Allen ISD trustees approved a total construction cost of $28,632,460 to renovate Green Elementary School during a meeting on Monday, clearing the way for a near-total overhaul of the 30-year-old campus. The project will touch about 82,447 square feet of the school, updating everything from electrical and plumbing systems to security cameras and door hardware.
Board members approved the figure during the Oct. 26 meeting, according to Community Impact, which reported that the approved amount serves as a guaranteed maximum price covering construction management services, architectural fees, soft costs and other expenses. Green Elementary was built in 1995 and last renovated in 2010, per a staff presentation cited by the outlet, meaning the campus has gone roughly a decade and a half since its last major update.
Balfour Beatty Construction will manage the renovation, and Corgan Architects designed the project, the report notes. The scope includes a redesign of the school's lobby and reception area, replacement of flooring, fixtures, wall coverings and paint throughout the building, and upgrades to access control, security cameras and door hardware.
Geothermal System Marks a Major Shift for the Campus
Among the most significant changes is a conversion of Green Elementary's HVAC system to geothermal heating and cooling, according to the same report. Geothermal systems have been described in other school-district contexts as offering quiet, comfortable and reliable heating and cooling, per a case study from the U.S. Department of Energy, though that reference involved a different district's experience with the technology.
The renovation is expected to begin upon board approval and is anticipated to finish by the start of the 2027-28 school year, the outlet reported. That lines up with an earlier estimate from Brian Neely, Allen ISD's executive director of operations, who told the board during an Oct. 6 update that renovations to Green Elementary were currently expected to start in summer 2027.
Bond Funding Traces Back to 2024 Vote
The project will be financed by a voter-approved bond measure passed in 2024. Allen ISD said Proposition A was approved with more than 56% of the vote and would support campus renovations, safety and security enhancements, transportation upgrades and other capital projects, according to a statement posted on allenisd.org. The district also said more than 98% of the total dollar amount in the bond proposal was approved by voters, with the first set of projects expected to begin in spring or summer 2025 after election results were certified.
Green Elementary is not the only campus in line for work funded by that bond. Green Elementary and Ford Middle School were highlighted as the district's next renovation projects during a recent construction update, the Community Impact report states, with Ford Middle School renovations also expected to start in 2027. As of an Oct. 6 update, both projects were still in the design phase, with construction expected to start in 2027.
Pattern Follows Other Recent Campus Overhauls
The Green Elementary approval follows a similar pattern set elsewhere in the district. Allen ISD's board approved a total cost of $30.4 million to renovate Anderson Early Childhood School during a Dec. 15 board meeting, according to a separate Community Impact report, suggesting the district has been steadily working through a list of aging campuses under its bond program.
