The new Kolter Elementary School will soon be ready for students, teachers, and staff to move in and the Cougars can hardly wait to be back home.
The $23 million project is tracking at 72 percent completion and slated to be occupied by this summer. Structural steel, roofing, and fireproofing will wrap up this quarter. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing installation is 81 percent complete.
“We’re only five months away from being able to move into our new school home and we’re thrilled,” Kolter Principal Julie Dickinson said.
The foreign language magnet is one of four HISD elementary schools being rebuilt after sustaining significant damage from Hurricane Harvey. The previous building was demolished in 2018, with site work and construction beginning soon after.
Site work, paving, and utility tie-ins are in progress. The building is enclosed and interior finishes, such as flooring and ceilings, are expected to begin this month.
Dickinson said students and parents often comment on the enormity of the building.
“While it looks and is very large, I know once we’re all moved in and finding our way around, it’ll feel like us again,” Dickinson said.
The new two-story 91,300-square-foot-building will accommodate about 750 students and feature open, brightly colored learning spaces, abundant natural light, and extended learning spaces throughout the building for student collaboration.
Students and staff will remain at their current temporary location — the former Gordon Elementary School campus on Avenue B in Bellaire — for the duration of the construction process.
Dickinson said there are many levels of excitement with a new building.
“We all are most excited about students being able to walk to school, play in the front lawn after the bell rings and being back on our home turf,” Dickinson said. “We’re grateful for this chapter, but ready to cross the finish line and start a new one.”
Follow @Build_HISD on Twitter for the latest updates on the 2012 Bond Program and school construction across the district.