Multipurpose buildings at AHS, Cooper a 'game-changer' for all, officials believe

If you've been stealing glances at the Abilene or Cooper high school campus recently, you've seen the skylines change.

Steel has gone up, outlining identical multi-purpose facilities at each campus. Each structure will be 42,750 square feet, large enough to comfortably cover a 50-yard turf football field.

Construction, which began in September, is on schedule and expected to be finished by August, in time for use during the 2023-24 school year.

The primary purpose is use during inclement weather. Athletic teams can get indoors. The band, too. Drill teams, etc.

But it can be used simply to increase capacity when several activities are going on at the same time. Multiple activities can take place even inside because drop nets will section off areas. Baseball practice can take place while golfers practice their drives.

"It's going to be a versatile facility to serve all the kids at the secondary level," said Scott McLean, associate superintendent for operations for the AISD.

"It's there for every kid. When you look around at some of the other high school campuses and facilities that they have, this is one thing that was identified in the 2018 bond program that didn't meet the criteria of being included.

"But it was identified as something that would be very helpful to have."

That bond provided funds for numerous construction projects, including new track facilities at middle school campuses and another adjacent to Shotwell Stadium,

In August, the Abilene ISD board OK'd the expenditure of roughly $9.5 million to add these facilities on campus. Never before has either high school had a facility dedicated to indoor use. The Wylie ISD has the Dawg House, built in 1999.

To get an idea of what the new facilities will look like, think about the one just off Interstate 20 on the Weatherford High School campus. District officials took a look at several sites and landed closest to that design.

The facilities are no frills. It will not have air-conditioning. There are six garage-like doors that can be raised, and there will be several "high volume, low velocity" ceiling fans to move the air.

Electrical heating units can be used.

There are no dressing facilities.

"From a structural standpoint, it's pretty bare bones," McLean said. Padding will be installed around the entire perimeter both to protect students and the structure.

The AHS building cost ($4.8 million vs. $4.7M for Cooper) is a shade more due to infrastructure needed to prepare the site. Otherwise, the buildings are identical.

The AHS building, which will be nicknamed The Nest, faces west toward North Mockingbird Lane. The Cooper facility, The Den, faces south, toward Industrial Boulevard. There will be signage on each building.

The Nest is located on the north side of the Abilene High campus, going up between baseball, softball and the practice turf field. The Den is among the same grouping of outdoor athletic fields on the south side of the Cooper campus.

How it came to be

There are needs and there are wants. These facilities have been "wants" for several years.

The push for these facilities began long before the arrival of new athletic director Jim Garfield, who brought a fresh look at the district, McLean said.

More:Lubbock assistant Jim Garfield named Abilene ISD's next athletic director

"Coach Garfield's perspective on things certainly has helped with the design and moving forward with the project," McLean said.

"It's a game-changer," Garfield said about construction. Previously with the Lubbock ISD, he said studies done there found that 40+ days of practices or games were lost due to weather. "It would be similar here with days you couldn't be outside to continue your work."

Now, students potentially "never lose a day," he said. "You're always progressing toward your goal."

And this would be for all programs.

"A lot of people might might have the misconception that a building like this is for football teams. They're there for kids," Garfield said. "Whatever you're participating in."

McLean said seeing a new facility on campus could inspire a student to join an activity, whatever it couldbe.

"Athletics or fine arts," he said, noting students who participate in extracurricular activities tend to stay in school and be more engaged.

"I believe that 100 percent," he said.

How the project is being paid for

Like other districts, the AISD received federal funds during the worst of COVID-19. Use of those funds for district needs allowed the AISD to build its general fund. It's from the general fund that the almost $10 million was taken.

"It's the same way the press box is being paid for," McLean said. The original Shotwell Stadium press box is being torn down for replacement.

Like the Texas Legislature, which will be studying how to spend down its surplus, the AISD considered how to use its surplus funds. One-time expenses became paramount.

Upkeep of the multipurpose facilities will be minimal, McLean said. The district expects to get years out the buildings; the WISD facility now is 24 years old.

McLean said the district has encountered no pushback regarding using surplus money for this kind of project.

On the flipside, building a facility because, perhaps, the Wylie ISD has one "was not a driving force," McLean said. "Certainly, you want to offer your kids comparable facilities or better than you can find in neighboring districts. I think we've gone a long way in doing that with the 2018 bond program."

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Multipurpose buildings at AHS, Cooper a 'game-changer' for all