Jamail & Smith Construction enables reopening of school
in North Forest ISD AFTER IKE destruction

(August 25, 2009 - Houston, Texas) Jamail & Smith Construction answered the call for help after destruction from Hurricane Ike in September 2008 caused North Forest ISD to close North Forest High School indefinitely. Once the school district was able to move forward with repairs in late May 2009, Jamail & Smith Construction’s project management team inspected damage to drywall, acoustical ceilings, electrical and mechanical systems, flooring, and millwork. From there, a 70-day rigid schedule was created, crews were mobilized immediately, and all work was completed in time for the new school to be reopened for the 2009 school year. The district ultimately decided to merge two middle schools into the newly renovated facility, now known as Forest Brook Middle School. 

Jamail & Smith Construction was faced with the challenge of completing the renovation during the three month summer break of 2009.  In order to expedite the construction process, North Forest ISD made the decision to utilize the BuyBoard cooperative purchasing agreement to facilitate the nearly $1,000,000 in emergency repairs. This allowed quick turnaround time for calculation of price estimates, revision of plans, and issuance of job orders. Jamail & Smith Construction has held the BuyBoard JOC Contract since 2007; the BuyBoard prides itself on being the most competitively priced Co-Op in Texas.  

Kenneth Gonzalez, Jamail & Smith Construction Project Superintendent, and his team of subcontractors worked seven days a week to ensure that construction stayed on schedule. Mark Saucier, Project Manager for Jamail & Smith Construction, commented, “Working closely with North Forest staff allowed our team to adhere to a very aggressive schedule. Weekly progress meetings allowed submittals and RFI’s to be answered on-site and with little, if any, delays. Without their commitment to the project Jamail & Smith Construction could not have achieved the district’s desired completion date,” said Saucier.