TEACHER ADVISORY COMMITTEE TOURS CONSTRUCTION AREA

Members of the Los Fresnos CISD Teacher Advisory Committee got a behind-the-scenes look at construction of the additions at Los Fresnos United during their monthly meeting Wednesday.

The group included representatives from each of the 14 campuses, plus some members of the district administration.

In August, Los Fresnos CISD Board of Trustees awarded a construction contract for the first of two expansion phases at LFU.

The first phase calls for the construction of athletic locker rooms, a band hall, and parking areas to be located west of the existing campus.

The locker rooms, which include an athletic training room, will be constructed adjacent to the locker rooms in the current facility. A new band hall will be constructed at the northwest corner of campus with an additional parking area built between the two new facilities. Also included in the project is an upgrade to the campus chiller plant.

Construction has not begun on the second phase of the addition, which will include expansion of classrooms and a Texas Safe Shelter Initiative gymnasium. The new gym will also serve as a community safe room for area residents during emergencies such as hurricanes. The safe room will double as the LFU gymnasium when not in use as a safe room.

The shelter project is awaiting final approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Upon completion of both phases of construction, the Los Fresnos United campus is anticipated to house both ninth and tenth grade students by the fall of 2015.

The teachers rode a school bus to and from the school, and wore hard hats while they were inside the construction area.