CLEVELAND, Texas—A groundbreaking ceremony was held in late September by the Cleveland Independent School District (CISD) for its $30 million new elementary school.

With a completion date slated for next summer, the new school—which has not yet been named, but is referred to as Elementary No. 5—is part of the $198 million bond measure that voters passed in November 2019 to handle the explosive growth in the district. Cleveland ISD is the fastest-growing school district in Texas. Over the last three years, the school district has grown approximately 20 percent each year. Last year, 1,000 new students enrolled in Cleveland ISD, resulting in the district spending more than $3 million on portable buildings.

The two-story elementary school will accommodate approximately 1,000 students. The school features 49 classrooms, a gymnasium, a library with a maker space where students can gather to create, invent, and learn, and a cafeteria with stage, music, and art rooms. Grades PreK through 4 will accommodate 22 students in each classroom; grade 5 will accommodate 25; and special education will accommodate 15.

The school’s design is based on the district’s existing Southside Elementary School. The exterior is brick with a standing seam metal roof over most of the building. Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) is the program manager, Huckabee is the architect, and Pogue Construction is the general contractor.

“This groundbreaking marks an important achievement toward managing our incredible growth,” said Chris Trotter, Cleveland ISD’s superintendent, in a statement.

“I am so pleased at the support for our district from the community and look forward to welcoming students through the doors of this building.”

Added LAN Vice President JP Grom, “The elementary school will provide students the environment and infrastructure needed to succeed in the 21st century.”

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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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RICHARDSON, Texas—In mid-October, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held commemorating the opening of the newly renovated Spring Valley Region 10 Education Service Center in Richardson.

The project comprises more than 47,000 square feet of interior renovations of a two-story conference center, and interior renovations to a one-story office building encompassing the relocation of the print shop, as well as new office space for the teaching and learning department.

VLK Architects was the architect on this impressive project, and Pogue Construction of McKinney, Texas served as general contractor.

The Education Service Center was designed to provide maximum flexibility for a wide variety of uses for both adults and children. On the first level of the conference center, acoustic glass operable partitions and automatic, vertically retractable acoustic walls allow the flexibility to scale and transform the space comprising six individual conference rooms for administrative and academic training sessions. All of the walls can be opened to create a very large open space for convention settings. The upper-level houses five additional, highly flexible conference spaces.

Each conference room is fortified with advanced technology, including nine-panel video walls, interactive monitors for group work, and integrated control systems, providing users the tools needed to fully engage the room and facilitate interactive presentations. The multifunctional Robotarium features seating and theater lighting and serves as both a gaming and competition area for robotics activities and as a presentation or seating space.

“Region 10 has been a wonderful client to partner with in the renovation of their facility,” said Ross Rivers, principal, VLK Architects.

“They have a very unique and forward-thinking vision for providing flexible space and creating a technology-rich professional learning environment in order to meet the needs of the many educators and school districts they serve. We are proud to have had the opportunity to be involved with such an exciting project.”

Added Dr. Gordon Taylor, Executive Director, Region 10 ESC, “VLK’s design has truly changed our building.”

The additions and renovations to this amazing facility will provide innovative training and conference spaces within the technology-rich buildings.

Region 10 is one of 20 regional service centers established by the Texas State Legislature in 1967 for the purpose of delivering professional development and a range of other innovative solutions. This region serves more than 865,000 students and 106,000 school staff, of which 56,000 are teachers in more than 130 ISDs, charters and private schools across 10 north Texas counties.

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Houghton College students and student athletes can now enjoy a new 115,000-square-foot, 6,000-seat field house; five competition quality tennis courts; an eight-lane, 200-meter regulation size track; and new stadiums to support the school’s baseball and softball programs. The expansion also includes a new cardio fitness center, weight room and locker room facilities, as well as a commercial kitchen, concession area and office spaces.

Phase I of the project focused on the existing Burke Field, which received an artificial turf makeover. Phase II concentrated on construction of the baseball and softball stadiums, which were dedicated in the spring of 2013. The state-of-the-art field house was constructed during Phase III and took roughly a year to complete.

"Walking into this facility today I had to pinch myself, I could not believe I was in Allegany County. This is a game changer,” said State Senator Catharine Young (R,C,I-Olean) in a speech at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. "We all know the rigors of competing in sports prepares our students for life, but when you couple that with education, that is what is going to change our future here.”

Kenneth R. Gay of Keystone Associates in Binghamton, N.Y. served as the project architect. Keystone Associates also conducted a feasibility study in early 2012 to select the complex site, which is adjacent to both Burke Field and the existing Alumni Athletic Complex. The firm began the design process in spring 2012 and construction on the facility in August 2013.

At the initial groundbreaking ceremony, Houghton College President Dr. Shirley Mullen noted that the impact of the new facility would reach beyond the school’s athletic department.

“The rest of the community and every student at Houghton will benefit,” Mullen said. “It will be a great facility to encourage wellness, physical fitness and the wholeness of personal development that is a hallmark of the Houghton experience.”

The Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex was made possible by a generous $12 million gift from the Kim (Kerr) and Terry Pegula family, which has long promoted and supported athletics across the spectrum. The family currently owns the National Hockey League Buffalo Sabres as well as the team’s American Hockey League affiliate the Rochester Americans. The Pegulas also made headlines in September 2014 when they placed the winning bid to purchase the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.

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