Project may be complete in the fall

Transforming Bender High to performing arts center will cost city $4.4 million

The process of transforming the former Charles Bender High School into a performing arts center is expected to be completed before the end of this year.

Scott Brady, a partner with Joiner Architects in Kingwood, said the work on the high school could be completed by November.

“We’ve had a contractor onboard since about October,” he said. “They did a demolition package first and so once we got everything (demolished on the inside) and all the old stuff out there, wewere better able to evaluate the existing conditions of the building.”

Bender was built in 1929 and was the only highschool in Humble until Humble High School opened in 1965.

The old high school, located at 611 Higgins St. in Humble, has since been a junior high school, the district’s administrative building and been used for curriculum and staff development.

In 2011, the school district signed over the building to the city.

Since acquiring the building, the city has removed the asbestos material, repaired the roof and added new windows.

On June 2, the city council accepted the construction bid for the project, which is slated to begin this summer.

The overall project will cost $4.4 million.

However, the price tag for this project was originally bid at $5.3 million.

Humble City Manager Darrell Boeske said the adjustment to the original bid was made as a result of the contract the city has with Joiner Architects.

“We had a construction manager at-risk contract, which is different from going out to get a bid,” he said.

Under this type of an agreement, the architect is hired followed by the general contractor, whoworks closely with the architect to find any “hidden issues” associated with a building as old as this one.

“No one knows what is behind every wall,” Boeske added.

“Sometimes you just don’t know what you will run into until you get into a building.”

Once the interior demolition was completed, Boeske worked with the architect and the contractor to determine the true needs of the project and removed a lot of extras that had been included in the original bid.

Much of the extras included stage and parkinglot lighting, as well as some related to the heating and air conditioning system.

“Now we are where the contract has guaranteed the price we adopted will not exceed that amount,” Boeske said.

“We cut out some really big issues andit saved quite a bit of money.”

Once the project is completed, the city may consider changing the nameof the old school to something different.

But Boeske said he doubts a name change will catch on in Humble.

“There are some of those old-timers who will always call in Bender High School,” he said.