Tag Archive for: KMS

Kingwood Middle School: November Construction Update

Construction of the new Kingwood Middle School appears on schedule for opening with the next school year in 2022. Compared to my October update, no new major milestones have been reached. Everything just looks a little further along.

Kingwood Middle School Construction Sequencing

Construction started on the west and is moving toward the east. As subcontractors finish one phase such as foundations or structural , the next group picks up the baton and works on roofing, exterior walls, windows, etc.

The most visible change between October and November: progress on exterior walls and roofing.

I took all the pictures below on Saturday, November 6, 2021.

Looking W. Judging from the amount of erosion around the banks, the temporary detention pond appears to be getting a lot of use. This pond will be replaced with a larger permanent one after the old school is demolished to make room for it.
Insulation, vapor barriers, brick and glass now surround more than half the site now. Roofing on the westernmost section looks complete. But many roofing materials remain stacked on other sections.
Looking south with the old school visible in the top of the frame.
Masons have completed the brickwork on large portions of the westernmost section. Shot taken from over Woodland Hills, looking east.
Portions of the exterior at the west end still need work, but it’s more done than not.
A view from the SE looking NW clearly shows the degree of finish evident in the left, middle and right sections.
Low level shot shows middle section on left.

Next Steps for KMS

Next steps will be to dry-in the structure by completing the exterior walls, windows and roofs. The other trades will then start working on interior walls, electrical, wallboard, paint and flooring – all the things that could be destroyed by blowing rain.

I put two kids through the old Kingwood Middle School who became happy, healthy, successful adults. As I look at these pictures, fond memories of plays, recitals, teacher conferences, and athletic contests come to mind. Each month, as the old school comes closer to demolition, I become increasing nostalgic. We will soon witness the end of one era and the start of another in Kingwood.

Architectural renderings on the Humble ISD site inspire confidence that the next generation of Kingwood Middle School students will have an even better learning environment than the last.

And cross your fingers! Despite double the impervious cover now on the site, I have received no reports of flooding from neighbors.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/11/2021

1535 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Despite Heavy Rains, KMS Reconstruction Progressing Nicely

Since my last update, Kingwood Middle School (KMS) reconstruction has progressed nicely despite heavy rains and a tropical storm in the last month. My rain gage, a few blocks away recorded more than 11 inches of rain in the last 30 days – almost triple the average for September.

My last update on August 20 showed that contractors had erected most of the structural steel, but large parts of superstructure were still open. Today, almost the entire roof is on and most of the structure has been walled or glassed in.

It was barely 10 months ago, that this site was nothing but dirt, a dream, and a detention pond.

Photos Showing Status of KMS Reconstruction as of 10/3/21

Here are pictures of KMS reconstruction taken this afternoon with a drone.

KMS reconstruction as of 10.3.21. Looking SE from over Woodland Hills Blvd.
Looking N across roof of old KMS. Woodland Hills Blvd on left. Note how left (western) part of building is already bricked in. When new KMS is complete, the old one will be torn down.

Plans call for reconstructing the athletic fields on the site of the old school and building a permanent, larger detention pond where the circular drive in the foreground is.

It’s hard to tell from this angle, but temporary detention pond had barely emptied from yesterday’s deluge.
Only one small section in lower left remains without roof.
The new KMS will go up instead of out to create the needed capacity for students
As construction moves in phases from NW to SE, you see different degrees of finish.

Humble ISD still expects the school to open for the 2022 school year. For more information about the plans for the building, see the District’s web site. Find updates on other new construction from the 2018 bond here.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/3/2021

1496 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Education Going Higher; Construction Updates on Two New Schools

Two new schools in the Kingwood area are building up, not out. Hopefully, this trend will, in a small way, reduce the percentage of impervious cover and create room for detention ponds to capture stormwater runoff.

Earlier this week, I photographed Kingwood Middle School and West Fork High School construction. As of mid-August, the structural steel work for both is almost complete.

Kingwood Middle School Replacement

The site looks crowded now, but when the new three story facility is complete, athletic fields and a giant detention pond will replace the old facility.

Looking west toward Woodland Hills Drive. KMS Construction as of mid-August 2021
Looking east from over Woodland Hills
This view looking north makes it easy to compare the height of the old and new buildings.
The structural steel work has reached its eastern limit.

To see the progress, compare the pictures above to those in previous posts.

Humble ISD has set the target opening date of the new KMS for 2022.

New Caney ISD West Fork High School

Several weeks ago, New Caney ISD named its third high school the West Fork High School. It too will be a three story structure, and is going up between Sorters-McClellan Road and US59 south of Kingwood Drive.

Looking NNE over the new campus toward Kingwood Medical Center. Insperity, and Kingwood Drive. US59 in upper right.
Wider shot looking NNW toward the West Fork shows a large detention pond in the foreground is now grassed in. However, note sediment entering the pond through storm sewers that drain the site.
Looking SW toward Sorters-McClellan Road and West Fork. River is mostly hidden behind trees. For reference, note Costco in upper left.

Note the football field and track taking shape in the left middle of the frame and the field house still going up next to it.

To see the progress, compare the pictures in these posts:

New Caney ISD expects to complete construction by the summer of 2022.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/20/2021

1452 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Contractors Almost Finished with Framing New KMS, Starting on Roof

While far from complete, Humble ISD contractors have made steady progress with the construction of the new Kingwood Middle School (KMS), despite heavy and steady rains in May, June and July. Back in late March, I reported that steel was going up. Since then, the contractors have finished erecting steel on 80-90% of the new KMS building.

I took all the photos below on 7/10/2021.

Overview of campus, looking south. Woodland Hills Blvd on right. The white area in the foreground appears to be roofing.

The new KMS is being built on the site of the old athletic fields. When complete, the old school will be demolished and the athletic fields will be relocated there.

A prominent feature of the new construction is a temporary detention pond (foreground) to reduce flood risk for neighbors. Looking NNW. Note the concrete slab between the detention pond and the crane, where contractors have not yet started erecting steel.
The new building will be much taller and “airier” than the old one which had solid brick walls over most of the exterior.
Portions will be 3-stories tall, letting more students learn on a smaller footprint.
Looking north across old KMS campus toward new construction shows the variation in the respective footprints.

When demolition of the old KMS has finished, the temporary detention pond will reportedly turn into a permanent one near the location of the semi-circular drop off zone above.

Humble ISD expects the school to open for the 2022 school year. For more information about the plans for the building, see the District’s web site. Find updates on other new construction from the 2018 bond here.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/10/21

1411 Days since Hurricane Harvey