The Bryan Independent School District (BISD) board of trustees is moving forward with plans to build a new high school and field house. Estimated to cost a combined $84.8 million, bidding and construction for both projects is slated for 2027.
The Bryan Collegiate High School construction project will cost a total of $49 million to complete. The project will demolish the existing facility and build an adjacent replacement, converting the current footprint into a sports practice field.
The facility will be entirely built around a central courtyard flanked by a student union space with various amenities. The main entry will lead into the administration space through a vestibule and reception area. Additional spaces will be dedicated to conference rooms, offices for principals and counselors, restrooms and other office spaces.
The layout will include at least four dedicated Blinn College classrooms alongside at least 18 academic classrooms. There will be approximately four science labs/classrooms as well as a dining commons and kitchen space with dedicated storage, freezer, office and receiving areas.
The floor plan includes a full-sized indoor gymnasium capable of accommodating roughly 800 people with locker rooms across the hall. Various utilities include a central plant, electricity, mechanical and fire response spaces. The building’s design factors in potential eastern classroom expansions in the future. The district will also build a service yard connecting to the school’s kitchen.
Outside the facility, the district will build new roadways connecting Kent Street and East Villa Maria Road, providing connections to pickup/drop-off areas, bus loops and pedestrian and vehicle circulation. The parking lots will also be expanded as BISD will add 90 student, 59 visitor and 51 staff parking spaces on top of the 70 student parking spaces that will remain.
The remaining $35.8 million will go toward the Merrill Green Field House project. Designed to serve multiple functions, the two-floor building will primarily be used for sporting and community events.
The first floor will contain a 4,501-square-foot weight room with accompanying field storage, equipment storage and office space. The layout will provide space for varsity, junior varsity and freshmen locker rooms for both Bryan and Rudder high schools. There will be accompanying training areas and office, restrooms and bullpens for the coaches.
The floor contains a sports medicine office with rehabilitation space, regular and wet storage, exam areas and rooms separated by gender. The building will provide more than 1,200-square-feet for visitor locker, coach and training rooms. Additional space will be allocated for laundry, utilities, risers and elevators.
The district will build two adjoining parking lots with a combined total of 39 new parking spots. The larger parking lot will lead into the lobby of the field house’s second level. The floor plan includes an information desk, multi-purpose room and office spaces for the athletics director, assistant athletics director and general use.
Additional second-floor spaces include locker rooms, showers and restrooms for girls’ track, soccer and boys’ sports. Coaches for both boys’ and girls’ sports will have their own dedicated bullpens and restrooms. The district will also include a team meeting room, storage space, boys’ and girls’ equipment areas and other utility spaces. Plans include an exterior electrical transformer, junction and ramp access to the field.
Logo courtesy of Bryan ISD
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