Mission CISD closes out construction projects

Four construction projects came to a close this month when the Mission CISD board of trustees approved final completion at the Oct. 12 school board meeting. The four projects are the Tom Landry Hall of Fame Stadium repairs, the maintenance structural warehouse and the baseball and softball field turf. 

TOM LANDRY STADIUM 

After more than a year of repairs, following damages discovered from the 2017 renovations, the football stadium at Mission High School is finally finished, but with a small caveat.

The visitor side of the stadium, which Terra Fuerte Construction completed, is finalized without any issues or liquidated damages. But the home side of the stadium that G&G Construction worked on has three pending items. 

The school board approved final completion but not final payment on the home side because of three punch list items that G&G Construction needs to complete. Mission CISD will withhold final payment until the contractor addresses the pending items.

The punch list items and their cost estimates are as follows: 

• A crack on the flatwork that occurred after substantial completion ($2,450)
• Damage to a time clock ($2,130)
• Nonstructural damage to a beam ($9,750)

Despite the pending items, Albert Treviño from Rick Hinojosa Structural Engineering believes the project has met completion, and the stadium is safe for use. The football stadium has been open to the public since Sept. 2 when the Mission Eagles hosted the McAllen High Bulldogs. 

Additionally, G&G will need to pay liquidated damages because they were five days late from meeting their substantial completion deadline. Per the contract, the district will take $7,500 from the last payment. But representatives from G&G Construction are less than thrilled about Mission CISD holding onto final payment. 

“[On Sept. 29] we received a pay [application] from G&G for a large amount and it is still under review,” Assistant Superintendent for Operations Rick Rivera said. “[Rene] Garza’s office has contacted us with some strong words that he wants his money. I don’t blame him, however these are pending items. And as per district, we try to pay every contractor within 10 days, that’s just what the district does. As per contract, we have 45 days for review and to approve it. We’re holding this one back a little longer just to be sure we have enough monies to correct it.” 

As of Oct. 19, Director of Public Relations and Marketing Craig Verley said nothing has changed, and the three punch list items are still pending. 

At the October school board meeting, the trustees unanimously approved the consideration of law firm Eichelbaum Wardell Hansen Powell & Muñoz to file suit on behalf of the district to recover damages arising from the construction and repairs to Tom Landry stadium. Due to the legality of the situation, Verley could not speak on the matter at this time. 

MAINTENANCE WAREHOUSE 

Mission CISD’s school board approved final completion of the maintenance warehouse structural project despite NM Contracting abandoning the project when it was near completion.

The district hired NM in June 2021 to repair roofing damage caused by Hurricane Hanna in July 2020. According to documents detailing the project, the contract was $399,550 for 130 days. 

Between July 2021 and March 2022, the trustees approved delay days for the project due to the availability of the materials. Following the completion of most of the project, the district requested NM repair an electrical component that the contractor installed incorrectly. But NM stopped communication with MCISD administration. 

“They abandoned the project, basically,” Superintendent Dr. Carol Perez said to the board of trustees at the Oct. 5 workshop. 

The district’s maintenance department finished the electrical work, totaling $4,173.18. The possible liquidated damages — funds Mission CISD withholds for breaching the contract — are about $143,000. At $1,500 a day, the liquidated damages for not meeting substantial completion are $95,500. And at $500 a day, the liquidated damages for not meeting final completion are $48,500. With about $117,000 left on the contract before NM ghosted the project, the construction company owes the district about $29,772.64. 

As of Oct. 19, the contractors remain unresponsive. 

Despite the issues, the project has final completion. MCISD’s attorney David Hansen will let the district know how to proceed with the financial matters. 

BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL STADIUMS

The board of trustees approved substantial and final completion for the synthetic turf projects at the Mission High School and Veterans Memorial High School baseball and softball fields. 

The MHS fields each have the signature maroon “M” and swooping eagle in center field, with the lettering “Mission” and “Eagles” or “Lady Eagles” painted along the first and third base lines. At the VMHS fields, the iconic blue “V” dons center field, along with the blue-lettered “Patriot baseball” or “Patriot softball.” All four fields have the Mission CISD logo centered behind home plate. 

Assistant Superintendent for Operations Rick Rivera said the students were anxious to get on the fields as they saw progress coming along. 

“We’re just ecstatic, the coaches are ecstatic,” he said. 

There were no liquidated damages on the project, and the district received a credit of $276,220. 

Mission CISD’s media team released drone footage capturing the four fields in the evening, complete with the stadium lights. At the Oct. 5 board workshop, district leaders praised the work Hellas Construction completed based on the design from Javier Hinojosa Engineering. 

“I think we all have something additional to be very proud of,” Rivera said.