Lone Oak ISD seeking city approval of updated bond projects

Travis Hairgrove, The Herald Banner, Greenville, Texas
·2 min read

Jul. 2—Lone Oak ISD and the architects working on designs for the district's bond projects have been hard at work developing revised plans to meet the City of Lone Oak's recent retroactive adoption of the 2021 International Building Code, or IBC.

Back in May 2021, the Lone Oak City Council voted to adopt the 2021 IBC but failed to set an effective date. Also, the City of Lone Oak's website still stated for about a year afterward that the city was under the 2012 IBC.

This discrepancy led some members of Lone Oak ISD's Facility Advisory Committee to believe the city was still using the 2012 IBC when the panel was working on facility improvement proposals in July and August 2021. In November, the two bond issues—one for $3.9 million for the district's football stadium/field and another for $41 million in upgrades to the high school—were approved by voters.

One of the key differences between the 2012 IBC (with which Lone Oak ISD's proposed bond projects were planned in accordance) and the 2021 IBC is that the latter requires Lone Oak ISD to include a storm shelter or some manner of "hardened safe area" in its plans, an adjustment estimated to cost as much as $4 million.

At a special meeting on May 20, the Lone Oak City Council voted to amend the minutes from their May 11, 2021 meeting and retroactively establish May 11, 2021 as the effective date for the new ordinance.

Since the council's decision last month, officials with Lone Oak ISD and the City of Lone Oak have met once as the district seeks a way to move forward with the projects approved by voters.

"We met again, since the (May 20) meeting, but so far not much leeway has been granted," said LOISD Superintendent Janeé Carter.

"Now, we've been working with our architect on revised plans so we can move forward," Carter added. "We have sent updated drawings to the city for a hardened safe area to be included, because there's more of a likelihood for a waiver to be extended for a hardened safe area than there is with a storm shelter."

"We're making all of our decisions, though, in the interest of what's best for our students and parents," Carter added.

So far, the City Council has no plans as to when the updated plans for the hardened safe area will be reviewed. The city has yet to receive the plans, Lone Oak City Secretary Patsy Patten told the Herald-Banner this week.