By Leopold Knopp , Contributing Writer
In a short regular meeting Jan. 13, the Lewisville ISD Board of Trustees mostly heard annual updates and tended to internal items.
The primary new items were on the consent agenda, which was highlighted by the approval to apply for an $89,220 Solid Waste Grant from the North Central Texas Council of Governments. The NCTCOG provides such grants annually for projects that reduce the amount of waste that gets placed into landfills. LISD is applying for the grant over its StyroGenie machines, which compress Styrofoam into pallets that can eventually be broken down and remade into new Styrofoam. The district installed its first model in Griffin Middle School in 2017 and has since acquired three more for Durham Middle School, Lewisville High School and The Colony High School.
According to background material, since the first machine was installed, these schools have diverted 6,000 lbs. of Styrofoam away from landfills.
The recycling of Styrofoam is particularly impactful because it cannot be recycled by traditional means and is non-biodegradable, with Washington University researchers estimating the material will take 500 years to decompose in a landfill.
Board member Angie Cox appeared overjoyed with the development, pulling the item out to praise the district and students who pushed for the program.
“This is something that was started by our students at Griffin, and I’m so proud of our students of LISD,” she said. “This project has just flourished from these students, and we’re protecting the landfill and doing our part, so I just want to commend the district on that. I’m just so proud.”
Also on the consent agenda, the board approved a guaranteed maximum price of $8.56 million for phase 2 expansion of the Lewisville ISD Administrative Center. This project was approved in the 2017 bond package, but funding for it will come from remaining money in the 2008 bond package and proceeds from the district’s recent land sales, along with interest on the 2017 bond money.
The district also officially requested Whitley Penn LLP to perform the annual audit for FY 2020. They’ve been the district’s auditing firm since 2016. Also on the consent agenda, the district granted an easement to Texas-New Mexico Power so they can install a distribution line on Lewisville High School’s Harmon Campus.
The LISD Board meets monthly at 6 p.m. in the Lewisville ISD Administrative Center in Lewisville, usually on the second Monday of the month, usually with public session beginning at 7 p.m. These meetings are open to the public.
