Linden-Kildare Elementary

With about a year’s worth of work, starting in August of 2021 and ending at the end of August this year, Linden-Kildare Elementary school opened its new addition to the public October 25.

The district was proud to put to use the new add-on, which included two vestibules leading to a new receptionist area, a registrar’s office, a new principal’s office, a counselor’s office, a teacher conference room, and a nurse’s clinic that contains a bathroom with a shower, as well as a washer and dryer. It also contains a small staff room and staff restrooms.

These new facilities connect to the recently built gym, which has two full-size student restrooms, as well as a coach’s office that may also serve as a storage room. Another perk of the project is the new bus pick-up and drop-off area and a car rider queue that expands to five lanes and can hold up to 40 vehicles. The queue also has parking that extends on both sides which can be used for public parking during assemblies or events.

Many said the addition has been beneficial to the staff, community, and students in more ways than one. Since the completion of this project, the school traffic flow in the mornings and evenings has been expedited, which has kept traffic from being backed out toward city streets. The new queue public parking area prevents excessive crowding, making it simpler to navigate traffic. Secure vestibules have also increased security for the Elementary campus, with the glass entryway providing much better visibility. This helps with keeping students and staff safe and secure. Staff at the Elementary said they were able to acquire more space for classroom purposes and were able to move all 2nd- and 3rd-grade classes out of the older parts of the campus and into newer ones.

Construction completion averaged out to about $3.4 million, before the addition of furniture and other fees. The total cost for the add-on came out to between $3.7 and 3.8 million once cost of construction was added to fees, materials, and other extra expenses used for decor and refurbishing. School officials said $2 million was provided out of the school fund balance, and the other $2 million they were able to borrow at low interest.

The community, staff, students, and parents all seemed very pleased with how the new addition turned out.

“There have only been positive comments so far,” said Keri Winters, L-K-CISD superintendent. “Everyone seems to love the new facility and all that it offers.”