a bond referendum in 2010 had a projected 4 cent tax increase but that taxes never did increase.
Residents 65 and older are exempt from any school tax increases.
STRATEGY FOR VICTORY
Frailey believes the key to winning voter approval of this year’s bond is improving communication with voters and responding to critics more quickly than a year ago.
“We’re not going to wait until the end and we’re not going to stop until after the end,” Frailey said.
He began that communication effort Tuesday afternoon by meeting with local media and addressing “the big elephant in the room.”