Tuesday’s election brought favorable results for Lone Star College System. Voters approved a $485 million bond referendum which will allow the schools to renovate and construct new facilities and strengthen their current infrastructure.
The project breakdown of the overall college system includes building, renovating and expanding over 1 million square feet of facilities, adding 3,000 new parking spots, updating technology systems and improving campus access.
Lone Star College System actually has two campuses in Cy-Fair to serve the growing number of students who live and work in the area. Improvements to the LSC-Fairbanks Center include 23,000 square feet of renovations, 3,000 square feet of expansions, a new instructional building, and 750 additional parking spaces.
The new 200-acre LSC-Cypress Center is located off Barker Cypress Road and West Road and features state-of-the-art facilities centered around scenic landscaping. Construction is currently underway.
According to a report from Economing Modeling Specialists International, Lone Star College System has grown 68% since the last bond was received in 2007. Making these improvements allows the schools to provide better programs for students, and equip them with the industrial skills they need to fill over 70,000 middle-skill job positions becoming available over the next several years. The bond not only benefits students, but also the local economy, which gains billions of dollars from LSCS each year.
Lone Star College tried to pass a referendum last May, but was opposed by voters. Since then, college officials made a strong push to appeal to voters and emphasize the impact the bond will have on students without increasing current property taxes. Having the community’s support this time around paves a bright future for everyone.
