KILLEEN, TX — Ellison High School will receive over $5 million dollars in upgrades over the summer, which were made possible by the bond package that Killeen ISD received last year.
Students and staff have been complaining about potholes, leaky windows, and a non-working AC unit for some time, and finally, they won't have to complain any more after this summer.
Graduating from Ellison himself and now a teacher Geoffrey Van Riper is excited to see the major upgrades.
"We've had 40 plus years of Ellison graduates now and to keep the building well maintained for them is of course a priority so getting to have these upgrades is fantastic," Van Riper said.
"The Chiller" or "The Monster" as some call it, is an AC unit that everyone is excited to see retire.
"I'd say its done its job its about time to have a nice upgrade and have it be handled a little more efficiently with today's technology," Van Riper said.
Principle David Dominguez has served in his position for 10 years, he's listened to students and staff to help make these changes possible. Students are mostly excited for the new concrete parking lot, this will eliminate the loose gravel and potholes for good.
"As folks noticed loose gravel in their tires and on their shoes this is something we've heard about for some time," Dominguez said.
None of these changes are made possible without the support from the community.
"All of these many different needs became apart of the bond package that went before the voters and a big word of thanks to our community for supporting the bond," Dominguez said.
With small changes made over time nothing as big as this in Van Riper's 15 years experience at Ellison High.
"I love the fact that it has stood the test of time we put out very wonderful graduates and I was lucky to get the opportunity to get to come back and teach here. I jumped at the chance," Van Riper said.
The upgrade break down is $2.9 million for a new AC unit, $326,500 for new windows and the concrete parking lot with new light poles round it out at $2.24 million.
For updates on other upgrades and the KISD bond visit their website.
