 Work could start in spring on science center
November 17, 2009 7:48 pm Zen T.C. Zheng wrote:
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...
..."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...
...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 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...
Get the full story at: http://www.ultimatefortbend.com/2009/...
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