UNDER CONSTRUCTION

(Above left) Construction at Panther Stadium has increased capacity to 5,250 on the home side and 2,500 on the visiting side. (Above right) Liberty Hill Middle School’s entranceway will feature a new, more modern look. (Below) Among other improvements at Liberty Hill Elementary is an expanded gym that will be ready for the new school year. (Bottom) Storm drains are added to Liberty Hill Elementary, which is seeing the most extensive renovations this summer. PHOTOS BY SCOTT AKANEWICH

LHISD under construction

Upgrades include increased capacity at Panther Stadium

BY SCOTT AKANEWICH

STAFF WRITER

As brand-new schools have been added to the landscape of the Liberty Hill Independent School District in recent years, the need for upgrades to its older campuses is now the focus, with the result being sweeping additions to several campuses this summer.

According to Liberty Hill ISD Superintendent Steve Snell, the presence of Santa Rita Middle School and Rancho Sienna and Santa Rita Elementary schools prompted makeovers for Liberty Hill Middle School and Liberty Hill and Louine Noble Elementary schools in order to provide a level playing field for all of the district’s students.

“The long-range planning committee and the board of trustees set facility equity as a top priority,” said Snell. “We have three older buildings that are being expanded and modernized to provide equity in our facilities.”

Liberty Hill Middle School will feature perhaps the most noticeable changes, with an entirely new entranceway that includes a canopy over the main walkway in addition to a parking lot expansion, an emergency fire loop and retention ponds.

At Liberty Hill Elementary, the current gym is being expanded along with additional parking between the main building and old Panther Stadium, while five portable classrooms have been added to accommodate increased enrollment.

Finally, Noble Elementary is getting a new library, with the old one being converted into administrative space in addition to the placement of six portable classrooms.

Nearly all of the work will be completed by the first day of school on Aug. 17, said Snell.

“Construction is progressing nicely and what is scheduled to be finished by the time school starts should be,” he said. “Included are expanded parking lots and drives at Liberty Hill Elementary and Liberty Hill Middle School and the Panther Stadium bleacher expansion will also be complete. The projects were broken down by phasing so summer items could be completed on time.”

A refurbished Panther Stadium at the high school will have increased seating capacity on both the home side (from 3,500 up to 5,250) and away side (1,680 to 2,500), with a new combined capacity of nearly 8,000 when football season kicks off on Aug. 26.

Snell said the specter of the global pandemic still haunts progress in presenting challenges that were non-existent when the current plans were drawn up.

“The current ‘post-COVID’ era brings many challenges with supply chain issues, price increases due to inflation and supply shortages and workforce concerns,” he said. “But, LHISD and our construction teams have done a good job managing those challenges.”

As the city of Liberty Hill continues to grow at such a rapid pace – and the school district along with it – Snell said constant upgrades to existing buildings and construction of new ones will continue to be a staple of its existence.

“LHISD grew by 24 percent this year and there is no sign of the growth slowing down,” he said. “In fact, LHISD is considered a ‘Fast Growth’ district and should see continued growth for the next 20 years. However, we’re prepared and have a great strategic plan in place and LHISD will continue to work with committees consisting of community, staff and other stakeholders to make sure our students have the facilities they need to receive a world-class education.”