By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
The San Benito Consolidated Independent School District’s Performing Arts Center (PAC) will now begin construction, with completion set for 2028, after the SBCISD School Board of Trustees unanimously approved a site package during a regular meeting on Tuesday, June 30.
The construction will last 18 to 20 months and is estimated to conclude in March 2028, according to a presentation by DWilson Construction Design Manager Aaron Hanley at the board meeting.
To move forward with the PAC construction, trustees were told it would come in at a $745,000 deficit, but it could have been nearly $1 million.
When a meeting to discuss the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) #2 package was recently arranged, it included SBCISD Superintendent Fred Perez, architect David Monreal, and DWilson Construction.
They concluded that the current GMP didn’t require a sunken orchestra pit, resulting in $227,000 in savings.
The board was told this prior to voting.
“It’s coming over our target price,” Hanley said to trustees. “It equates to just over three percent variation, which in today’s market, is not unreasonable as far as expectations that were targeted.”
The current estimate for GMP #2, limited to the “vertical construction work” scheduled to begin in July, was $21.647 million.
Among the inclusions for GMP #2 are the following: cast-in-place concrete; masonry and waterproofing; structural steel; rough carpentry and architectural millwork; thermal and moisture protection; openings (doors and windows), finishes, and acoustic panels; fixed audience seating and fire protection; plumbing, fire, and HVAC systems; landscaping and irrigation.
Overall, the PAC construction, which includes GMP #1 ($1.67 million), is coming in at $23.2 million and appears to be on schedule as of the end of June.
This project schedule has been available to the public and to trustees throughout the process, dating back to the schematic designs introduced in the fall of 2025.
Hanley’s presentation before the board focused on the GMP, its budget, a current estimate, and the cost of work (COW).
He told trustees that the construction, which centers on the first GMP package, is nearly complete.
Hanley showed trustees a project history that included an agreed-upon 900-seat house and a larger lobby to host events, which meant moving the sound booth from the back. They also agreed on a modified orchestra pit and a small ticket counter, among other things.
DWilson recently concluded site work that began in February of this year, which also included a groundbreaking ceremony a month later.
The state-of-the-art PAC, being constructed next to Veterans Memorial Academy along Oscar Williams Road, was funded by a 2018 bond approved by voters.
One of the SBCISD trustees asked about construction images, which were not available from Hanley during the meeting.
Superintendent Perez said, however, that a time-lapse video is being uploaded to the SBCISD website for the public to view.
Perez said the SBCISD’s Communications Department has been documenting the construction process and has images available to share.
Trustee Crystal Hernandez moved to proceed with the site package, with Trustee Rudy Corona seconding.