Wimberley ISD Board Of Trustees Make Historic “Green Campus” Vote

“The Wimberley Valley will be home to the first One Water school in Texas, not because it will be easy, but because it was the right solution, in the right place, at the right time,” said Nick Dornak.

While Wimberley Independent School District’s new primary school hasn’t been named, the school is making history as it will soon be the first One Water school in Texas. 

Wimberley ISD Trustees voted unanimously at a Nov. 29 special meeting to include rainwater and HVAC condensate collection together with wastewater treatment and reuse in the construction of the new school on Winters Mill Parkway, focusing on conservation of natural resources, green stormwater infrastructure, open space preservation and education.

“The Wimberley Valley will be home to the first One Water school in Texas, not because it will be easy, but because it was the right solution, in the right place, at the right time. The Texas Hill Country will face enormous water challenges over the next 100 years and beyond. One Water balances the challenges of growth with the continued stewardship of our precious water resources. We congratulate WISD on this decision and look forward to breaking ground,” said Nick Dornak, Director of Watershed Services, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment—Texas State University.

Dornak, David Baker, executive director of the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association and the WVWA design team spearheaded the One Water project, meeting regularly with Dwain York, WISD Superintendent of Schools, architects from O’Connell Robertson, project managers from AG|CM, Inc. and engineers from Doucet & Associates, Inc. to assure the new primary school construction achieves the mission of the Cypress Creek Watershed Protection Plan to protect and conserve water quality and quantity in Cypress Creek, while meeting budget and timeline requirements. 

The One Water design for the school acknowledges the importance of protecting Jacob’s Well, Blue Hole and the Trinity Aquifer by reducing groundwater consumption by 90 percent of what a traditional school this size would use.

“We applaud the board for their leadership to take this innovative and collaborative approach to design a more resilient water infrastructure for the future of the Cypress Creek Watershed and the Texas Hill Country. It is a major step in implementing the Cypress Creek Watershed Protection Plan to keep Jacob’s Well, Blue Hole and Cypress Creek clean clear and flowing for generations to come,” said Baker.

Wimberley taxpayers approved the new primary school as part of a $45.5 million bond package in May.

“We are fortunate to live in a community where support for education is a top priority. Tonight, we are taking this focus on our students a step further, by leading the way in conservation of natural resources for generations to come and also, creating a limitless educational environment,” said Joe Malone, Wimberley ISD Board President.

The crowd which had assembled at the meeting broke out in applause at the decision to put the conservation of natural resources at the forefront of the master plan for the new Wimberley ISD campus.

Stephanie Nestlerode made sure to be at the meeting for this historic vote and took a moment to share her support for the One Water plan.

“I hope when we are asked if we did something to protect our natural resources, that we will all be able to raise our hand that, yes, we protected our future and that we are leaving our future better than we received it,” said Nestlerode.

And board members did raise their hands, giving York the green light to build a green school like no other in the state.

“This team has worked tirelessly to look out for the education goals we have for our students and also build a campus that looks out for their future. We are grateful for the community support of our bond and the added attention to the value of conservation as both a teaching tool and a way to move forward together in being the best stewards of our natural resources,” said York. 

The primary school campus is slated for completion in the summer of 2020. For information on the One Water concept and all the bond projects, visit wimberleyisd.net.