View bond construction progress up close and online – no hard hat required

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Anyone interested in viewing construction progress at HISD bond schools may only need an internet connection, as web cameras are being installed at several sites to make daily update photos available to everyone.

Program management firm Rice & Gardner Consultants recently began installing online web cams at several of the schools for which they provide project management services. Currently three projects, Wilson Montessori, HSPVA, and High School for Law and Justice, have cameras up and running with live internet links. Others are expected to come online in the coming months as more construction gets underway.

“Web cameras are a great interactive tool for the public and any other stakeholder to be able to view the progress of the projects at their convenience,” said Spencer Wingate, program director for Rice & Gardner. “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Wilson Montessori web cam
HSPVA web cam
High School for Law and Justice web cam

The cameras, which are mounted on a pole or a taller adjacent building rooftop, take a still shot about every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. From the live web link, still shots can be viewed, or a time lapse video can be played to see the entire photo collection in sequence. The views can also be zoomed into and panned for more detail.

“We were able to contract with a company who is widely known in this arena, OxBlue, to provide this service at a good price,” Wingate said. “We plan to install them at other projects as much as is appropriate for the conditions on each site.”

HISD’s bond program, which was approved by voters in 2012, calls for the renovation or rebuilding of 40 schools, including 29 high schools. Active construction is currently underway on roughly three dozen projects — more activity than at any other time in district history.

Almost half of the schools in the bond program will be complete and open to students by the end of this summer. Once all work is finished, the district will boast of one of the most modern portfolios of urban high schools in the country.

For more information on HISD building programs, visit www.BuildHISD.org.