Karen Rudolph, spokeswoman for KISD, said school district officials are currently discussing the sidewalk design with the county.

“We have reached out to the county to revise the original design of the walkway so that our contractor can provide updated pricing for this work,” she said in an email Friday. “We have not committed to funding this project as it would need to be approved by the Board of Trustees. Staff intends to provide updated pricing for the walkway, as well as any additional safety features that may be required, to our Board of Trustees so that they can make an informed decision on funding this project.”

The lack of sidewalks to and from the newly opened Aycock Middle School is a problem in south Killeen because road infrastructure has not kept pace with other construction.

Earlier this month, Aycock School officials announced that students “will not be permitted to walk to school this year.” But after the Herald published an article about this restriction, school officials changed the wording of the school’s notice to: “Students are discouraged from walking to school this year.”

Email conversations in March 2023 between Bell County’s 2nd District Commissioner Bobby Whitson, R-Harker Heights, and district engineer Bryan Neaves indicated that discussions about this project between KISD and the district had been ongoing for some time.

In August 2022, prior to construction of the new middle school, KISD estimated that building an exterior walkway from CHS to Aycock would cost approximately $375,000.

But Whitson, according to an email exchange from March 2023, initially did not agree to spend the approximately $300,000 that KISD had put out to tender for the construction of this sidewalk.

Neaves was also cautious.

“I reviewed this plan months ago and insisted that the pedestrian walkway be adjacent to the ROW (right of way) line as far from the edge of the sidewalk as possible. They complied,” Neaves wrote at the time. “Now they’ve received bids to award the contract and they’re high. $300,000 or so. (Adam Rich, KISD’s assistant superintendent of building services) asked if the county would be willing to fund the project. I told them no. I said I don’t think the commissioners would support this proposal. We don’t even maintain sidewalks in our parceled residential areas.”

Whitson replied that he agreed.

“It’s in my district and I don’t have the means to spend $300,000 on a sidewalk, so I agree with you. So unless the court wishes to fund it in another way, which I would also oppose, I think you answered correctly.”

On Thursday, while walking along Chaparral Road toward Aycock Middle School, he said he might vote to fund a sidewalk, depending on the cost.

Whitson said Friday he does not have enough money from the district’s coffers for the sidewalk. He believes the cost would be much higher than $300,000 because of problems such as drainage, which he also discussed during a walk with voters Thursday morning along Chaparral Street.

He said he would meet with the district engineer next week to figure out “what direction we really want to go with the sidewalk.”

“It’s all still uncertain,” Whitson said.

Whitson noted that there were several alternatives for building the sidewalk there, including building it on the west side of Chaparral, which is part of Commissioner Louie Minor’s, D-Killeen’s, Fourth District.

Whitson also mentioned the possibility of building a walkway along the east side of the high school on private property, but said it would create right-of-way issues, “which would take a long time.”

Another option would be to build a walkway between the schools, “that is the safest way.”

“We don’t know if any of them are feasible,” Whitson said of the options. “That’s just my opinion of the engineers.”

He said he needed to meet with Minor to discuss the matter as his district would now be more involved in the matter.

Whitson pointed out that KISD currently buses children to the new middle school, even if they live next door.

Minor, for his part, said he had not seen the plans KISD was referring to.

“I’d like to see that,” he said. “It should be public knowledge. I’d like to see that stuff.”

Minor said he would call the district engineer and try to get more information.

When asked about the possible plan to build a sidewalk on his side of Chaparral instead of Whitson, Minor said it could have some advantages.

“On the Fourth District side, I have to deal with fewer property owners because I believe there are only three property lines there, so I only have to deal with three property owners,” he said, explaining that on the other side, there are 10 or 15 property owners, which would take more time.

But Minor said he was willing to do whatever it took to build a sidewalk there.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get sidewalks for these kids,” he said.