During Tuesday’s board meeting, Killeen school board members approved plans to entrust Huckabee Architects to lead the renovation of the future Killeen Independent School District Central Administration Building. Adam Rich, the district’s chief operating officer, said the project is expected to cost $32.5 million to $40 million.
Last year, KISD purchased a 130,000-square-foot building in northeast Killeen from Teleperformance for its new headquarters, which uses the facility as a call center and employs about 1,000 people.
The building was originally built to house a call center for student loan marketer Sallie Mae.
After presenting the department’s recommendations to the board Tuesday night, Rich responded to questions from trustees about more specific details about the project’s financial analysis.
Ritchie was quick to point out that the initial estimates he provided were broad because many questions have yet to be answered about which departments will be housed there and which design options will be used to most efficiently utilize the space.
Ritchie said the overall estimate is based solely on the interior of the facility and could change if expansion of the building is needed. Estimates include architectural and engineering fees, construction costs, furnishings, fixtures and equipment, and city permit fees.
Rich also told board members that Austin-based Huckabee has provided quality service and expertise to many new district facility projects, such as the new Aycock Middle School that will open in south Killeen in the fall. and transportation facility expansion projects.
As part of the headquarters renovation programme, it was recommended that the Rock Engineering and Testing Laboratory be chosen because of the work they have done on the transport facility and Patkani Primary School. The company will serve as geotechnical and materials testing engineers for the project.
Lackey de Carvajal Cx was approved as commissioning agent for the project. Lackey de Carvajal Cx is currently contracted as the mechanical, electrical and plumbing commissioning agent for the Aycock Middle School project and other projects.
These design and engineering firms are part of the region’s pool of professional services.
On July 25, 2023, the school board approved the purchase of a 33.9-acre parcel of land that houses the former Teleperformance office building at 777 N. Twin Creek Drive in Killeen. It is valued at $7 million.
At the time, the program housed most of the central administration departments, including Business Services, Communications and Community Relations, Curriculum and Instruction, Human Resources, Facilities Management, STEM Management, and Treasury.
The district later determined that renovations were necessary to ensure the building was designed to meet the district’s needs. The design, permitting and construction process for this renovation project is planned to take approximately 23 months, with an approximate completion date of December 2025, followed by an additional month for move-in.