Steel framing is giving Longview High School's next generation of learning and practice spaces a visible shape. Two major projects will add space for career preparation, marching band, and athletics through the Longview Independent School District's 2024 bond program.
"Students deserve places to discover their strengths and build the futures they imagine," said Superintendent Dr. Marla Sheppard.
The new Career and Technical Education Center is planned at approximately 95,000 square feet. Its purpose is to expand career-focused programs and the learning environments that support them, connecting students' high school studies with opportunities beyond graduation.
At the Aug. 24 Board meeting, program director Paul Miller reported the center was about 36% complete. Crews were working on plumbing, electrical, fire-sprinkler, heating, and cooling systems throughout much of the building. Those systems will serve the finished classrooms and instructional spaces now taking shape behind the exterior walls.
Nearby, the approximately 112,000-square-foot Trent Williams Multipurpose Center will provide a 120-yard indoor turf field for marching band and athletic practice. The confirmed project scope also includes batting cages, golf simulation, a weight room, locker rooms, and coaches' offices.
Trustees approved the center's name in July. By the August update, structural steel was beginning to rise in the field house portion of the project, another step beyond the broad concrete footprint visible from campus.
The July 31 financial worksheet presented to trustees in August lists construction budgets of about $47.1 million for the career education center and $38.9 million for the multipurpose center. These are construction allocations, not final project costs.
The August scope reports identify tentative substantial-completion targets of July through September 2027 for the career education center and October through December 2027 for the multipurpose center. Together, the buildings will serve different parts of student life: preparing for a career, rehearsing a performance, and developing athletic skills. Their shared purpose is to provide more room for students to learn and practice.
