Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Texas School District Prepares to Renovate All Elementary Schools

  • By Matt Jones
  • 06/28/21

The Nederland Independent School District (NISD) in Nederland, Texas, is preparing for renovations of all four of its elementary school campuses. District officials are expecting to receive design plans and a budget by August 2021, leading to an anticipated start date (for two of the schools) of October 2021. The primary goal is to keep the work within the $49.1 million budget that voters have already approved.

“[Our construction partners] are working together to look at the scope of the elementaries to make sure we can flesh out any work that would be excessive and use every ounce of dollars to get what we promised the voters,” said Superintendent Dr. Stuart Kieschnick. “We’re taking a harder look at the elementary schools because we are later in the process. The global pandemic has affected so much of the supply chain and the prices of building materials. There may not be some bells and whistles we want, but we will deliver what we promised the voters. But we have to look at it from a tighter point of view.”

Upgrades to the district’s four elementary schools—Helena Park, Langham, Highland Park, and Hillcrest—include additional classroom space for science labs and individual learning; restroom renovations; ADA modifications; and expansions to the gym, cafeteria and kitchen spaces.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the prices of materials like metal, wood and PVC are up to three times what they were when plans were made in 2018. Material and worker shortages are also contributing to slower project delivery times. In addition to the elementary school upgrades, voters have also approved upgrades to district middle schools and football stadiums, as well as the construction of a new Nederland High School.

The district is partnering with architectural firm IBI and construction supervisor H.B. Neild & Sons.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Year-Round Schools Require Year-Round Indoor Air Quality Planning

    While many schools are out for the summer, year-round schools follow a more “balanced” schedule with shorter, more frequent breaks spaced throughout the school year. Even though this offers educational benefits, these facilities have less downtime for building maintenance. This can become an issue when facilities managers overlook the importance of routine HVAC maintenance and air duct cleaning services.

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.

  • UT-San Antonio Begins Residence Hall Renovations

    The University of Texas at San Antonio recently began a $6-million renovation project to one of its residence halls, according to a news release. Originally completed in 1986, Chisolm Hall measures in at 120,860 square feet and is the oldest and largest residence hall on campus.

  • California High School Opens New Classroom Building for 7th-, 8th-Graders

    Santa Rosa City Schools in Santa Rosa, Calif., recently announced the completion of a new classroom building for Piner High School. As the campus transitions to a Junior/Senior High School, the facility will play home to the school’s new population of seventh- and eighth-grade students.