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March 30, 2017 Volume 22, No. 7 Southwest Austin’s Community Newspaper Since 1995
AISD agrees to purchase land adjacent to Bowie by Ann Fowler OAK HILL - On March 27, the board of trustees for the Austin Independent School District (AISD) unanimously agreed to purchase two tracts of land near Bowie High School so the chronically over-crowded school can expand. A third tract of land was unanimously approved for a new high school in southeast Austin. AISD
officials said an exhaustive search to find property suitable for a high school in southwest Austin produced no viable sites. Nearly 13 acres (12.9) at 4010 Sawmill Road, costing $1.25 million, is adjacent to Bowie’s southern property line. Nearly 40 acres (39.8) at 4301 West Slaughter Lane, costing $2.5 million, is adjacent to Bowie’s western
property line. The added acreage will allow expansion and improvements to Bowie through either construction or for use as impervious cover. A new high school in southeast Austin can be built on a 64.9-acre tract in the Goodnight Ranch Subdivision. The cost is just over $13 million. All three tracts are being pur-
chased with funds from a 2008 bond program earmarked for land purchase for a new high school in south Austin. Bowie High School is located on 60 acres on Slaughter Lane. Current enrollment is about 2,913—118 percent over its capacity of 2,463. Theresa Bastian, president of the Bowie High School PTSA, told the Gazette, “I think the district’s
Maroons advance! soccer roundup—p. 12
decision to purchase land to allow an expansion of Bowie High School is terrific. The enrollment projections show that Bowie’s attendance will be leveling off, while growth in southeast Austin is expected to continue at a rapid pace for years. As a southwest Austin resident, I am glad to see the district has taken the pragmatic approach to pave the way for significant upgrades and renovations to the Bowie campus. These will be more cost effective and benefit our students much sooner than a new high school would.” Gazette: Ann Fowler
Gazette: Ann Fowler
APD Officer Christine Chomout
APD has app
Gazette: Sarah Weeks
The Austin High boys and girls soccer teams both won first round Class 5A playoff encounters. The Maroons boys (above) beat Lockhart 3-2.
by Ann Fowler OAK HILL - Got a police tip? APD has an app for that. Officer Christine Chomout, a 23year veteran of the Austin Police Department, extolled the virtues of the new app at a recent Coffee with a Cop in south Austin. “It’s a great tool for people to use See APD on back page