{"id":466242,"date":"2026-10-15T00:02:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T00:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/466242\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T00:02:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T00:02:13","slug":"west-u-awards-recreation-center-contract-to-synth-construction-bellaire-meyerland-west-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/466242\/","title":{"rendered":"West U awards recreation center contract to Synth Construction | Bellaire – Meyerland – West University"},"content":{"rendered":"

West University Place City Council authorized a $629,538 contract Oct. 12 with Austin-based construction company Synth Construction<\/a> for services related to the city\u2019s recreation center fitness improvements, according to agenda documents<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The amount was awarded following a 4-1 vote, with council member Kalie Rainsberger voting no.<\/p>\n

Breaking it down<\/p>\n

On Sept. 24, city staff completed an evaluation of bids submitted for the fitness facility\u2019s construction. The city received five bids, Parks and Recreation Director Susan White said in the presentation.<\/p>\n

Synth\u2019s bid was identified as the one providing the most value to West U and the project\u2019s scope. The company\u2019s bid included:<\/p>\n

The base bid price of $572,695<\/p>\n

The alternate bid price of $56,843 for the recreation center\u2019s upstairs corridor improvements and stair flooring replacement<\/p>\n

These two sums combined result in a nearly $630,000 total contract value. White told the council that staff did not find any problems related to Synth\u2019s performance, ability to manage the project\u2019s schedule or ability to financially execute the job.<\/p>\n

She added that all of Synth\u2019s references came back positive, with some contacts noting the company\u2019s strong communication skills and suitable completion times on former projects.<\/p>\n

What they’re saying<\/p>\n

Rainsberger said she had doubts about Synth\u2019s ability to adequately fulfill the project due to the company\u2019s level of experience, or lack thereof, with projects of such magnitude and costs. She also raised concerns about the city\u2019s capital project management capabilities and internal staffing within the Public Works Department.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe company suggested has only operated about a year and four months, and I looked at the projects that they have done,\u201d Rainsberger told her fellow council members. \u201cI think we will be the most expensive project that they\u2019ve ever completed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Synth Construction Principal Kenil Patel, who was present at the Oct. 12 meeting, provided council members with background information on his and the company\u2019s expertise.<\/p>\n

He mentioned Synth\u2019s completion of a few projects in the past year that are similar to the recreation center\u2019s, and noted how its strong network with specialty contractors allowed it to present such a \u201ccompetitive\u201d project proposal to the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in three multibillion-dollar general contractors. I\u2019ve done two skyscrapers in Austin,\u201d Patel said. \u201cI would like to say that my expertise in construction overall is presentable for this project, given its scope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayor Pro Tem John Barnes asked White directly if she or other members of the Parks and Recreation Department had any concerns about West U\u2019s capital project staffing with regard to the improvement project. White said she had none and did not intend to utilize the Public Works project manager.<\/p>\n

Going forward<\/p>\n

White reiterated that the recreation center will remain open for the most part while construction is underway.<\/p>\n

While there is a possibility that project developers may need to shut down the space for one to two days for tile removal and noise accommodations, she anticipates that they will collaborate with the city to work \u201cthrough those processes\u201d as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

Synth\u2019s mobilization date is slated for the week of Oct. 26, with phase one of the project anticipated to be completed in late January. Phase two will begin shortly after. The entire project is scheduled to wrap up by the end of April 2027, White said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"West University Place City Council authorized a $629,538 contract Oct. 12 with Austin-based construction company Synth Construction for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":466243,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[56,58,57,158775,158776,16346,158774,158773,10105],"class_list":["post-466242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-kalie-rainsberger","tag-kenil-patel","tag-recreation-center","tag-susan-white","tag-synth-construction","tag-west-university-place"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466242\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/466243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}