Bond 2025 / Junior High Renovation Update 

First OAC (Owner, Architects, Contractors) Meeting 

- Berry and Clay reported on the first OAC meeting, meaning owner, architect, and contractor. They looked at the site and talked about cost-saving ideas the contractor will price out. He gave no dollar figures.

- The permit still hadn't been issued and was expected "this week," but the city allowed interior demolition to start early.

- In the library, demo is mostly done except the ductwork, and the B-roll shows walls stripped to the studs with the slab exposed. Electricians are pulling wiring out of the walls. In the science building, the ceilings and old components are coming out so it can become the new science building. The band hall is next once the demo crew finishes there.

- Submittals, meaning the specific products the contractor plans to use, are going to Josh for approval. Some items have 14 to 15 week lead times, especially the air conditioning units.

- The goal is to move into the library, band hall, and science wing in the early spring semester. 

Bond 2025 / Junior High Renovation Update 

Special Board Workshop

On September 15, 2026, the board held a special meeting/workshop to review furniture options and pricing for the Junior High Renovations. 

Bond 2025 / Junior High Renovation Update 

Pre-construction Kickoff

- Claycomb says the pre-construction meeting is done. The district, the architect, and the construction manager agreed on how they'll report progress, how the permit gets submitted, and how temporary fencing will divide the campus so students stay away from workers.

- Berry and Clay says the fencing goes up the following week. John Harris will be the on-site superintendent every day and the go-to person for anything Diboll needs.

- The timeline he gives is that the city is expected to issue the permit "within the next couple of days," and real construction would start within two weeks after that.

Bond 2025 / Junior High Renovation Update (see Dr. G's update here) 

Junior High Renovation Moves to Bidding

The Board unanimously approved the bid documents for the Diboll Junior High renovation project, allowing the next major phase of the Bond 2025 project to begin.

The project team reported that the construction documents are essentially complete and can now be distributed to subcontractors for pricing. Berry & Clay will advertise the project and conduct a subcontractor walkthrough on August 7, with bids scheduled for August 25.

The project team anticipates bringing pricing back to the Board on August 31, with construction expected to begin in September.

Bond 2025 / Junior High Renovation Update (see Claycomb’s presentation here) Bond / Construction Update

• Junior High renovation:

  • Design at ~35% completion

  • Engineers actively assessing facilities

  • Coordination with city ongoing

• Behind-the-scenes work underway (drainage, relocation of spaces, etc.)

• Grade levels will not be moving campuses

Bond 2025 / Junior High Renovation Update (see Claycomb’s presentation here)

• Bond update (Claycomb - Grasiela Magana):

  • Project is in design development/documentation phase, getting into detailed items (doors, corners, electrical/technology, finishes).

  • Engineers were on site during the break week to evaluate systems and needs.

  • Finishes meetings and staff follow-ups upcoming; target is a design development presentation in March.

  • Drainage/geotech: still working get a civil engineer to the site.

  • District is finalizing the contract with Berry&Clay/CMAR (legal teams working; expectation to finalize soon).

Here is the latest update on the sale of the Diboll ISD Bonds

(Video)

Bond / Facilities project update (handout)

• CMAR (Construction Manager at Risk) procurement update:

  • RFQ advertised; submissions received Dec 5 and interviews held Dec 11.

  • Evaluation criteria included: experience, district needs, cost, organization, licensing/personnel.

  • Top-ranked firm: Berry & Clay (team members introduced). Second-ranked: Langston Construction.

  • Next step: board direction/approval for superintendent to negotiate a contract; if negotiations fail, district may proceed to the next-ranked firm.

  • After execution, district must publicly post CMAR scoring within 7 days.

• Design process update:

  • Current stage: schematic/thematic design (high-level layout, “big pieces”).

  • Next stages: design development (refinement) → construction documents (detailed specs) → bidding/GMP → construction.

  • Ongoing coordination planned with district staff and entities with jurisdiction.

  • Preliminary schedule shared; phase completion dates TBD pending contractor input to ensure realism and minimize disruption.

Richard Crump from Claycomb Architects provided the construction timeline. We are currently working on hiring our construction manager. We issued a request for qualifications in the paper today (11-20-25). After the break, we will conduct the interviews and, if everything goes as planned, next month we should be able to have them selected and hired. See the handout for more details of the report.

Bond funds will be available to the district in mid-February. More detailed info here.