Design phase delays BISD school construction

By EMILY GUEVARA
September 24, 2009
Posted: September 23, 2009, 11:05 PM CDT

Last updated: September 24, 2009, 12:44 PM CDT



A lone front loader buzzed back and forth Tuesday, stripping the grass from a Pine Street property where a school should be in the works.

The lack of progress on the new Martin/Lucas elementary building is indicative of what is not happening on several of Beaumont ISD's elementary school projects.

By now, construction crews were to be almost two weeks into construction on the school.

It is a problem that school board members recently acknowledged, and Beaumont residents, teachers and parents have feared.

"My biggest concern is that we closed Blanchette Elementary almost two years ago, said Linda Gilmore, a retired Beaumont ISD teacher who works as a TAKS tutor for the district.

"We closed Martin almost two years ago. We have not done anything on that campus in almost two years but tear it down. Grass is already growing back and I told them that," said Gilmore, who twice ran unsuccessfully for the school board.

"We're building on Interstate 10 an athletic complex which has more work done to it than we have done to the school and anyone can pass on I-10 and see (that)."

She spoke at last Thursday's meeting of the Beaumont Independent School District board of trustees about the delays..

According to the district's bond project schedule that was last updated June 17, 2009, construction should have begun on the first four schools by Sept. 1.

As it stands now, construction has started only on Amelia Elementary.

As the work progresses there, a field of green sits at what will be Blanchette/Bingman Elementary on Lela Street.

Some site preparation has begun at the Martin/Lucas property on Pine Street, though no construction is happening.

"The delays have been in the design process, not in construction," said Dr. William Nantz, a Beaumont ISD board member and building and grounds committee chairman.

Nantz, who spoke Tuesday with The Enterprise by phone, said the issues seem to be under control now. He would not elaborate on what specific issues slowed the design process.

Beaumont ISD assistant superintendent Terry Ingram, the assistant superintendent, said that there was a lot of back-and-forth dealing with the drawings. He said some things may have been left off, but did not offer more details.

Jeremy Wilson, principal at Long Architects, said that in his view the firm did not take longer than normal to accomplish what they have.

Read more in Thursday's Beaumont Enterprise.


Comments

BISD Disaster wrote:
The drawings should have been completed a long time ago since the bond issue passed in November of 2007!!! That's damn near 2 years ago and we are suppose to trust these idiots and believe the money won't run out? Recall the entire board except for Tommy Neild because these morons don't have enough sense to come out of the rain. 09/25/2009 01:00 AM CDT

movesetx wrote:
Greenie 69: That's because the public at large values athletics over academics.
09/24/2009 10:45 PM CDT

fredsaid wrote:
The primary delay in any construction project is not labor, materials, or weather. The primary delay is the owners (in this case BISD) inability to make up their mind about what they want. Making changes is time consuming and expensive, therefore running up the project time line and cost.
09/24/2009 05:47 PM CDT

GREENIE 1969 wrote:
Athletics or Academics which is important to Dr. Thomas and the School Board? Well based on construction progress the answer is obvious. Athletics! Wonder what has been "left off" according to the BISD assistant supt. Will we the people paying for this ever know? I doubt it. We are just supposed to smile and pay our taxes.
09/24/2009 04:07 PM CDT

GREENIE 1969 wrote:
You are so right legaleagle.
09/24/2009 01:02 PM CDT

legaleagle wrote:
Tommy Neild is not a puppet. The rest are.
09/24/2009 11:08 AM CDT

BigDaddy1 wrote:
How long has it been since the bond was passed, and there are "design" matters ? When is it going to dawn on anybody that the athletic complex is the primary focus for BISD. As long as Thomas has the strings controlling the 7 puppets, nothing will change, and the money will be gone. I suppose when we have 3 walls and no roof, somebody will recogize that, "taxpayers, we have a problem, and need more money"
09/24/2009 07:40 AM CDT