As I passed the beautiful new Kingwood Middle School (KMS) last weekend, it struck me. Despite many heavy rains during construction that lasted almost three years, neighbors never reported flooding.
Too often, I hear of construction projects that alter drainage and flood neighbors. But Humble ISD seemed to consider that problem from the start and took appropriate measures to prevent it. The District even built a temporary stormwater detention basin before tearing down the old KMS. It protected the neighborhood during demolition and construction before the new permanent basin was completed.
The result is a magnificent architectural gem – a showcase for the entire community – without drama, stress or destruction.
Pictures Taken 8/27/23
Main entrance of new KMSThe KMS building now occupies the space of the old athletic fields and the athletic fields occupy the space of the old building.Note grass on the sides of the stormwater retention basin. The basin will reduce the risk of street flooding in the surrounding neighborhood.
The current drought has the football-field grass struggling. But somehow, the grass on the sides of the detention basin seems well established. The vegetation on the slopes reduces erosion which could clog the inflow/outflow pipes.
For Photographic History of Project
For photos showing the history of Kingwood Middle School demolition and re-construction, see below.
Thanks to the Humble ISD, its board and contractors for a job well done.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/1/23
2194 days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/20230827-DJI_0415.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2023-09-01 09:32:212023-09-01 09:33:14Celebrating Completion of new KMS Without Flooding
This week, contractors completed the demotion of the old Kingwood Middle School (KMS). This clears the way for construction of the new, larger, permanent stormwater-detention basin and rebuilding of athletic fields in front of the new KMS. Even the foundation has been removed.
Photos Taken Dec. 17, 2022
Demolition of old school complete.Looking NW toward Woodland Hills.Looking East. Note temporary detention pond alone Pine Terrace on right.Looking N toward new schoolLooking west toward Woodland Hills at what will become the new athletic fields.
The old Kingwood Middle School was the first middle school in Kingwood and served Kingwood students for 45 years. Humble ISD built it in 1977.
With completion of the demolition of the old KMS, a piece of Kingwood history is gone. But a new chapter begins with a gorgeous new showcase that speaks for the resilience and quality of one of the finest communities in southeast Texas.
Progress of Construction in Photos
For photos showing the progress of KMS construction and demolition, see below.
I can’t wait to see this project when it is complete!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/17/22
1936 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20221217-DJI_0507.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-12-17 17:45:012022-12-17 17:45:06Demolition of old KMS Complete
On the morning of 11/29/22, Humble ISD contractors finished demolishing the last walls of the old KMS (Kingwood Middle School). They were also draining a water tower on the property before taking that down. The next two steps: remove all the debris and start removing the foundation.
New athletic fields and a permanent larger detention pond will go where the old school was and frame the entrance of the new school.
Photo from Start of Demolition
Here’s what the extent of demolition looked like on 11/9/22.
Pictures Taken at 9:30 A.M. on 11/29/22
For comparison, here’s what it looked like today. New KMS is in background; old KMS in foreground.
KMS today. Looking back E from SW corner of property.Wide shot taken from the SE corner of the old KMS looking NW toward Woodland Hills Drive.A parade of trucks hauls away the debris after recyclables such as steel are separated.The giant claws pick girders from the rubble and stack them for separate removal.Note the hole punctured in the school’s water tank.Other steel parts will also be recycled.
Starting Year Three of Project
For photos showing the progress of KMS construction and demolition, see below.
The illustration below shows next steps. After removing the foundation of the old building (2A), contractors will excavate a larger, permanent detention basin to hold stormwater runoff from the property. The runoff will then be released at a slower rate to reduce the risk of overwhelming the neighborhood’s drainage system. That will reduce the risk of flooding.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/20221129-DJI_0466.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-11-29 10:53:032022-11-29 11:19:46Old KMS Down, But Not Yet Out
Contractors have made great strides in the last week with the demolition of the old KMS (Kingwood Middle School) Building. As of last Saturday, a visual estimate put it at about 20-25% complete. I was shocked when I drove by there today. Demolition looked approximately 75% complete.
As any parent of any kid who has ever played with blocks or Legos knows, it takes much less time to destroy a structure than it does to build it. And the same holds true in the big leagues.
While it took two years to build the new KMS, the old one will come down in less than a month. I first noticed the start of demolition on Tuesday, November 8. By last Saturday, most of the southwest quadrant was gone. Today, virtually the whole west side is gone. And most of of the east side, too. This is an incredible ballet of men and machines.
Pictures Taken 11/18/22 Around 2:30 P.M.
Wide shot looking SE toward Cedar Knolls and Pine Terrace shows cleared area relative to remaining.KMS demolition in progress. Closer shot looking in same direction shows extend of remaining work.Reverse shot looking west towards Woodland Hills Drive over the remaining portion of KMS.Wide shot showing virtually entire campus. Looking East.
After tearing down the building, contractors will still have to remove the foundation. But for now, that concrete is their insurance against getting bogged down in mud if it rains. Water is the enemy of construction … and of demolition.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/20221118-DJI_0339.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-11-18 15:54:472022-11-18 15:58:05Demolition of Old KMS Building About 75% Complete
Kingwood Middle School demolition accelerated this week. On Tuesday, November 8, contractors had nibbled their way into a small area near the front door. But on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, they took down about 20-25% of the building. They’re focusing on the west side right now and moving north.
If your kids enjoy watching big machines at work, share the pictures below.
Photos Taken Week Ending 11/12/22
Extent of excavation at end of week. Wide shot looking ENE. Pine Terrace on right.This shot gives you some idea of the power of these machines.Photo by John Sedlak shows contractor separating materials for recycling.While two machines tear down building, a third separates material and loads it into dump trucks.Demolition happens much faster than construction. What took months to build will come down in days.KMS demolition in full swing. Reverse shot looking S toward Pine terrace.The temporary detention pond did its job Friday afternoon and evening. It held almost 2 inches of rain.All was quiet Saturday morning. Here you can see steel being separated from the debris for recycling.Sunset by John Sedlak on 11/5/22 shows the gorgeous new KMS on the right. The old KMS on the left will soon become athletic fields and a larger detention pond to reduce flood risk for neighbors.
To see the history of this project (both construction of the new KMS and old KMS demolition), see the posts below:
Demolition of the old Kingwood Middle School (KMS) has begun. On Election Day, I drove by and noticed that the entire front entrance had been demolished. Removing the old school will create room for new athletic fields as well as a permanent stormwater detention basin that reduces the risk of flooding.
Next Step in Construction Project
Ever since construction of the new school, the KMS campus has functioned without athletic fields and with a temporary detention basin.
That’s about to change.
The first few pictures below show the extent of the demolition as of 11/8/2022. The last shows it on 11/9/22.
Beginning of demolition near the main entrance of old building, first observed on Election Day.Reverse angle shot shows rip rap laid down at construction entrance. Rip rap knocks mud off the tires of dump trucks, to help keep sediment out of storm sewers.Side shot, looking east, shows the second temporary detention basin, which will expand into the permanent detention basis after Close up of the “jaws” used to rip apart structural steel.This morning, 11/9/22, the demolished area had widened considerably.
What you see above, happened in a day and a half. At the current rate, demolition could finish before Thanksgiving in two weeks. Then landscaping of the athletic fields can begin, as well as excavation of the final detention basin.
For photos showing the progress of construction, see below.
The final stages of construction. Remove the old building, expand the detention basin, and build athletic fields. From Nov. 2020.
Editorial comment: management of stormwater has been a major concern on this project since the beginning. I wish all owners and contractors built stormwater detention basins before construction or clearing land. Too often, it seems, some take the opposite approach and treat protection of neighbors as an afterthought.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/9/2022
1898 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/20221109-DJI_0147.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-11-09 13:10:202022-11-09 13:29:21Demolition of Old Kingwood Middle School Begins
Contractors have fenced off the old Kingwood Middle School and started demolishing the driveways and parking lots, including the area where the school’s new permanent detention pond will go. Meanwhile, the new Kingwood Middle School building is nearing completion behind the old one. Largely invisible from the ground behind construction fencing, the aerial photos below show the progress of construction.
Pictures Taken on 6/12/22
Main entrance to old Kingwood Middle School now fenced off and being torn up. Plans show permanent detention pond going here.
One significant difference between the old facility and the new one: a detention pond that should help reduce the risk of local flooding in an era of higher, post-Harvey Atlas-14 rainfall probabilities.
Side parking lot and temporary detention pond in foreground. Old and new buildings in background. Looking NW.New vs. old: Three stories compared to one.Looking SW at entire complex.Athletic fields will replace the old building in background.New building now completely dried in. Contractors focusing on finishing the interior work.Old building in foreground will soon be demolished leaving a vast expanse of green in front of this gorgeous community showcase.
Out with Old, In With New
All along, the plan has been to tear down the old school when the new one is ready for students. Athletic facilities, formerly behind the old building will move in front of the new building.
It’s a delicate ballet. Dozens of cars were parked along Cedar Knolls today as workers scramble to get the facility ready for the next school year.
Humble ISD’s web page for this project contains artists renderings that will help you visualize the result. Humble ISD did not return phone calls today to discuss more details about the construction, old-building demolition and a completion date. But I will keep you posted as I get more information.
To see the progress of construction, visit these pages on ReduceFlooding.com.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/20220612-DJI_0753.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-06-13 20:08:012022-06-13 20:33:30Demolition of Old Kingwood Middle School Beginning
I last updated Humble ISD’s Kingwood Middle School (KMS) and New Caney ISD’s West Fork High School construction projects in mid-March. Since then, KMS contractors have continued work to finish the exteriors while beginning interior work.
Humble ISD has not updated its web page on KMS construction details, but some changes are visible from the exterior.
South side of building now almost all “glassed in.”Ditto for north side.Roof is substantially complete, though some work remains on AC units.West side looking east from over Woodland Hills Drive.SW side looking NE. Most of the heavy equipment is gone.Looking NW from SE side. Old building in foreground will be demolished to make way for athletic fields. Easternmost building still has the longest way to go.
New Caney ISD posted this April update on work to date for its new West Fork High School. The high school is south of the HCA Kingwood Medical Center between Sorters McClellan Road and US59.
“Overall completion of the buildings and site work is 78 percent complete. The main building and athletic support facilities are dried in with portions of the main building being air conditioned. All interior partitions are complete with finishes such as painting and ceramic tile in progress. The electrical, plumbing, and HVAC rough-in work is 85 percent complete. The ceiling grid is being installed, allowing the installation of light fixtures, A/C grills, life/safety devices, data, and sound systems to progress. The artificial turf for the football field is 80 percent complete with turf at the baseball and softball fields to follow. The general contractor is distributing topsoil in preparation to begin irrigation and landscaping.”
Here’s what all of that looks like.
Looking SE across front of campus. Sorters McClellan Road is on right. West Fork is in background out of sight.Looking NE from over Sorters-McClellan Road. Field house and football field.It’s starting to feel like fall and it’s not even summer yet.Looking north. Campus is out of frame on left. 59 is out of frame on right.Looking NW across front of field house toward high school and Sorters-McClellan Road. Looking N toward northern entrance off Kingwood Place Drive.
Compare with Previous Updates
To see how the project has progressed, compare these previous posts.
Neither of these projects has yet had an impact on local flooding.
KMS built a temporary retention pond. When the old school is torn down, it will be replaced with a larger permanent pond.
West Fork High School already has a permanent pond. It was the first thing to be completed. Grass has been growing in it since March of 2021. This has reduced the threat of sedimentation during construction. I wish all construction projects followed this model.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/4/2022
1709 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/20220430-DJI_0312.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-05-04 19:24:072022-05-04 19:28:40Construction Update: KMS and West Fork High School
Then there’s the question of demolition of the old school and reconstruction of the athletic fields where the old school now stands. None of that can happen until contractors finish the new school. But even if that runs past August, it shouldn’t impose any additional hardships on students. After all, they’ve done without athletic fields for the last two school years.
Construction Pics Show Status as of Mid-March 2022
Construction started on the east and has been working toward the west for more than a year now. Here’s how the westernmost building looks as of 3/13/22. It is the least finished. As you can see, additional exterior work remains on the roof, glass, and entries.
Virtually all glass appears to be in as of mid-March 2022, but not the frames that seal it.Workers still have materials left on several of the roofs.The new back entry will provide pickup and drop-off points, relieving traffic congestion on surrounding streets.This temporary detention pond in the foreground will be replaced by……a new permanent detention pond where the parking long in the foreground is.The old school (right) must still be demolished.New athletic fields will be built on the site of the old school.
Once a building like this has been “dried in,” subcontractors can work on the interior 24/7 if necessary to make up for lost “weather days.” Interior trades include drywall, plumbing, electric, lighting, ceilings, paint, floor coverings, cabinets and other finish work.
Compare Current with Previous Pics
See the progress of work to date by comparing these pictures with those taken in previous months.
Here’s Humble ISD’s webpage on the project. It shows artist’s renderings of many of the interior areas not visible in these pictures. It will feature larger classrooms, more space for collaboration, natural light, and easier pickup/drop-off.
Careful reading of the Humble ISD copy will reveal that they have not yet promised which month in 2022 students will move from the old to the new Kingwood Middle School. However…
With each passing month, I get more excited about this project. It will make a wonderful addition to Kingwood and has the potential to become a community showcase.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/13/2022
1657 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/20220313-DJI_0816.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-03-13 17:42:272022-03-13 17:49:54New Kingwood Middle School Scheduled to Open in Months
Aerial photos taken last week show a beautiful new Kingwood Middle School with an open, airy design taking shape.
Pictures Taken on 1/29/22
Glass enclosed atrium will look out over athletic fields where existing school now is.Existing school, bottom left, will be torn down to make room for athletic fields.Overhangs (not yet with roofs) will help provide protection from direct sun.View of entire school from over Woodland Hills Drive, looking NE.Looking E from over Woodland Hills Drive.Looking W from over Cedar Knolls Drive reveals drop off/pickup driveway behind school.
A permanent detention pond near the semi-circular drive in front of old Kingwood Middle School will eventually replace the temporary pond in the lower left of the image above. It’s exciting to see the Humble ISD making flood reduction a part of its plans for the future. That sends an important message to students and provides an opportunity for learning.
