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Construction on the new Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men, located in Houston’s historic Fifth Ward, has been progressing well over the last quarter, and is now about 50 percent complete.
Part of HISD’s current bond program, the new 139,000 square-foot-facility, located at 1701 Gregg St., will accommodate 900 to 1,000 students once completed in the second quarter of 2017.
“The building foundation is finished, the steel is up, and the metal roof deck is installed,” said Ike Spiker, construction project manager with Prime Contractors, Inc. “In the next couple of months we’ll be running ductwork, plumbing, and electrical, and plan to be fully dried-in by October.”
As with some other construction projects around the district, significant rain events in the past several months have been challenging to contend with, but the Leland crew has mitigated most delays by adding weekend hours when needed.
“I’m really impressed with our construction team,” said Dameion Crook, principal of the all-male college prep academy. “Our project had some hiccups out of the gate, but we are moving along great now, and I can’t wait to move in next year.”
The school became an all-male college preparatory academy in 2011 and was renamed after the late congressman and Fifth Ward native Mickey Leland in 2014.
The new building will include separate learning neighborhoods for middle and high school students and feature new athletics facilities and areas for robotics and JROTC.
More information on the Leland Prep Academy project
Students who attend Leland College Prep experience a small and inclusive environment, enriched with a rigorous college preparatory curriculum that emphasizes science, technology, engineering, and math.
During construction, the school is being housed at the former Crawford Elementary School building on Jensen Street.