BAYTOWN, Texas—Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District’s (GCCISD) recently broke ground on November 18 for its new San Jacinto Elementary School in Baytown, which is located in the Houston metropolitan area.

With a completion date slated for December 2021, the approximately $22.6 million elementary school is one of the major components of the $335 million bond that the district passed in May 2019 to address its rapid growth. Driven by massive growth in southeast Houston, this property-wealthy district is projecting more than 2,250 new students over the next decade.

“The District is very excited to provide the children and families in this community a campus we know they will be proud of. It will also be an anchor in a long-awaited revitalization project for the West Baytown neighborhood,” said Brenda Garcia, director of facilities planning and construction at GCCISD, in a statement.

“Through the collaboration with community members, local businesses and the City of Baytown, the new San Jacinto Elementary School will continue its rich history and legacy.”

Lockwood, Andrews & Newman (LAN) is serving as the program manager for the bond program.

“The groundbreaking of the new San Jacinto Elementary School marks an important achievement toward managing the district’s growth and providing its students the educational needs of the 21st century,” said JP Grom, vice president at Lockwood Andrews & Newnam, Inc., in a statement.

The new campus is located just a few blocks away from the current San Jacinto Elementary, which will be retired. To ensure the campus stayed a neighborhood school, the District worked diligently with surrounding businesses to acquire the land necessary to construct the new school.

Spanning 102,000 square feet, the facility will accommodate 800 students from grades PreK-5. It includes a media center, gym, playgrounds, multiple computer labs per grade level, and an outdoor learning center.

PBK Architects is the architect on this impressive project. Marshall Construction is the general contractor.

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Tomball, Texas—Several projects in the Tomball Independent School District’s $275 million bond program are moving forward, with two of the projects—Grand Oaks Elementary School and a new agricultural science project center—scheduled to open in August. Tomball is part of the Houston metropolitan area.

Tomball ISD is considered one of the fastest-growing districts in Texas. The bond package provided funds for numerous new facilities, including an elementary school, a junior high school, a district-wide athletic complex, a natatorium for Tomball Memorial High School, and an agricultural science project center for Tomball High School.

“We have faced various challenges from delays in land acquisition to changes in building code regulations after Hurricane Harvey to issues related to county building permits,” said JP Grom, vice president of Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN), which is serving as the program manager.

“Despite these challenges, we are on course to completing several major projects over the next 14 months. These facilities will serve Tomball ISD students for the next 50 to 75 years and provide them the environment and infrastructure needed to succeed in the 21st century.”

Added Tomball ISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora., “We are excited about the progress of our projects and for the opening of Grand Oaks Elementary and our agricultural science project center in August. It has been wonderful partnering with LAN during this time as our projects continue to run smoothly despite many unforeseen challenges we have faced along the way.”

Three of the biggest projects in the bond program— Grand Oaks Elementary School, Grand Lakes Junior High School and the district-wide athletic stadium and community center (no official name yet)—are part of the new greenfield master planned Elmer and Dorothy Beckendorf Educational Complex located at the northwest corner of Cypress Rosehill Road and SH 99 (Grand Parkway).

The three projects, which broke ground in May 2019, were designed by PBK Architects and are being constructed by the Gilbane Building Company. Infrastructure support for the entire complex will be provided by new water and wastewater treatment plants owned by the district.

The approximately $24 million Grand Oaks Elementary School will relieve Wildwood and Lakewood Elementary Schools. The 112,186-square-foot, single-story facility will accommodate 900 students from grades K-4. The new elementary school is scheduled to be completed in August.

The $43.26 million Grand Lakes Junior High School will relieve Willow Wood Junior High School. The 228,346-square-foot, single-story building will house 1,500 students in grades 7 and 8. The school will also have its own football stadium for track and field events, as well as a football and soccer practice field. The new junior high school is scheduled for a July 2021 completion.

The $37.29 million new district-wide athletic complex will serve Tomball ISD’s football, soccer, arts and band programs. Scheduled to be completed in May 2021, the stadium will seat 10,000 spectators with a 12,200-square-foot press box and accommodate 3,000 parking spaces. At the north end of the stadium is a two-level, 25,000-square-foot community facility with a conference center, sports locker/dressing rooms, athletic training, kitchen and administration areas for sporting events. The current football stadium has 7,500 seats and 2,000 parking spaces.

The district is also building a new natatorium on the Tomball Memorial High School campus. This 26,000-square-foot facility will house a 25-yard stretch pool with an 8-lane competitive swimming area and a diving area, separated by a floating bulkhead. Support spaces include locker rooms for athletes and coaches, a training room, offices and associated equipment rooms. Stantec Inc. is the architect and Gamma Construction Company is the general contractor. The $10.56 million natatorium will be completed this December.

A new agricultural science project center is also under construction at the Tomball High School campus. This center will house an agricultural barn and support facilities for the school’s agricultural programs, and an instructional nature center with two classrooms measuring 900 square feet each. The $4.97 million facility, which was designed by VLK Architects, will be completed in August. Sterling Structures, Inc. is the project’s general contractor.

In addition to the new facilities, the bond program includes an expansion project that will increase Tomball Memorial High School’s capacity from 2,250 to 3,000 students. The expansion, totaling 155,000 square feet, will increase the number of classrooms, science labs, Center for Adaptive Technology in Education (CATE) labs, gymnasiums and provide more space for performing arts and dining areas. Approximately 54,000 square feet of athletic and performing arts areas and CATE instructional areas will also be renovated. Texas-IBI Group, Inc. is the architect and ICI Construction, Inc. is constructing the project. The $36.5 million project will be completed next June.

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HOUSTON—Several school projects in the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District’s (CISD) $335 million bond program are progressing rapidly, even amidst the current coronavirus pandemic.

Considered one of the fastest-growing districts in Texas, Goose Creek CISD is driven by massive growth in southeast Houston, with a projection of more than 2,250 new students over the next decade.

To accommodate this rapid growth, voters approved the passing of a new bond measure in June 2019, which provides funds for several projects, including new construction, aging school repairs, athletic improvements, safety and security improvements, and technology upgrades.

 “The district has been working hard to deliver exceptional facilities that will prepare students for their future,” said JP Grom, vice president of Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN), which is serving as the program manager.

“COVID 19 hasn’t stopped the district’s efforts. In fact, the district has accelerated some of the projects in this bond program.”

Goose Creek CISD superintendent Randal O’Brien concurred and said in a statement. “In the face of so many challenges from COVID-19, I’m thrilled to see our bond construction programs moving forward without delay. We look forward to the opening of our new projects.”

Edward Franklin “E.F.” Green Junior School is one of the biggest projects that broke ground last month. Named after the first African American educator to serve as a district-level administrator in Goose Creek, the $49.6 million facility is the district’s sixth junior school.

When completed next summer, the 192,000-square-foot school will house 1,100 students and include a 700-seat auditorium, dual competition gyms, media center, multiple computer labs per grade level, band hall, choir and theater programs. Pfluger Architects served as the project’s designer and the contractor is Pogue Construction.

The district’s existing San Jacinto Elementary School will soon be replaced with a new elementary school located just a few blocks away from its current location. With a completion date slated for December 2021, this new school will accommodate 800 students. Spanning 102,000 square feet, it will include a media center, gym, multiple computer labs per grade level, and an outdoor learning center. Designed by PBK Architects, the $22.5 million elementary school will be constructed by Marshall Construction.

The district is also adding a new Elementary School No. 17 to its current facility inventory. This elementary school— in a new master planned subdivision—will serve the rapidly growing north side of the district. The 102,000-square-foot facility will house 800 students and includes a media center, gym, multiple computer labs per grade level and an outdoor learning center. Originally scheduled for construction in fall 2021, the $22.5 million project has been moved up an entire year. PBK Architects is the designer.

The district is also expanding its Stuart Career and Technical Education (CTE) high school from 400 to 900 students. The CTE facility—originally an elementary school—has since been renovated for different uses, ranging from an administrative building to a special education facility. The latest renovations include the addition of a transportation academy, new welding lab, vet clinic, floral shop, IT academy and audio/video academy.

The $12.5 million project will renovate more than 60,000 square-foot of existing space and add a new 54,000-square-foot academic and administrative wing. The first two phases of the CTE facility were completed as part of the 2013 bond program. Phase 3 of the project, which is currently underway, will be completed in August 2020 while phase 4 will be completed next summer. Pfluger Architects is serving as the designer.

The renovation of the Robert E. Lee High School Auditorium is also underway. With a completion date set for January 2021, this historic 1,700-seat auditorium once served as the lone theater for the entire Baytown community in the 1950s and 1960s and was considered the premier theater in the greater Houston area. The $4.2 million renovation project will restore the auditorium to its original design aesthetic and include the latest theatrical improvements. The auditorium will be fitted with new lighting and audio systems, a new green room, new dressing rooms, new theater seating, new restroom layouts and a ticket booth/concession area. Huckabee is the project’s architect and it will be renovated by Comex Corp. Contractors.

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