The Northside ISD board on Dec. 12 approved designs for planned upgrades at Colonies North Elementary School, including recently uncovered foundational problems.
The background
In 2022, NISD voters approved the school district’s record $992 million bond, which will direct $35 million to replace the cafeteria, gymnasium and several classrooms at Colonies North.
While replacing a 32-year-old portion of the school that was originally built in 1966 will remain a focus in this bond project, district officials said they will also have to address the shifting of soil beneath two buildings around the main front school entrance.
Northside initially set aside $15.3 million for the renovations, but district officials decided earlier this fall to expand the total project cost to $35 million by using nonallocated bond funds, according to Leroy San Miguel, assistant superintendent for facilities and operations. Joeris General Contractors were brought on to serve as construction manager at-risk to oversee the work.
“We’re just making sure we fix some foundational issues,” Superintendent John Craft told trustees.
Dig deeper
Jeff Rodriguez, principal at project design firm Huckabee Architects, said the core of the renovation plan will involve razing an existing classroom wing near the corner of Colony and Northampton drives, eliminating 21 old classrooms.
District officials said Colonies North will remain an active campus during construction, so 12 portable classroom structures containing 24 total classrooms will be temporarily located on existing play fields.
This specific area of the campus will include a relocated playground, a portable restroom structure, and a fire lane, Rodriguez said.
When construction contractors begin working to replace the classroom wing, an adjoining portable building will be erected to accommodate school administrators until a new permanent administrative area is built as part of the project.
Alternative Learning Environment and Behavior Mastery Center portions of the existing campus will be renovated and relocated to the older, original segment of the Colonies North campus, Rodriguez said.
Aside from the new gym, cafeteria and administrative area, the planned replacement addition at Colonies North will include a music class area and 10 new permanent classrooms. Contractors will also renovate 11 classrooms, add 89 new parking spaces and create a new main school entrance close to the Colony/Northampton intersection.
School board Vice President Corinne Saldaña said community members are eager to see a total update to Colonies North, including future improvements to the campus segment where the shifting soil and foundational issues are resulting in a widening gap between two buildings.
“Hopefully a next bond will allow us finish the rest of the campus,” Saldaña said.
