Dublin ISD officially took steps during Monday night’s meeting for the construction of a new ag facility located on the Secondary Campus.
Administration unveiled renderings of the new facility which will include a 96- by 90-foot main arena, 40 animal pens and a center portion with restrooms, concessions, classroom and animal wash space.
According to information presented by the district, the main arena will be concrete and will have the ability to have about six inches of dirt on it for jackpots or practice competitions.
“We wouldn’t have to have floral competitions at the Cowboy Church, we can have them right there,” Superintendent Melissa Summers said.
The enclosed facility can also be used for classes, CTE contests or even a prom in the future.
Board President Bob Cervetto stated for those who believed the district was building an indoor athletic facility, that typically those facilities are much larger at 186 ft to 156 ft.
Half of the animal pens will be designed to house pigs, while the other side will have adaptable pens for a variety of animals depending on their size.
There will also be fences around the ag building to help act as a secondary barrier in case animals escape.
“If you’ve been out there you will see that the city and the county have been helping us out and spreading some dirt,” Summers said. “Every time I’m out there it’s exciting.”
The district hopes they can have it completed by the beginning of the next school year, or even sooner by summer.
“A lot of this came through planning with the ag teachers looking at places, telling us where to look,” Cervetto said. “Everything they wanted is in this. Some of it is downsized a little bit, some of it was made big.”
One reason the arena area is so large is so a set of bleachers can be moved in so friends and family can watch during jackpots or practice competitions.
The building can also be expanded as the school district’s ag program grows.
School Board Member Cole Leatherwood questioned if the district had inquired with their insurance company if there would be a higher cost with having animals on campus vs. the former location.
“That is a good question and we have not,” Summers said. “Of course, our insurance will go up because we have new building, but we will check in to the animals.”
At the meeting, a motion for a budget adjustment for $1.5 million was made for the 2026-’27 budget, with School Board Member Cole Leatherwood voting in opposition.
Business Manager Kassi Eads explained that the $1.5 million price tag was the value of the building, not a check the district is expecting to write. (The amount is being moved from the fund balance.)
“We don’t expect it to cost near that much,” Summers said. “Whatever we don’t spend will just stay in the fund balance.”
Cole asked if the district had any plans that that amount was based off of.
“Not quite yet, but we’ve talked to a contractor that said $1.2 to $1.3 million was more than enough,” he said.
“If we approve this for $1.5, and they see we’ve got $1.5 to spend on it, it’s going to cost a million, five,” Cole explained.
Eads explained with donations, along with a significant donation from Prime Metal Building and Components, and the money from the sale of the former ag barn, the district did not expect to spend the $1.5 million but it was a value capture.
“I’m all for the building,” Cole said. “I just think having a set of plans before we start this is a better idea.”
Part of the funds will be raised with a barn raising bash set at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Dublin Secondary Campus.
There will be a live and silent auction at the event, along with food, live entertainment provided by ISD bands, and a chance to see renderings and the footprint of where the new facility will be built.
“It’s incredible to see how many people are working to help our students to make this happen,” Summers said.
A significant donation from Prime Metal was accepted unanimously as the business is letting the district purchase all of the metal needed for the project at a cost of $100,000. The total value of the metal is $249,500, saving the district $149,500. “We are incredibly grateful to Prime,” Summers said.
The district also accepted a bid for $123,150 from DA Welding for covering of the bus/school vehicle parking located on Post Oak.
After every bus was damaged by a hail storm last year, cancelling bus routes for a day due to transportation issues, the district decided to go out for bids to cover its transportation facilities.
“It was terrific that we received so many local bids,” Summers said.
Bids included: Flowers Construction ($185,000), Twisted S Custom Builders ($128,854.27), Chino’s Welding ($125,000), Teal General Contractors, LLC ($470,517.35), Campbell Construction Co. ($147,117), Chadd Luttrell ($165,000), Stephen Reed ($125,000), Hankings Contracting ($202,246.67), Onyx Facility Solutions, Inc. ($319,200), Solutions Contracting ($567,000), Tommy Ruderer Construction ($124,000), and BDM Fabrication Solutions LLC ($157,635).
The district also authorized the purchase of a new school bus at a cost of $115,000.
After closing out books for the previous fiscal year, the district was able to transfer $291,000 into the district’s fund balance.