Grape Creek ISD Breaks Ground

on Middle School Expansion Project

            Members of the Grape Creek ISD Board of Trustees, administration, faculty and student body were joined by the district’s community members, architects and engineers for a groundbreaking ceremony for the Middle School Expansion Project on Tuesday, Jan. 4.

            After years of careful planning and stacks of proposed blueprints, the middle school expansion project is finally becoming a reality.  The $1.44 million project began with the organization of a Citizens’ Committee in 2000. 

Committee members conducted local   studies and interviews, gathered input from   the community and studied various options to   address the district’s overcrowding problem.    The result was a Facilities Improvement Plan   that serves as the basis for the Middle School   Expansion phase, which includes construction   of a new band hall, six classrooms, a science   lab, two computer labs, two dressing rooms   and a library.  As part of the project, the   existing band hall will be joined with the   existing cafeteria to expand the cafeteria’s    seating capacity.               The construction phase is expected to   be completed by December 2005. Once

completed, it will add 20,000 square feet of instructional space to the middle school and will eliminate the need for the portable buildings across the street from the main campus.

            “By moving our students back across the street, it will eliminate the need for them to cross Wren Road, a busy street in Grape Creek,” said Frank Walter, superintendent, “This alone will make the campus much safer for our students.”

            Currently, there are approximately 270 students enrolled at Grape Creek Middle School being education in a 10,000 square foot main structure and five portable buildings.  The students share a cafeteria seating space of only 2,400 square feet with 550 elementary students.  With the new renovations, the seating capacity will increase from 200 to 300 students.

            “This has been a long time coming,” Walter said, “These improvements and additions will make things more comfortable for our middle school kids and our teaching staff and will create a more efficient learning environment.”

            Renovations were made to the district’s elementary campus during the summer months and last school year.  A new air conditioning system, renovated restrooms and a teacher’s workroom were added to the structure as part of these improvements.

            The $120,000 for elementary renovations and $1.44 million for the middle school project were raised through a combination of inter-local agreements with Austin ISD and through designated funds that were set aside from the district’s local budget.

For Middle School Expansion detail #1, click here

For Middle School Expansion detail #2, click here

For Middle School Expansion detail #3, click here

For details on Safety Measures being taken to address student safety, click here