UMHB, Temple College to expand with new facilities

from Community Guide 2022

Recreational fishing, boating and more

Temple attracts businesses as Meta, other companies chose Bell County

By ERIC E. GARCIA, TELEGRAM CITY EDITOR

Adrian Cannady, president and CEO of the Temple Economic Development Corp., says his phone has been ringing constantly since Meta announced in March plans to build an $800 million data center in Temple.

The reason? Temple is an economic development hotspot.

Temple Mayor Tim Davis said the pace of Temple’s growth is increasing, given its location by Interstate 35.

“We are no longer a pass-through community along I-35,” Davis said. “Temple is a destination for families looking for economic and educational opportunities. Meta knows that an educated workforce is the key to their continued growth and success. Meta has a track record of partnering with local school districts to provide innovative opportunities for our students.”

Bobby Ott, superintendent of the Temple Independent School District, said officials look forward to working with Meta to enhance Temple High School’s Career and Technical Education component, he said.

“We look forward to exploring new career pathways that will meet these newer occupational demands,” Ott said. “Our goal is to give our students a viable option to remain here after graduation — receiving great wages, pursuing degrees, and giving back to the community of Temple.”

Analysts project that the district could receive about $50 million in new tax revenue from Meta over a 15-year period.

“Adding Meta to our commercial tax base helps our taxpayers tremendously,” Ott said. “Temple ISD already boasts the lowest tax rate among peer

districts, but now with this announcement, we can continue minimizing tax impact while preparing for growth.”

Rod Henry, president and CEO of the Temple Chamber of Commerce, said the company’s center in Temple will help attract other businesses.

“We are the destination community of Central Texas — and this points to that,” Henry said.

Cannady said the data center is expected to receive 75% tax abatements from the city and Bell County for a 10-year period. The center could also receive a 50%

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tax abatement from Temple College for 10 years. Government bodies are required to approve each agreement.

Meta will pay considerable taxes, even with the abatements, Cannady said.

A proposed tax abatement agreement states that Meta must invest at least $800 million for phase 1, which is required to commence construction no later than two years from the effective agreement date. Additionally, Meta must create and maintain at least 40 new full-time jobs. Meta may develop the project in phases over a period of years. If that occurs, Meta would be eligible for separate abatements each subsequent phase.

Green Data

A second data center also was approved for the Synergy Park.

Land for Temple Green Data LLC was unanimously approved for rezoning, alongside an economic development agreement with the company. The company is expected to invest at least $225 million in the construction of the project.

The 33-acre tract set aside for the new data center is a portion of a larger 161.87-acre tract approved for rezoning from agriculture to light industrial. The data center will be on Temple’s southeast side in Synergy Park.

The data center will be located at 2810 Bob White Road, in the city’s Synergy industrial park, which also contains the Temple 1 power plant. “We are thrilled to have Rowan Green Data expanding to Temple,” Cannady said. “Rowan is a welcome addition to our emerging technology sector.”

Housing developments

Other industries are thriving as well. Housing developments are underway across Temple and Belton as new residents snatch up properties.

Taxable values for properties in Bell County have increased by 19.61% since 2021, from more than $24.41 billion last year to a preliminary estimate of $29.2 billion this year.

Local school districts also saw large increases in taxable values.

Belton ISD saw an increase of 24.37% while Temple ISD an increase of 17.45%. BISD values rose from $4.78 billion in 2021 to $5.94 billion in 2022 while values in the Temple school district grew from $5.08 billion last year to a preliminary $5.96 billion this year. eegarcia@tdtnews.com

BY JOEL VALLEY, TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

The Belton Independent School District has a bragging right that not many school districts in Texas can claim. Its population growth was not stunted by the COVID-19 pandemic. During a Belton ISD school board meeting last April, Bob Templeton, a demographer with Zonda, discussed how Bell County has continued to see a high volume of new-home construction. “I don’t really see anything changing that,” he said. “This region is seeing some very strong growth opportunities because of its location to Austin and to (Dallas-Fort Worth). ”Templeton expects the Temple-Belton area to be an economic engine and population magnet for the foreseeable future. He highlighted how the total population served within Belton ISD’s boundaries — which includes West Temple — has grown by 40% since 2010 to 64,417. “The below-19 population is up about 26%, median household income is up about 28% and the number of households within the district has grown about 39% … so overall we’re seeing very strong population growth,” he said. “We have 46 actively building subdivisions and 13 future subdivisions that we’re tracking.” These future homes are expected to bring Belton ISD’s total enrollment, which is currently 13,354, to 16,645 for the 2025-26 school year — growth that is leading to the construction of two new elementary schools in the district.

Temple ISD expands

Temple ISD, meanwhile, is expected to serve more than 9,700 students by the 2025-26 school year as more than 6,900 future housing lots are planned within its boundaries, according to the district’s most recent demographics report completed.In March 2021, Templeton, who assists many school districts in Central with enrollment projections, emphasized how 600 new homes could be coming into Temple ISD annually in about five years — projects that would impact zoning for Raye-Allen Elementary and Kennedy-Powell Elementary the most. Temple ISD, like its southern neighbors in Belton ISD, has plans for a new elementary school. “Thornton Elementary is full. Raye-Allen Elementary is full,” Temple ISD Superintendent Bobby Ott said during a citizen advisory committee meeting last summer. “We have not added a new school in TISD … which is why this is so exciting ... since the late ’90s,” Ott said. “We don’t want kids in portables anymore.”

Salado ISD growth

Although Salado ISD’s last demographics report was conducted in 2017, Superintendent Michael Novotny told the Telegram in 2021 how its projections have remained mostly accurate. “It’s been a few years, but we used Templeton Demographics. It did a 10-year enrollment projection,” he said. “Up until (the 2020-21 school year) we’ve always been real close to or even a little bit ahead of those projections.” However, Novotny anticipates that enrollment figures in Salado ISD — which were last projected to reach 2,308 students in 202223 — to be on the rise again and it is close.

The district serves 2,242 students, according to student enrollment data obtained from the Texas Education Agency. “I do think that we’ll see that growth again. We’re seeing more and more housing developments,” he said. jvalley@tdtnews.com

Private Schools

provide Christian-based education

By JOEL VALLEY, TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

Many private schools in Bell County have continued their dedication to providing their students a Christian-based education — a mission that is present at Holy Trinity Catholic High School in Temple, Central Texas Christian School in Temple, St. Mary’s Catholic School in Temple and Providence Preparatory School in Belton.

St. Mary’s Catholic School

Last fall, St. Mary’s Catholic School, 1019 S. Seventh St., strengthened that commitment when it began a transition to a “Catholic classical education.”

“Classical education will be phased in over several years, as teachers introduce the methods and content into their classrooms,” Renee Morales, St. Mary’s Catholic School’s director development, said. Although St. Mary’s Catholic School placed an emphasis on deeper faith integration, history and language arts this past year, the transition has plans to target age-appropriate teaching methods and original sources. “Modern education is almost totally based on textbooks,” Morales said. “(With original sources), students will read original sources, not just interpretations through textbooks. For example, rather than reading about the Declaration of Independence, or the Constitution, they will read and study the actual documents.” Morales said parents can learn more about what exactly a classical education entails online at bit.ly/3fi2F5V.

Providence Preparatory

In Belton, Providence Preparatory School, 506 N. Main St., has already implemented a classical education approach in its classrooms. “We approach learning from a sense of wonder,” Providence Preparatory School said in a statement posted to its website. “We are amazed by God’s saving kindness to us, and by his glory that we see in all of life. All staff and board members affirm a view of life that is awe-inspired, historically Christian, and broadly evangelical.”

Holy Trinity

Like their Belton neighbors, Holy Trinity Catholic High School — 6608 W. Adams Ave. in West Temple — strives to form Christian leaders. “Each student is seen as a gift from God and the future of our Christian community,” Holy Trinity Catholic High School, which gathers for a prayer service or Mass every day of the week, said. “As stewards of these gifts, we feel it is our obligation to provide sound spiritual formation, as well as moral, academic and physical education of the highest quality.” The school aims to help students grow in their community through their love for Jesus Christ. “Students are provided with experiences and opportunities that mold their moral make-up,” according to Holy Trinity. “Moral decision making is a major component of school life in general, with most classes and clubs incorporating issues of the day such as poverty, abortion, politics, etc.”

Central Texas Christian

Curriculum at the Central Texas Christian School, meanwhile, follows seven core values: Godly integrity, prayerful decision making, adherence to the authority of God’s word, relationships based on unconditional love, Christ-centered curriculum, academic excellence and Christ-like servanthood. “The mission of Central Texas Christian School is to educate students with the Transforming Truth of Christ, inspiring academic excellence, Godly character and integrity in life pursuits,” CTCS said on its website. “The programs, courses and instructional strategies are selected and implemented in a way that provides for the attainment of knowledge, wisdom, application and skills, inspiring a desire for even greater discovery.” jvalley@tdtnews.com

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UMHB, Temple College to expand with new facilities

By JOEL VALLEY, TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

Serving our future teachers is one of many areas the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor plans to be expanding upon. Temple College should be growing plenty of future servants too, with bond funding helping it add to the health care workers it already provides the area. UMHB will be home to the Marek-Smith Center for Teacher Preparation, a $6-million state-of-the-art facility, in the fall of 2023. This 11,000-square-foot facility — funded in part by a $1 million donation from CEFCO Convenience Stores and parent company Fikes Wholesale Inc. — will be dedicated to special education training and instruction, according to UMHB. “UMHB believes college students need experience within the safety of a UMHB facility, with their instructors present to guide them, as they learn the intricacies of teaching students with disabilities,” Joan Berry, the dean of the College of Education at UMHB, said. “This new facility is a game-changer for UMHB. It will allow both general education and special education majors to connect what they are doing in the classroom with what they experience working directly with students from the community.” Kris Ward, coordinator for UMHB’s special education programs, added how this space at the corner of 11th Avenue and Pearl Street will allow the university to better serve the academic, social and sensory needs of K-12 students in the Central Texas community. “I traveled the country researching special education best practices, and saw various equipment and technology we will bring into our new facility,” she said. “During the site visits, I experienced an immersion room and knew that our students would greatly benefit from this state-ofthe-art technology. We will have different sensory rooms to address various needs of children with disabilities, including the High Impact Zone and the Multisensory Room.”

Temple College also is actively undergoing a facelift after securing $124.9 million in bond funding last year — an issue that saw Temple residents vote in favor of during the May 1, 2021, election. Major bond projects include expansion and renovation of the Health Sciences Center, and construction of a new Temple College Main Building, construction of a new Campus Services Center and construction of a new Visual Arts Center. “Temple College is committed to addressing the shortage in health care workers by increasing the capacity of health care training programs, including doubling the size of the college’s nursing program,” Ellen Davis, a Temple College spokeswoman, said. “Currently, because of the growth, nursing and some of the other health care programs are housed in temporary spaces.” The Temple College main building would feature a University Center, Workforce Training Center and Student Support Services. “This … will house all student services in one convenient location, and the building will include a ‘University Center’ where four-year universities could offer bachelor’s and master’s degree programs on the Temple College campus,” Davis said. “It also will include an innovative Workforce Development Center that will serve as an economic driver for the region by providing high wage, in-demand workforce programs.” These improvements are expected to be completed by Temple College’s 100th anniversary in 2025. Bob Browder, the 2022 chair of the Temple College board of trustees, is excited for what is to come. “These campus advancements would represent an important milestone in Temple College’s history of being trusted for generations and building for the future,” he said. “Today’s students are being prepared for the global and high-tech workplace, and they need appropriate classroom technology. This … would give students the 21st-century technology and tools they need.” jvalley@tdtnews.com

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