Groundbreaking for new school

Wimberley ISD Board of Trustees celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony for the District’s future primary campus on the corner of Ranch Road 12 and Winters Mill Parkway on Monday, July 29. The new, approximately 90,600-square-foot campus is slated to open in the summer of 2020 ahead of the academic year. The $31.3 million bond project, given the go ahead by Wimberley residents in May 2018, has a capacity for 800 students in pre-k through second grade with 40 classrooms, a gymnasium, a library, a cafeteria and several smaller reading and math intervention classrooms. There is one other fact that makes this school a model for others to follow—the campus will be the first One Water Campus in the state with plans to include rainwater and HVAC condensate collection together with wastewater treatment and reuse in the construction of the new school, focusing on conservation of natural resources, green storm water infrastructure, open space preservation and education.

“We’re excited this project is underway, and are really looking forward to that first-day of school experience for all our younger students at this spacious, state-of-the art, green campus, a year from now,” said Dwain York, Wimberley ISD Superintendent of Schools.

“The campus will save a $1 million in water costs during the next 30 years. The water community is very excited about this campus because of the historic nature of the project and its importance in this time,” said Nick Dornak, Director of Watershed Services, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment—Texas State University.

Dornak, David Baker, executive director of the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association and the WVWA design team spearheaded the One Water project, meeting regularly with Dwain York, WISD Superintendent of Schools, architects from O’Connell Robertson, project managers from AG|CM, Inc. and engineers from Doucet & Associates, Inc. to assure the new primary school construction achieves the mission of the Cypress Creek Watershed Protection Plan to protect and conserve water quality and quantity in Cypress Creek, while meeting budget and timeline requirements. The One Water design for the school acknowledges the importance of protecting Jacob’s Well, Blue Hole and the Trinity Aquifer by reducing groundwater consumption by 90% of what a traditional school this size would use.

“We’re excited this project is underway, and are really looking forward to that firstday of school experience for all our younger students at this spacious, stateof-the art, green campus, a year from now.”
Dwain York
WISD Superintendent

Find out more at wimberleyisd.net/ OneWater-Groundbreaking.

Pictured on page one are: Front row: L-R Tina Pennington, WISD Board of Trustees Member, Beverly Clark, Scudder Primary School 1stgrade teacher, Debi King, Scudder Primary School 1st Grade Teacher, Meagan Buck, Scudder Primary School 1stgrade teacher, Dara Richardson, Scudder Primary School Principal, Traci Maxwell, WISD Board of Trustees Vice President, Peggy Savage, resident of childhood home on the new campus property, Rob Campbell, WISD Board of Trustees member, Gina Fulkerson, WISD Board of Trustees member, Joe Malone, WISD Board of Trustees President, Ken Strange, WISD Board of Trustees Member, Jarrod Sterzinger, O’Connell Robertson architect. Back row: L-R Andrea Pope, Greg Howard, Danforth Junior High School principal, Dee Howard, WISD Assistant Superintendent, Amy Lyles, WISD Director of Student Support Services, Jason Valentine, Wimberley High School principal, Shad Scharlach, Danforth Junior High School assistant principal, Dwain York, WISD Superintendent of Schools, Nick Dornak, Director of Watershed Services, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment—Texas State University, Joe Day, Wimberley Valley Watershed Association, Kevin Hammond, Edward Jones, David Baker, executive director of the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association, Judge Andy Cable, Wimberley Justice of the Peace, Garrett Brown, Architect with O’Connell Robertson.