ALIEF ISD gets bimonthly bond construction update; bond website to publish soon

The ALIEF ISD assistant superintendent for support services and the district’s construction program manager briefed the board on March 18 on the status of multiple bond and maintenance projects and the district’s new bond website.

The update was led by Vincent Lewis, assistant superintendent of support services, and Clem Medina, program manager with Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam (LAN), the district’s project-management partner. Medina gave status reports on campus and districtwide projects, including tennis-court replacements at Hastings High School, press-box design work at Crump Stadium, an agricultural science center in design, central-plant HVAC upgrades at the ninth-grade center, and dugout structures for Hastings’ softball field.

Medina said the Hastings tennis-court work is in the construction phase, with four courts prepped for final paint and striping; bleachers, canopies and perimeter fencing scheduled for installation; and a nearby block/beat wall prepped for final paint. He described the Crump press-box improvements as “in design phase” and said the district is advertising for construction-manager-at-risk submissions. The agricultural science center is in design with the general contractor generating an initial cost estimate, and the central-plant upgrade at the ninth-grade center was described as “substantially complete — 99%” with contractors finishing punch-list items such as HVAC testing and building-management-system installation. Dugout structures for Hastings’ softball field were reported in fabrication and expected to be delivered later in the month for installation.

Medina also listed several districtwide packages: two roofing replacement packages (one in design, one in procurement and advertised for bids), a site-improvement package to repair paving and sidewalks (design phase, with part of the work to be awarded in May for summer work and the remainder planned for early fall), and architectural improvements that include door and window replacements as well as renovations at the transportation facility (design phase).

The presentation included photographs of court preparation and fencing install at Hastings. Medina said projects are “on schedule and within budget” when reporting construction-stage items, and he noted LAN will provide these construction updates bimonthly going forward.

On public access and transparency, Medina and Lewis previewed a district bond web portal LAN is building for ALIEF ISD. Medina said the page will list campuses, show project tasks and their progress (planning, design, in progress, complete), identify project managers, contractors and designers, and present financial reports and prior board presentations. Lewis said the site is expected to go live within “the next couple of days or a week or so,” and that it will be updated monthly. The district plans to notify families and the public through ParentSquare, marquee messaging, campus newsletters, a press release and a postcard with a QR code that will always link to the current bond page.

Board members asked how to locate the bond site once it is live and how frequently it will be updated. Medina and Lewis said the site will be linked on the district’s main web page, will be updated monthly, and that administration will provide board members the content before public updates to avoid any misalignment. Trustees expressed appreciation for the transparency and for the format of the online project pages.

Medina concluded by saying LAN will continue to produce the bimonthly updates and maintain the site content, and the district will return to the board with additional details at its next bimonthly update.