The Texas Supreme Court has cleared the path for the Austin Community College District to move forward with construction of the new Hays Campus. On January 13, the court ended a resident’s legal challenge to the college’s Hays CISD annexation election by declining to hear his petition for review.

Schematic design rendering by Gensler, the project architect. The design is still in development.

“We are gratified to bring this to a successful conclusion,” says Cobby Caputo, ACC legal counsel. “With this decision, the college can secure financing and break ground.”

Nearly 7,000 voters in Hays CISD – a 59 percent majority – voted to approve annexation into the ACC District in November 2010. Ray Wolbrecht, a resident of Hays CISD, filed a challenge to the election the following month. All rulings throughout the case were favorable to ACC, but because of Dr. Wolbrecht’s continued appeals, the college had been unable to issue bonds to finance campus construction.

ACC will now resume the bond issuance process; bonds are expected to be secured by late spring. Once that is complete, the college will be able to set the project budget, determine a groundbreaking date, and finalize the construction timeline. The college is now embarking on the design development phase, which will bring the architectural drawings to a greater level of detail.

“This is the news we’ve been waiting to hear, and we look forward to delivering all the programs and services promised to the Hays CISD community,” says Dr. Richard Rhodes, ACC president/CEO. “We will move forward with construction as quickly as possible.”

Since annexation, Hays CISD residents have enjoyed access to the lower, in-district tuition rate, and the community is a full partner in the ACC District. Hays Campus will be located on 96 acres in Kyle’s Plum Creek area, near the intersection of Kohlers Crossing and Kyle Parkway.

Hays Campus updates are available online; visit austincc.edu/hays.