Project updates planned for Jordan, Austin, Lamar, Kashmere high schools, Askew Elementary School
The Houston Independent School District has scheduled five community meetings over the next month to provide updates on the status of bond construction projects.
The meetings are part of the district’s commitment to keeping each community updated during the different stages of their bond project: planning, design, and construction.
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About 40 parents, neighbors, and staff of Askew Elementary School participated in a bond community meeting at the school this week, where they were briefed on the project status and design plans for their new campus.
Updates will be provided on design plans and project status for each campus
Community meetings have been scheduled during the first quarter for the following seven bond schools, to inform stakeholders of project plans to rebuild or renovate their campus as part of HISD’s $1.89 billion bond program. Attendees will hear from project architects and other team members and will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Meeting times and locations
| SCHOOL | DATE | ADDRESS |
| Garden Oaks Montessori | Tues., Feb. 2, 7:00 p.m. | 901 Sue Barnett |
| Askew Elementary | Thurs., Feb. 4, 6:30 p.m. | 11200 Wood Lodge |
| Waltrip High School | Tues., Feb. 9, 6:30 p.m. | 1900 West 34th St. |
| Westbury High School | Thurs., Feb. 18, 6:30 p.m. | 11911 Chimney Rock |
| Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy | Tues., Feb 23, 6:30 p.m. | 1906 Cleburne Street |
| Wilson Montessori | Thurs., Feb. 25, 6:30 p.m. | 2100 Yupon |
| Sam Houston MSTC | Wed., Mar. 2, 6:30 p.m. | 9400 Irvington |
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Askew is receiving a new school to accommodate 850 students, with a budget of $26.6 million. Based on stakeholder feedback from the first community meeting held in July, the project team spent time this fall making design modifications.
The design features a two-story building erected on the north side of the property, with the front entrance remaining south-facing on Wood Lodge. The building plans provide for ample natural light, flexible learning spaces, and areas to accommodate outdoor learning opportunities. Many of the trees will be preserved, and the playground will feature a walking/jogging path that will be available for community use.
The second community meeting will be scheduled in the first quarter 2016. Construction is expected to start in the third quarter 2016, and take about 18 months to complete.
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Askew Elementary stakeholders turned out for the school’s first of three bond community meetings on Wednesday, where they heard from the architect and other project team members about initial design plans for a new campus.
Recommended contracts represent nearly $223 million in school construction work
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday will consider authorizing the district to negotiate contracts with three firms to provide construction manager at risk (CMAR) services on selected bond projects. Continue reading
Project Advisory Team (PAT) members for Askew Elementary, Wharton Dual Language Academy, and Young Women’s College Prep Academy (YWCPA) spent two days this week in an intensive workshop to put together preliminary design plans for their new facilities.
Guests at HISD’s 2015 State of the Schools luncheon got a side order of entertainment with their meal. Westside High School’s Wind Ensemble of 35 students provided music throughout the program under the guiding hand of Conductor Joey Brunson, and students from 19 HISD elementary schools sang the national anthem.
The Houston Independent School District is working to readjust attendance boundaries at almost two dozen schools in an effort to reduce classroom overcrowding.
The move is in response to a directive from the Texas Education Agency, which requires kindergarten through fourth-grade classes to have no more than 22 students per classroom. Classes that exceed that number must request a state waiver.
Administrators are recommending that the HISD Board of Education authorize the district to negotiate design contracts with 13 firms on the remaining 14 projects within the 2012 bond program.
The latest round of contract recommendations comes ahead of schedule in response to the booming construction market in Houston. Although architect selections for schools in Groups 3 and 4 of the program weren’t slated to take place until next year, the district wanted to move forward as quickly as possible to minimize the impact of escalating construction inflation.