The Fort Bend school district is pressing forward with its Global Center for Science and Technology project.
The district is seeking an architect and a construction manager for the project, which is billed as a state-of-the-art facility to spark students’ enthusiasm in science and technology, boost science performance, and provide a training base for science teachers and a tool to help recruit teachers.
The district has put out legal notices for architectural services and a construction manager-at-risk, and is asking for bids to be turned in by Dec. 2.
"We’re trying to get the construction started as early as in April or May," said Alfonso Saldivar, the district’s director of purchasing, noting a part of the funds for the project has been raised.
In May, David Wallace, former Sugar Land mayor who heads a committee that has studied the project's financial feasibility, said it is estimated to cost $26 million to be constructed and equipped, and $800,000 a year for operation, including insurance, utility, maintenance and transportation of teachers and students.
The district has been trying to secure donations from numerous corporations and organizations. Wallace told district officials then that possible private funding could amount to at least $400,000, which is half of the building's expected annual operating cost.
However, it’s unclear how much the district has raised so far. District spokeswoman Mary Ann Simpson said the administration plans to present an update on the project to the school board, possibly on Dec. 14 or later.
"There will not be any new information available before the time the update is presented to the board," she said.
The facility is proposed to be built adjacent to the district's central administration building, 16431 Lexington Blvd. in Sugar Land.
It is envisioned to be equipped with high-tech labs, grade-appropriate interactive learning stations, a planetarium, a "sci-max" theater and a conference room.
The project has spurred mixed feelings among teachers, parents and other residents of the district from passionate backing to harsh criticism and legal threats.
Proponents believe the facility would deliver a full range of benefits district leaders promised while opponents have described the building as a waste of taxpayer money.
Critics also see the project as a direct competitor to Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Sugar Land branch, which opened over the summer.
But Superintendent Tim Jenney, who discussed the global center project with museum officials, has promised that the district facility would not be redundant, but complementary, to the museum branch, a claim that some local officials, such as Sugar Land City Manager Allen Bogard, have endorsed.
The district’s use of PBK Architects, which initially designed the project, also has come under fire by critics due to the firm’s involvement in a school project in the Judson school district that is under government investigation.
According to a report by San Antonio-based television station WOAI and an audit disclosed by the station, the Judson district handed out the job of implementing a 2006 $236 million bond package, which includes a $100 million high school, to companies without going through a legally required bidding process.
One of the companies is PBK, which the audit found to have paid certain district employees to play golf at resorts including Torrey Pines in San Diego and Spyglass in Pebble Beach.
Jenney expressed to the Chronicle earlier this year his faith in PBK as "a highly reputable company” that has built many schools for the Fort Bend school district, including its 11th high school set to open in the Sienna Plantation area next fall.
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Did we expect anything else?
..it’s unclear how much the district has raised so far. District spokeswoman Mary Ann Simpson said the administration plans to present an update on the project to the school board, possibly on Dec. 14 or later.
Back to keeping information from the public again? I remember when they refused to release documents to the public even after the Texas AG ordered them released.
PBK Whooooo???
I wonder if they are actually putting this project out on bids or letting PBK handle all this?
"The district’s use of PBK Architects, which initially designed the project, also has come under fire by critics due to the firm’s involvement in a school project in the Judson school district that is under government investigation.
According to a report by San Antonio-based television station WOAI and an audit disclosed by the station, the Judson district handed out the job of implementing a 2006 $236 million bond package, which includes a $100 million high school, to companies without going through a legally required bidding process.
One of the companies is PBK, which the audit found to have paid certain district employees to play golf at resorts including Torrey Pines in San Diego and Spyglass in Pebble Beach.
Jenney expressed to the Chronicle earlier this year his faith in PBK as "a highly reputable company”
Running a current budget deficit near $20 million---Good timing?
Looks like they are trying to get this duplicate project started before the spring elections and against the modifications made by the board last August about the fund raising requirement.
transparencyingovt
Global Taj Mahal
Isn't is amazing how fiscally iresponsible a Superintendant and School board can be when they are spending someone else's money. Last Year $$10,million in the Red , this year $$20 million , plus, in the red.....
Now they want to push ahead with another $$26 million dollar Taj Mahal boondogal project so they can feed thery're vendor buddies with your tax dollars.
Lets see, 20 million in the + 26 million more = ANOTHER TAX INCREASE NEXT YEAR TOO!.
How long do they (BOT) think we are going to let them keep wasting money on "pet projects" , instead of fulfilling the districts real needs ?, and raising our taxes to pay for it !!!!
The time for action is MARCH -April folks. You have a chance to vote out two of the irresponsible bums who want to keep spending your money to give it to their vendor buddies.
Will you help effect change, or just gripe about paying more taxes ??
YES YOU CAN !!!! MAKE A CHANGE, VOTE THEM OUT !!!!
Taxpayers need to unite
This is the most colossal waste of money I have ever seen in this district and that's saying something. There's not a reputable science teacher that will tell you this will do anything to help science scores. The district has been cutting science department budgets and cutting teaching staff the last couple of years and, yet, they have the money to do this? The best thing the district could do to boost science scores is to provide a stipend to hire competent science and math teachers. FBISD taxpayers need to contact school board members and stop this boondoggle.
That well is pretty dry...
Remember when this "idea" was going to be built 85% with business partnerships and 75% of the operating costs would be "donations"? Now it's 0% partnership for the build and maybe 50% of the operating costs - IF they're actually only $800,000.
Now, the district has already been operating in the red for two years now - of course, if you read the headlines earlier in the fall, it seemed to be the fault of the faculty and staff and their raises and not mismanagement on the district's part. The "well" that this duplicate monstrosity was to draw from apparently is running dry already - before the administrative photo op of the groundbreaking was even scheduled!
Here's just another reason why this project should be put on the bottom of the list: a number of teacher friends/associates of mine tell me the technology is terrible; there is no "System" of standards or design whatsoever for software and hardware. Apparently the students are still being taught Microsoft Office 2003, a 7+ year-old program as well as other outdated software; in addition, the computer network is about as stable as a 1960 Corvair. Now I'm no technology expert, but I'm guessing that $26M up front plus $800,000 per year would go a LONG ways in stabilizing the entire district at all levels. Compare the entire district of 70K students plus staff that would benefit from an improved technology system to the couple of thousand of students/teachers that will get to use the Taj Mahal once or twice a year? Logic tells me that the technology department needs the cash infusion more, but it looks like the administration's logic tells them that they'll build the TM now and just demand more money on the next bond. Anybody agree?
We get stuck with the bill!
I'm with you Mike. There are far better ways to del with this and I can guarantee you they won't even be able to raise half the operating expenses year end and year out for Jenney's mistake. They sure could have used this money elsewhere and developed the partnership with the HMNS crowd instead, but since when has logic been a central office practice.
transparencyingovt
Time for some protests???
Does anyone think there is enough interest for a fairly large protest outside of FBISD Admin.
Global Science Technology Center
Exactly how are the students going to utilize this center and when? Complete nonsense! Since there is going to be no new info available before the Dec board meeting, this appears to be the district's way of keeping the taxpayers in the dark so they don't show up in mass at the next meeting! We can't afford to open the academies we've already planned but we can afford to build a new GSTC that is nothing more than an expensive trophy that will benefit too few students and too many administrators. It's time for the taxpayers to show up at the board meeting and remind the superintendent who is paying the bill and who's in charge.
Science Center Steals taxes and good reasoning from Community
This flat out robbery and scam has, from day one, sought to steal from and enslave taxpayers to a ridiculously unsustainable project that has consistently been roundly rejected by the community. Roundly rejected, despite the lies and misinformation that has festered forth from a "feasibility study" led by the rabid vendors themselves. Lawsuits need to be filed against these thieves.
PatriotMissive
VOICE YOUR OPPOSITION FT BEND
What an outrageous move on the part of our Fort Bend ISD Trustees!!
I have not been tracking the GSTC for the last couple of months because I thought they were still hunting for those elusive dollars from industry, and I knew they would be hard to find in this economy. Was the GSTC even brought up in the last few meetings?
I'm with GiGi and Tired. We all need to voice our opinions and protest this maneuver to cram this Global Creationist Science Center down our throats.
Is the next board meeting December 6 or 13?
a resident