Tomball ISD moving up
District’s new elementary and agriculture science center — part of the $275 million bond passed in 2017 — were spared delays
A new elementary school and an agricultural science project center will be ready to welcome Tomball ISD students in August — or as soon as it is safe for students to physically return to campus.
The two projects, part of the $275 million bond voters passed in 2017, were spared pandemicrelated delays that hit other construction.
“In fact, we’ve been able to accelerate certain aspects of these projects as contractors are looking to get ahead of problems that may come their way as a result of COVID-19,” said JP Grom, vice president of Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc.
Tomball ISD Superintendent Martha Salazar-Zamora said she recently toured the $24 million Grand Oaks Elementary School and is thrilled to have the new campus to help relieve overcrowding. The 112,186-square-foot campus will relieve Wildwood and Lakewood elementary schools.
“As a fast-growth school district, it’s important that we have additional facilities for our students, particularly during a time of pandemic where we are going to have requirements of additional space needed,” she said. “During a time where we definitely need the additionally space, this a perfect time to have that happen.”
Under budget
The projects initially faced delays connected to the land acquisition and development, officials said.
“The Harris County Flood Control situation that evolved coming out of the Hurricane (Harvey) definitely altered the way that we saw our design and constructed,” Grom said. “Our team worked very hard and closely with Harris Country to develop a site development plan that responded to their new and evolving codes and standards.”
Grom said all projects are under budget and either on or ahead of schedule. Several are already complete.
Three of the biggest facilities in the bond — a junior high school, a districtwide athletic complex and a natatorium for Tomball Memorial High School — are scheduled to be ready either later this year or in 2021.
The projects are part of the new Elmer and Dorothy Beckendorf Educational Complex in northwest Houston at Cypress Rosehill Road and Texas 99, which broke ground last May, according to a July 1 press release.
The agricultural science project center will be the second one in the district, with one currently at Tomball Memorial High School. Salazar-Zamora said a portion of the new facility will be available districtwide for all staff to utilize with students, not just Tomball High School.
The nearly $5 million center includes an agricultural barn and an instructional nature center.
Similarly, the current aquatics center that they have is located in the north, and now the new 26,000-square-foot and $10.56 million natatorium will be located on the property of Tomball Memorial and is scheduled to be completed by December 2020.
“Our board of trustees … always want to make sure that if we have something on perhaps the north side of our community, that we try to offer that on the south and vice versa,” Salazar-Zamora said.
The $37 million new districtwide athletic complex will serve Tomball ISD’s football, soccer, arts and band programs, will have a community facility with a conference center, and is scheduled to be completed in May 2021.
The bond also includes an expansion project at Tomball Memorial, land development on the district’s greenfield site, a new entry to Tomball Intermediate School, improvements to both high school baseball and softball fields, and upgrades to the district’s technology infrastructure and purchase of buses.
“To see such a high level of cooperation among the architecture firms, engineering firms, the surveyors and other public governmental entities has been really remarkable,” Grom said. “We’re proud to be a part of transforming Tomball ISD and being a part of the true destination excellence district that they are.”