Community Guide 2023 | Temple Telegram

On the cover

Main photo: Bell County Couthouse by Dave Hedge. Photo Left: A garage is quickly rising in downtown Temple. Joel Valley. Center: Participants honor the flags as the Bell County Sheriff Honor Guard posts the colors for the National Day of Prayer in front of the Bell County Courthouse Nan Dickson/Special to the Telegram. Right: Banners fill the arched columns at Luther Memorial on the UMHB campus as the University prepares for Welcome Week Nan. Dickson/Special to the Telegram.

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 Christianbased 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

Tommy Howell, CFP®, AAMS® CEPA Financial Advisor 2010 SW HK Dodgen Loop, Exchange Plaza, Suite 208 Temple, TX 76504 254-771-1288 tommy.howell@edwardjones.com

Dustin H. Zanders, CEPA Financial Advisor 127 Lake Road Suite 201 Belton, TX 76513 254-939-3387 dustin.zanders@edwardjones.com

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Jennifer Adams Financial Advisor (Se Habla Espanol) 9105 Adams Lane Suite A. Temple, TX 76502 (254) 780-9806

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Don Hyden, CRPC®, AAMS® Financial Advisor 5293 S. 31st St. Tuscan Square Suite 133 Temple, TX 76502 254-899-1007 don.hyden@edwardjones.com

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Douglas Weisbruch, AAMS® Financial Advisor 4224 South 5th Street Suite B Temple, TX 76502 (254) 598-2049 douglas.weisbruch@edwardjones.com

Cody Fenoglio, CRPC®, AAMS® Financial Advisor 1908 W. Avenue H Temple, TX 76504 254-770-0958

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Gary Knight Financial Advisor 114 S East St. Belton, TX 76513 254-933-2436

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John Taylor Financial Advisor 100 Kasberg Dr., Suite B Temple, TX 76502 254-774-9300

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Christine Eastham Kianes, AAMS® Financial Advisor 2015 Birdcreek Terrace, Suite 105 Temple, TX 76502 254-771-0196 christy.eastham-kianes@edwardjones.com

Joshua Dildine Financial Advisor 207 E. 2nd Ave. Belton, TX 76513 254-939-5824

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Betti Gardner Financial Advisor 511 Lake Road, Suite 104 Belton, TX 76513 (254) 933-3155

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Shown Carter Financial Advisor 2015 Birdcreek Terrace, Suite 105 Temple, TX 76502 (254) 771-0196

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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.”

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July 9-12 - Summer Fun for Early Learners

July 16-19 - Junior Historians Camp

July 23-26 - STEAM CAMP (pre-registration required)

July 20- backstage pass

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July 27 - Weird science!

• Become a “Friend of the Museum” today! Call or visit the museum website.

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Exhibits

YOUR CHILDREN. OUR STUDENTS. THEIR FUTURES.

Temple ISD

is a diverse, vibrant 6A school district with more than 8700 students excelling in advanced academics, fine arts, athletics and career and technical education programs.

Our Mission...

To inspire, motivate, and empower students to reach their maximum potential through innovative approaches such as blended learning, International Baccalaureate K-12, Project Lead the Way, and college and business partnerships.

Connect with us at @TempleISD www.tisd.org

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Belton, Temple, Salado SCHOOLS SEE GROWTH

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, 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. RayeAllen 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.”

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 2022-23 — 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

Feast on foodie finds ranging from casual dining to culinary creations.

Sip on craft brews, local wines and hand-crafted cocktails. Take in Texas music and local entertainment.

Meta Data Center

By DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

Work on an $800 million Meta data center in Temple should resume by the fourth quarter of 2023, according to a spokesperson for the social media behemoth behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Meta paused construction on the Temple facility, as well as similar projects in Idaho and Alabama, to make redesigns that

will accommodate artificial intelligence and upgraded servers.

Despite the delays, Meta spokesperson Melanie Roe said the company is committed to completing and operating the Temple data center, but the delay is necessary to redesign the facility to meet future needs.

“In order to best serve our needs for the future, we have decided to change the design of our data center in Temple, which will pause construction while we update plans,” she said. “We should resume construction late this year.”

Once complete, the center will total roughly 900,000 square feet on 393 acres in northwest Temple.

CenTX35 Logistics Center

While the Meta project has been on hold, work is moving full-steam ahead on CenTX35 Logistics Center, a threebuilding speculative industrial building project taking shape just behind Bucee’s travel center near the intersection of Interstate 35 and northeast Loop 363. According to Adrian Cannady, president and CEO of the Temple Economic Development Corp., the three buildings at CenTX35 range in size from about 200,000 to more than 600,000 square feet.

“This is a huge investment in our market,” Cannady said. “This is very rare. They are

An architect’s rendering shows one of the three buildings that are being constructed at CenTX 35 Logistics Park.

building move-in ready facilities here. It’s kind of like an industrial Field of Dreams: Build it and they will come.”

“We have not had in recent years — or maybe ever — the opportunity to offer future clients a Class A industrial facility on a speculative basis,” he said. “We lose projects because some businesses want to move into an existing building quickly. This is a partnership critical to rounding out our real estate portfolio of options.”

A map provided by Seattlebased KBC Advisors shows CenTX 35 Logistics Center, a speculative warehouse park under construction in far north Temple. The logistics center will be behind Bucee’s travel center and will be accessible from the Interstate 35 frontage road and northeast Loop 363.

Revol Greens

Revol Green’s 20-acre greenhouse near Heidenheimer is up and running and plantings have been made. The facility, located on FM 436, is generating 165 jobs.

“Our system allows us to grow 365 days a year with planting and harvesting daily,” said Tom Thompson, Revol’s chief revenue officer. “We are investing in Texas in a big way — we moved our corporate offices to Austin.”

“As part of the Temple facility, we will focus our company’s research and development efforts in Texas as well.”

The company previously was headquartered in Minnesota, and the company also operates greenhouses in that state and in California. The Temple facility represents Revol’s first venture in the south.

Currently, Revol’s greens are available in stores and restaurants across the Midwest. The new Temple operation will allow the company to distribute its products throughout Texas and the South.

Products from the Temple greenhouse will move from the facility to market

three to four days faster than food products coming from the West Coast, enhancing freshness.

“We selected Temple for our new facility in order to expand our production and distribution capabilities,” said Mike Wainscott, CFO of Revol Greens. “Temple’s central location in Texas means our products will reach shelves and tables throughout the southern U.S. efficiently.”

dstone@tdtnews.com

By DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

“All of the work will be taking place simultaneously, and we plan on having all four buildings finished by Temple College’s 100th anniversary in 2026,” said TC President Christy Ponce.

The project will add a new Main building that features a University Center, a new Arts & Workforce Building, a new Campus Services Center and an expanded Health Sciences Center.

Ponce said TC’s new Health Sciences Center will be a four-story structure that will allow the college to expand current health-care programs, add new ones and help address the statewide shortage of workers in health fields.

“Thanks to a grant from the US Department of Commerce, Temple College will be able to renovate our dental hygiene program by creating new space and

purchasing new equipment to prepare students to work in dental offices around the region.”

Ponce said the expansion and renovation of the Health Sciences Center will allow Temple College to more than double its existing nursing program.

“Because of growth, nursing and some of our other health-care programs are housed in temporary spaces,”

she said. “This will provide urgently needed facilities for learning, training and clinical simulations.”

The construction project also will include an 80,000-square-foot Arts & Workforce Building that will be home to the Visual Arts Center and the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center. The building will be built on the north end of the campus.

A design rendering provides a glimpse of the future Temple College Main Building, one of four projects

A massive $160 million building project funded in part by a bond package approved by voters in 2021 is under way on the Temple College campus.

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor also is growing, and a new $6 million center for training future teachers is expected to open in the fall of 2023. The Marek-Smith Center for Teacher Preparation will provide 11,000-squarefeet of training and instruction space.

The new facility will be located at the intersection of 11th Avenue and Pearl Street, and it will allow the university to better serve the academic, social and sensory needs of K-12

students in the Central Texas community.

“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-of-the-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.”

dstone@tdtnews.com

A new $6 million center for training future teachers is expected to open in the fall of 2023... the Marek-Smith Center for Teacher Preparation

Banners fill the arched columns at Luther Memorial on the UMHB campus as the University prepares for Welcome Week. Nan Dickson/Special to the Telegram

Temple housing costs climbing, but still far below Austin prices

By DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

Although Temple’s grocery prices are among the least inexpensive in America, costs associated with leasing an apartment or buying a home increased slightly during the first three months of 2023, but prices remain well below those in Austin.

According to the Council for Community and Economic Research’s cost of living index for the first three months of 2023, the average cost of renting a two-bedroom, 950-squarefoot apartment in Temple was $1,351

per month during January, February and March of this year. That’s a $25 per month increase over the 2022 average and $375 more than in 2021.

The average price of buying a fourbedroom house in Temple with 2,400 square feet of living area and an 8,000-square-foot lot jumped nearly $7,000 during the first quarter of 2023 to $397,347. The average price of a similar home was $390,662 in 2022 and just over $300,000 in 2021.

The average effective mortgage rate in Temple also continued to increase. During the first quarter of 2023, that rate was 5.12% over 30 years, well above the 4.73% average rate in 2022 and the 2.72% in 2021.

Although Temple continues to see housing costs rise, it remains a cheaper alternative to living in Austin, according to the latest index.

That two-bedroom, 950-square-foot apartment that averages $1,351 per month in Temple leases for more than $1,800 in Austin, and a home similar to the one that costs nearly $400,000 in Temple would cost about $100,000 more just 68 miles south.

Adrian Cannady, president and CEO of the Temple Economic Development Corp., said the city’s cost of living is one of the many reasons families from around the country and even within the state are choosing to call the Temple region home.

“The factors of affordability coupled with great career opportunities are positioning the Temple region as a destination for those who wish to enjoy an exceptional quality of life,” Cannady said.

Construction workers use hammers and nail guns to install rafters in a house at a construction site at Drexel Loop and Lakeview Lane in South Temple. Nan Dickson/Telegram file

Nan Dickson/Telegram file

Hawn Plaza

which includes Hawn Tower (formerly the Hawn Hotel), the Arcadia Theatre music hall and Hawn West (the former Sears building) — will be a living and entertainment center when it opens in downtown Temple this summer.

TEMPLE

Nearly a dozen construction and renovation projects are winding down as the area prepares for an influx of permanent residents to occupy Hawn Plaza and Central Plaza apartment communities. About 75 apartment units are expected to open in the area during summer and fall 2023.

Hawn Plaza — the former Sears and Hawn Hotel buildings, along with the Arcadia Theatre — began leasing 57 one and two bedroom apartments in spring 2023 in the soon-to-be vibrant City Centre section of downtown.

The first floors of the Hawn and the nearby Fourth Street Parking Garage will soon house new restaurants, bars, offices and retail shops, but the biggest attraction will be Union Crossing Food Hall, which will be similar to an upscale food court.

A second food hall, City Eats, is going in on Main Street across from the historic Kyle Hotel.

Also downtown, a new butcher shop, bakery and grocery market is being constructed

By DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

Outside and inside of the new Bird Creek Burger under construction. Nan Dickson/Special to the Telegram

DOWNTOWN

inside a Main Street building. This venture is a joint project of Tanglefoot Restaurants (Trenos, Bird Creek Burgers and First Street Roasters) and Westphalia Market.

Speaking of Bird Creek Burgers, Tanglefoot also is renovating a former auto parts store near the intersection of Fourth and Central into Bird Creek Burgers & Brew, a large restaurant and brewpub that will include an outdoor beer garden for live entertainment.

Just down the street, Lea and Brent Goates are nearing construction on two new businesses — The Art Dept. and The Wreck Center. The Art Dept. will include an art gallery and creative space for local artists. The Wreck Center will be quite the opposite: It will be a place to let off steam by smashing stuff with sledge hammers and baseball bats. Fun stuff!

Also in the downtown area is Weird Doughs, a trendy new bakery and cafe that also will prominently display local artworks. Just a couple short blocks away sits a large park-like area known as the MLK Festival Grounds, the new home to the Temple Bloomin’ Festival and several annual music events.

dstone@tdtnews.com

Arcadia, Hawn and new parking garage. Nan Dickson/Special to the Telegram.

TEMPLE GROWTH

Temple booms with multiple construction projects...projects to improve roads, sewers, downtown

BY DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

Work on two downtown parking garages is nearing completion on Fourth and First streets, but according to Temple officials, when it comes to city projects these parking decks are the tip of a very large construction iceberg.

Projects include upgrades to the city’s water and wastewater facilities, an expanded animal

HERE’S A LOOK AT WHAT’S GOING ON AROUND TOWN: Azalea Drive Expansion

This expansion will create a new section of Azalea from South 31st Street, along the north side of Chick-Fil-A to where Azalea ends on the road in front of Walmart. Currently, traffic turns off South 31st into a segment of the Temple Mall parking lot just south of Dairy Queen. Then, traffic must stop at several stop signs before reaching a row of restaurants and banks on the right and Walmart and Sams on the left.

“Right now, it’s a maze of stop signs,” Myers said. “Eventually, Azalea will run from South 31st all the way to 5th Street. The work on the new section next to Chick-Fil-A will begin by summer and should be completed about nine months after it starts.”

Temple City Council awarded the bid to RT Schneider Co. on May 5 in the amount of $1.02 million

Airport Hangar Project

A major project at Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport will begin by summer and should take about nine months to complete.

The $2.927 million project, awarded to RT Schneider Co. earlier this month, includes the construction of up to five new hangers, a driveway, drainage and a runway taxi extension.

“It’s going to depend on the size of the aircraft that will be stored there,” Myers said. “We anticipate either four or five new hangars.”

City Centre

The City Centre project — the area around the intersection of Fourth Street and Central Avenue — started in April and will be finished in September. “Right now, we are in the utility phase,” Myers said. “That means we are taking power lines underground. Once that is finished, we will advertise for bids for landscaping, sidewalk improvements and lighting upgrades. When complete, City Centre will have a similar look to South First Street just north of The Yard.”

Those keeping an eye on construction along Central Avenue may not have even noticed the City Centre work. There’s a lot going on in that area with renovations to the Professional Building, the Sears building, the Arcadia Theatre and the old Hawn/Doering Hotel. Also, Bird Creek Burgers is renovating its new Fourth Street location, and several other businesses are renovating buildings in the area as well, including The Wreck Center, The Art Dept. and Weird Doughs Bakery & Cafe.

Loop 363 and Lucius McCelvey Water Lines

Water lines along Loop 363 from I-35 to Range Road and along Lucius McCelvey Drive was completed in early 2023.

shelter, a new solid waste complex, new roads and infrastructure related to new Industrial Park developments and to a new Temple ISD school, Temple City Manager Brynn Myers said. “The city has a lot going on right now,” Myers said, “and it’s going to continue for a while. We are definitely keeping the construction companies busy.”

Poison Oak Road

This 21-month project is underway, Myers said. The project will improve Poison Oak from State Highway 317 to the Old Waco Road (the Outer Loop). “There are two 90-degree turns on the road that will be straightened out to make it safer, and a median will be added from 317 to Charter Oak Elementary,” she said. “The utilities are in place and we are working on drainage, then the project will be ready to bid.”

The project will include a traffic signal at the intersection of Poison Oak and Highway 317, and in the future, a signal will be added at the intersection of Poison Oak and Outer Loop.

Water Treatment Plant

This is one of the biggest city projects and it will be completed in 2023. Capacity of the current plant is 12 million gallons per day, and this expansion project will boost production to about 25.5 million gallons a day.

“This project will help us meet needs now and in the future,” Myers said. The plant is located on Parkside Drive and is on the banks of the Leon River.

Animal Shelter Expansion

Perhaps the most anticipated of the Temple city improvement projects, the $3.5 million Temple Animal Shelter expansion will address several issues. It will increase animal capacity to meet current and future needs by adding 40 dog kennels. The shelter currently has 30 kennels and the majority of the time, they are full.

The project will climatize the current kennel space, and improve customer experiences by creating better pedestrian flow. There will be more yard space for customer and animal interactions, and a new cat room will be constructed.

The current office will be converted into a retail store for supplies, and offices will be moved to another part of the facility.

Cloud Construction will handle construction manager responsibilities, and work started in fall 2022.

The shelter will remain open during construction but likely will be modified.

Loop 363 Transmission Main

This is another major water line in the North Industrial Park area. This project is expected to be completed this year.

Range Road Transmission Main

New 24- to 18-inch water lines will move water from the new water tower to areas in the North Industrial Park. The project is expected to be completed in 2023.

Solid Waste Complex

This $11.2 project is under way and is near completion.

The complex will occupy 14.5 acres of city-owned land off East Avenue

H. It will consist of a 32,240-square-foot recycling transfer facility and maintenance building, a 5,500-square-foot administration building, a truck scale and a brush storage area.

A compressed natural gas fueling station that is used by city vehicles and is available to the public, is located in front of the site.

“The project will consolidate facilities, streamline operations and improve public access,” Myers said.

Last year, the city of Temple solid waste division collected 105,769.29 tons — or 211.54 million pounds — of curbside garbage and residential recycling.

Avenue C Projects

This $11.2 project is under way and is near completion.

The complex will occupy 14.5 acres of city-owned land off East Avenue

H. It will consist of a 32,240-square-foot recycling transfer facility and maintenance building, a 5,500-square-foot administration building, a truck scale and a brush storage area.

A compressed natural gas fueling station that is used by city vehicles and is available to the public, is located in front of the site.

“The project will consolidate facilities, streamline operations and improve public access,” Myers said.

Last year, the city of Temple solid waste division collected 105,769.29 tons — or 211.54 million pounds — of curbside garbage and residential recycling.

Bird Creek Trunk Sewer

The final phase of the five-phase project is under way.

“This has been an adventure,” Myers said. “Imagine a road system of sewer lines — trunk lines are the main thoroughfares. The smaller lines feed into the trunk, and it takes wastewater to the treatment plant.”

“This is an old line, and it’s very long,” she said. “The line has holes, and when it rains the line fills with water and we’ve had a problem in the past with sewage spilling out at Lions Park. This will fix that.”

Myers explained that Phase 5 was actually done ahead of Phase 4, so this is the final leg of a very long project. “This final phase goes through the Bird Creek neighborhood, and we will minimize the impact on the area,” she said. This final portion of the Bird Creek project is expected to cost about $7.5 million.

Water Tower Upgrades

Two Temple water towers, one on 25th Street, the other on Apache Drive, will be rehabilitated at a cost of $2.3 million. The projects should be complete in 2023.

Downtown Parking Garages

The Fourth Street garage project started about six weeks ago and is moving along. The First Street project, on property owned by Extraco Banks, is nearly complete by mid-May.

The First Street garage will likely be branded with Extraco logos.

Avenue G Pump Station

This is another project that was awarded in summer 2022 and take about 18 months to complete.

“The Avenue G Pump Station distributes water to much of the community,” Myers said. “We are waiting for permits, then we will get this started.”

Outer Loop Water Tower

A new $7.3 million water tower is being off the new Outer Loop near the Niagara water bottling plant. This project will start this summer and construction will last about 15 months.

“This is something that we do every 10 years,” Myers said. “We usually rehab two towers every year. The tanks will be drained, and the inside of each tank will be relined. If there is any damage, it will be repaired. Once that is complete, the towers get a fresh coat of paint and new city logos.”

Public Safety Training Campus

Expansion to Temple’s Public Safety Training Campus on Airport Road will include an indoor shooting range and an evidence storage facility, police training classrooms and a simulation shoot house.

Police instructors will be able to modify the inside of the shoot house to train for a particular need or raid.

dstone@tdtnews.com

Knob Creek Trunk Sewer Line

The contract for Phase 1 was awarded in July, and construction is expected to last 18 months.

THE #1 LOCAL SOURCE FOR NEWS AND INFORMATION

Agreat community deserves a great local news source. For over a century, the Temple Daily Telegram has been a staple in the lives of residents in Temple and Bell County, Texas.

Founded in 1907, the Temple Daily Telegram has a rich history of serving the people of Temple and the surrounding areas. “We feel strongly that as a locally owned newspaper we are in a position to better serve our communities and take an active role in supporting projects and programs that make Central Texas a great place to live”, said Sue Mayborn the Telegram’s Editor and Publisher.

The Temple Telegram is the leading source for local news and information, publishing over 200,000 articles in print and online since 2001. To make sure that you never miss out on this news and information, the Telegram is available in print, on tdtnews.com, on our custom made mobile app and in daily email newsletters.

The Telegram has often been recognized for its commitment to professional journalism. Just recently the Telegram received accolades for the best breaking news story in Texas for its coverage of the 2022 tornadoes in Bell County.

A contest judge noted, “The Temple Daily Telegram responded just as quickly last April…in those first few hours following the Bell County tornado. The writers, doubling as photographers, demonstrate strong local knowledge of geography and community history. They smartly navigate through the flow of official statements while pulling out the emotional quotes and personal stories of stunned and terrified residents.”

The Telegram’s website, tdtnews.com, has also been widely recognized, being named the best online newspaper in Texas for two consecutive years. The tdtnews.com website and its companion news app is growing in popularity. Readers view more than 9 million pages annually.

Accuracy in reporting is a longstanding commitment of the Temple Daily Telegram. Local newspapers are considered the most accurate source of original news reporting as compared to all other media options.

“We have a strong commitment to the communities we serve,” said Sue Mayborn, the Telegram’s Editor and Publisher. “We work daily to bring you the news that is important to your daily lives. It is our job to present the information to you fairly and accurately.”

Local officials and civic leaders appreciate the role the newspaper plays as it strives to cover the news in Temple, Belton and the surrounding area with a comprehensive report in print and online. More often than not, the Telegram is the only news media present for city council meetings, school board meetings, Temple College trustee meetings, county commissioners meetings and other events.

The Telegram has expanded regional coverage through FME News Service – a joint initiative with the Killeen Daily Herald. Combined, the two newspapers have the region’s largest news gathering operation.

Sports content is another strong element of the value that the Telegram provides. It’s no secret that high school and college football are very popular in Central Texas. The Telegram Sports Department writes stories every week on up to 18 local high schools. Telegram writers are also at every game, home and away, of the National Champion UMHB Crusaders football team… the only local media

outlet with this depth of coverage.

The newspapers also collaborate to publish Tex Appeal Magazine, a guide to life and style in Central Texas. This glossy, full color magazine contains 100% locally written content that focuses on culture, entertainment, dining and the arts. Tex Appeal Magazine is published 6 times a year. It’s available inside the print edition of the Temple Telegram, the Killeen Daily Herald and at no charge at 200 locations in the county.

Tex Appeal Magazine is just one of the special publications that subscribers receive inside their copy of the newspaper. The Community Guide you are reading is just one example. Community Guide is a “how-to” manual for living in and loving Bell County. Each fall our Readers’ Choice contest lets readers select their favorite restaurant, retail shopping, orthodontist and more. The Family Owned Business edition pays tribute to the locally owned and operated companies that make living in Bell County so special.

The Temple Daily Telegram also owns and operates centraltexastickets.com, a website that gives you the ability to purchase tickets 24/7 to local events such as plays, dinners, festivals, concerts and fundraisers. For local event organizers Central Texas Tickets simplifies the process of selling tickets while letting their organization retain 100% of the ticket price.

Subscribe to the Telegram for as little as $4 per week. Get your subscription started today by calling (254) 778-4444 or visit tdtnews.com.

The Temple Daily Telegram is a politically independent newspaper, placing the public welfare above the interest of any party. Truth and decency are its guiding principles and its daily determination is to print the news without fear or favor.

Hike & Bike Trails abound in Central Texas

By DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

The next time someone tells you to “take a hike,” just smile and ponder the growing number of local options.

As of 2023, 23 Temple parks included trails, including short loops and longer paths that connect to other parks and trails throughout the city.

The Temple City Council approved a multiyear Spaces & Places plan that will add more than a dozen trails throughout the city, two new parks, a dog

park and new splash pads.

The FM 2305 trail extends five miles along West Adams Avenue and connects to the Pepper Creek Hike & Bike Trail. That 3-mile trail extends to the Temple Industrial Park on the city’s northwest side.

Friar’s Creek Hike & Bike Trail, another main pedestrian artery in Temple, goes 3.65 miles through South Temple and the TMED District.

Belton also has several popular

hiking trails. In downtown Belton, the Nolan Creek Hike & Bike Trail winds through a scenic creek area to the University of Mary HardinBaylor, a 1.26 mile path that includes 10 educational stops and travels through Liberty, Harris Community and Yettie Polk parks. The Chisholm Trail Park, located behind Belton High School, features a 0.79 mile loop.

The Miller Springs Nature Center, a 260-acre preserve below Belton Dam and operated by the cities of Temple and Belton, is open year round for hiking and bird viewing. There are several light to moderate trails at the center that offer scenic bluffs, small caves and streams.

Central Texas Master Naturalists have recently finished the reroute of a trail to the center’s Green Pond to connect with the Tennessee Valley Trail. The nature center connects with Belton’s Miller Park, which includes picnic areas and day sites. The site, accessible from Lake Road/FM

439, is popular with locals who like to fish the Leon River below the dam.

Chalk Ridge Falls, 5600 FM 1670 below Stillhouse Hollow Dam, is another popular spot open all year. It features rocky bluffs, small caves and clear streams. The park’s signature feature is a scenic waterfall and a suspension bridge over the river.

Dana Peak Park, 3800 Comanche Gap Road in Harker Heights, is a 600-acre park that features a 6.8 mile trail loop that overlooks Stillhouse Hollow Lake. The park has six trails with varying degrees of difficulty.

Guidelines for the park are set by the International Mountain Bicycling Association and can be found on the trail board near the starting point.

One of Temple’s future trails will start near Raye-Allen Elementary School on South Fifth Street and eventually connect with the Belton trail system. dstone@tdtnews.com

TRANSPORTATION

Draughon-Miller Airport Improvements Planned

BY DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

The new $7 million terminal at Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport is expected to be completed this summer, and it likely will be operational by early fall, according to Airport Director Sean Parker.

“We’re getting really excited,” Parker said. “The new terminal is more than double the size of the current facility.”

The current terminal is about 3,000 square feet.

“The new facility will increase space to just over 6,000 square feet,” Parker said. “About half will be used as offices, and the other half will be for passengers and pilots.”

While the airport does not offer commercial airline service, corporate business is booming as existing industries are expanding and new ones are relocating to the Temple area.

“We have a lot of business executives flying in to meet with the Temple Economic Development Corp. or to tend to business at existing companies,” Parker said. “We’ve outgrown our terminal, and we need to present a nice professional atmosphere to corporate executives.”

“In many cases, we are the front doorstep to the Temple industrial community,” he said. “We intend to hire cus-

tomer service agents to help us exceed expectations. We are gearing up for the future.”

The new airport terminal will include a large conference room equipped with technology for speakers and presentations, an expanded passenger lounge, a small food area and small rooms where pilots can check weather, fix a bite to eat, take a shower and rest their eyes while they wait for executives to return for the flight home.

“We are waiting until closer to our opening, then we will be taking bids for our food area,” Parker said. “It won’t be huge — just enough space for a single vendor to operate a mini-market that sells snacks and microwavable meals. Right now we just have vending machines.”

Parker is hoping a second dining option may be in the airport’s future. The current terminal, part of it was constructed in the 1960s, is still in good condition and may see a second life as a car rental agency and a diner.

“We’re going to reach out to multiple agencies about renting part of the existing terminal,” he said. “I would like to get a restaurant or cafe in there. It would be a fun place to eat and watch the airplanes take off and land.”

The new terminal is not the only project under way at the Temple airport — a corporate hangar expansion has been completed.

“As more companies move to Temple, we will have shovel-ready spots for them to build their own hangars,” Parker said. “We need to have utilities in place when they are ready, and right now we have two businesses on a waiting list.”

Parker said the utility expansion is completed and an access road to the expanded hangar area has been carved out.

Another airport project is a 250-foot crosswind runway extension that would bring the total length to 5,000 feet.

“This would also involve a 125-foot connecting taxiway,” he said. “This is a safety thing — right now the taxiway can be a little confusing to pilots.”

“We also working on removing trees and vegetation around the runways,” he said. “This will help reduce airport deer and bird populations.”

Parker said Temple’s airport is feeling a ripple-effect from companies wanting to escape big cities.

“They want to get away from Austin and the hustle and bustle,” he said. “And they want to come somewhere affordable. Temple is in a great position and we

need to be ready.”

Parker said the airport has received a Texas Department of Transportation grant to refurbish the existing ramp area

and repave the main runway.

“The design work has already started and we’re hoping to get this going by September or October,” he said. “The

project will fill in any cracks on the runway, reseal the surface and repaint lines on the runway and taxiways.” dstone@ tdtnews.com

A workman walks in front of the Airport Terminal construction in Temple, 2023. Nan Dickson/Special to the Telegram

3520 SW H.K. Dodgen Loop Temple, Texas 76504 Phone: 254.773.9907

A red bi-plane performs acrobatics during the 75th annual airshow preview at Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport. Nan Dickson/Special to the Telegram

Lake Belton, Stillhouse Hollow popular with locals

In Central Texas, summertime means lake fun, and the Temple area has two reservoirs teeming with fish and ready for swimming, picnics, camping, hiking, kayaking and many other outdoor activities.

LAKE BELTON

This lake was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to control flooding within the Brazos River Basin. Lake Belton was formed by damming the Leon River, creating more than 136 miles of shoreline.

Lake Belton features some of the best white and striped bass fishing in Texas, and in 2022 Texas Parks & Wildlife released 2.2 million sunshine bass into its waters. The lake also has large populations of smallmouth bass and blue catfish.

Lake Belton has 16 parks and three marinas, and seven campgrounds and day-use parks are open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Campgrounds are immensely popular and reservations are highly recommended. The marinas include Morgan’s Point Marina, 16 Calamity Jane; North Point Yacht Club, 3681 Cedar Ridge Park Road; and Frank’s Marina, 3269 Lake Road.

One of the most popular attractions at Lake Belton is the Morgan’s Point Resort Paddle Trail, which offers 12 miles of lake fun for kayaking, canoeing and paddle boarding. For group activities such as fishing tournaments and sporting events, a Lake Activity Permit may be required. Permits are regulated through Lake Belton and Stillhouse Hollow lake offices.

STILLHOUSE HOLLOW LAKE

This lake is located on the Lampasas River south of Interstate 14 and west of Interstate 35 near Belton. It offers seven parks for community use.

Recreational amenities include boat ramps, playgrounds, picnic areas and hunting areas.

The lake boasts 11 species of fish, including striped bass, white bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, flathead and blue catfish, and crappie.

For those looking for community volunteer work, there are opportunities such as shoreline cleanup and aquatic garden opportunities.

For more information, or to make reservations, go online at www.recreation.gov and search for the lake you want to visit.

HONORING HEROES

BY DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

An annual salute to first responders, active duty and retired military personnel, and front-line medical workers is sponsored by the Temple Chamber of Commerce and held every fall.

The celebration was modified but survived the COVID-19 years, and returned to its full glory for 2022.

Rod Henry, the president of the Temple Chamber of Commerce who is retiring in December 2023, said the appreciation event has continued because “it is the right thing to do.”

The celebration was started in 1985 by former Temple Daily Telegram owner and publisher Frank W. Mayborn to honor military members with a special luncheon. The event has evolved several times over the years, and has been expanded to honor the Temple area’s medical community, police and firefighters. “Fort Hood happened in Central Texas

because of the leadership of people like Frank Mayborn,” Henry said. “The initial Camp Hood was established in Temple while the site in western Bell County was being prepared. Our economy remains linked to Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos) in many ways. Most of the Greater Temple community has some connection to Fort Hood or the armed forces.”

The event started as a salute to soldiers and the 36th Sustainment Brigade of the Texas Army National Guard, but it soon grew to include veterans of World War II, and the Korea and the Vietnam wars. Veterans of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have also been included.

Since 2016, the Temple Chamber of Commerce has recognized more than 440 veterans who served during the Vietnam era. The typical banquet luncheon at the Frank W. Mayborn Civic and Convention Center includes the presentation of colors,

a patriotic salute, a message from a military or military-related leader, the presentation of war-commemoration pins and music by local high schools and JROTC units.

From 2016 to 2019, a police and fire department escort from the William R. Courtney State Veterans Home to the banquet was organized.

During 2020 and 2021, when the gathering of crowds was discouraged because of COVID concerns, drivethrough versions of the event were held. The 2021 luncheon was held at Central Fire Station and a constant stream of cars and trucks were served hamburger box meals.

“Through this appreciation event, our community is able to honor the past, salute the present and encourage the future,” Henry said.

The event returned to the Mayborn center in 2022.

dstone@tdtnews.com

Colonel Tracy Michael delivers the keynote address at the City of Temple Veterans Day Ceremony at Santa Fe Plaza on Thursday November 10, 2022. Nan Dickson/Special to the Telegram

Ft Hood Color Guard present colors during the City of Temple Veterans Day Ceremony at Santa Fe Plaza. Nan Dickson/Special to the Telegram

THS Polyphonics perform National Anthem at the City of Temple Veterans Day Ceremony at Santa Fe Plaza. Nan Dickson/Special to the Telegram

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TEMPLE VA

Simulation center, parking garage among improvements at Temple VA

BY DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

A new 364-space parking garage under construction near the center of the 186-acre Temple VA campus is one of several projects either recently completed or still under way.

The three-level garage just north of the main hospital tower likely will be completed by late 2023. Other campus improvements included upgrades to the VA nursing home, road improvements, the removal of portable office buildings and the renovation of decades-old military buildings.

Temporary buildings on the campus have been moved, and workers are being relocated to old military warehouses that are being renovated. The warehouses were built as barracks in 1942, the year McCloskey General Hospital was constructed in Temple. The military hospital was later turned over to the VA system and the barracks became warehouses.

The renovated warehouses will serve a variety of departments and will include finance, nursing education, a campus police station, home-based primary care and integrated case management departments, and the nutrition and food-services leadership team offices.

Covered walkways leading from the streets to the VA nursing home and community living center have been installed to allow patients to be transitioned in or out of the facility regardless of weather conditions.

The VA’s mental health domiciliary also is being renovated and expanded. The original flooring, beams and bricks are being saved in some locations.

In 2022, the VA opened its new Center for Innovation & Learning in the Research Building.

“The Center for Innovation & Learning is about 3,000 square feet, and it is used

by medical and nursing trainees, dietitians, medical residents and VA police,” said Dr. Kathy Lee, associate chair of clinical education for the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System.

“Our nursing trainees are from Temple College, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, the University of Texas-Arlington, Texas A&M-Central Texas and Tarleton State University,” she said.

“Our medical students are primarily from Texas A&M School of Medicine and Dell Medical School at UT.”

“Our goal is to further the learning related to health care and medical research — the new simulation center helps fill those needs and moves the VA’s health care forward,” Lee said.

According to Stacey Weber — she oversees the simulation program at the Temple facility — the new center puts the simulation department under the same roof.

“For the past five years, we have been in pocketed areas on the VA campus and this brings it all together,” she said. “We basically operated as a mobile program. For instance, if the nursing department wanted to do a CPR drill, we would take our equipment and go to their site.”

The purpose of the center is to simulate medical situations as close to real life as possible, said Kristy Causey, simulation coordinator for the health-care system.

“We can simulate any type of patient care that may be needed,” Causey said. “My primary job is to conduct needs assessments, then plan and implement programs to meet those needs.”

dstone@tdtnews.com

Photo by Nan Dickson/Special to the Telegram

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worker unloads cut bricks Tuesday that are being used on the outside of the new First Street Parking Garage in downtown Temple. The garage is one of three parking garages going up in Temple. The Fourth Street Parking Garage is nearing completion along Central Avenue between Fourth and Sixth streets, and a new garage also is being constructed at the Olin E. Teague Veterans’ Medical Center.

Kristy Causey, simulation coordinator for the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, shows a simulation and training room being occupied by a “patient” in the new Center for Innovation & Learning at the VA campus in Temple.

Temple - a medical hub for the entire region

BY DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

Temple may have been built by railroads, but it wasted little time in becoming a medical community.

The city is home to a VA medical center, a top-ranked children’s hospital, popular nursing programs, two medical colleges, one of Baylor Scott & White Health’s flagship hospitals, Coryell Medical Clinic and many more top flight professional facilities.

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Temple, 2401 S. 31st St., is a 640-bed hospital and the only Level 1 trauma center between Austin and Dallas. Level 1 is the highest trauma designation available and means the health care team can treat most severe injuries.

BSW Medical Center offers a broad range of hospital and clinical services,

including heart and vascular care, cancer care, a sleep lab, organ transplants, neurosciences and women’s services.

The facility expanded its Glenda Tanner Vasicek Cancer Treatment Center last year and now includes a radiation oncology facility. The two-story, 27,800-square-foot facility allows patients to receive all cancer treatments in a single location. The facility is capable of treating 70 patients a day and features advanced equipment.

BSW Medical Center also has a Level IV maternal designation, the highest level of maternal care available.

The BSW McLane Children’s Medical Center, 1901 SW HK Dodgen Loop in Temple, features a 115-bed hospital and a five-story children’s specialty clinic. The facility offers a Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, which is the highest designation for neonatal

care. It is the only Level II pediatric trauma center in the area. The children’s medical center offers more than 40 specialized services, including general pediatric care, pediatric surgery, cardiology, epilepsy monitoring, oncology, gastroenterology, neurosurgery, pediatric dialysis and pulmonary services. Ten pediatric clinics are located throughout Central Texas.

Temple’s west side is home to a new primary-care clinic — Coryell Health — that specializes in eye surgeries, allergies and asthma, bariatric and metabolic weight-loss surgery, oncology, nephrology, podiatry, pain management, general surgery and family medicine with a 25-bed hospital in Gatesville and clinics in Temple, Goldthwaite, Moody and Waco.

“We are in a small building right now, but we will move to a larger space as we grow,” said Carly Latham, director of marketing. “Right now we are getting our feet in the water. We will be open from 8 to 5 p.m., and eventually those hours will expand and we will then offer emergency care.”

“We know that Temple residents haven’t had a lot of options in the past,” she said. “We think more choices lead to better care. Coming to Coryell Health will be a personal experience — you will receive the absolute best personal care, and you will be more than a number.”

“Our new Temple clinic is your front door to medical specialists and a wide range of health services,” Latham said. “You can see a specialist or get diagnostic lab results in days, not weeks or months.”

Temple Community Clinic, a provider of health-care services in the city for more than 30 years, is building a new 14,000-square-foot clinic at the intersection of South 31st Street and Avenue J.

Construction started on the new facility in 2022 and the facility will likely open in 2024, according to Sherri Woytek, TCC’s executive director.

“We recognized the need for additional clinic space in a more accessible location for future and current patients,” Woytek said. “Once completed, the current clinic will relocate to the South 31st Street facility. Right now, we’re out of room. We will be able to expand services with the larger location.”

“Temple Community Clinic advocates for the uninsured and the underinsured, ensuring no one falls through the cracks,” said Hollie Spinn, a Temple Community Clinic social worker. “We offer a lot of services,” Spinn said. “Not just primary care, but specialties as well. Our services include cardiology, dental, dermatology, gastroenterology, gynecology, mental health, optometry, podiatry and social work.”

Located at 1905 SW Dodgen Loop, the team of Ascension doctors and staff provide for everyday health needs such as school physicals, sports physicals, child wellness checks, immunizations, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, orthopedics, senior health and GYN exams.

II

NYC Modern Dance Troupe

Friday, February 16, 2024

7:30 pm

www.Opus3artists.com

Other medical facilities in the area include Seton Medical Center in Harker Heights, a 83-bed acute care hospital that opened in 2012; AdventHealth Central Texas, a 220-bed medical center in Killeen; and the Darnall Army Medical Center, a 947,000-square-foot facility that opened in 2016 on Fort Cavazos.

Temple’s reputation as a medical hub extends beyond patient care to include the education of the Doctors themselves. Temple is currently home to two medical colleges — Texas A&M Medical School and Baylor College of Medicine. The Texas A&M school will leave in 2024 and BCM will continue to offer a four-year medical college.

Nursing programs at Temple College and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor rival any in the state. They have earned reputations for excellence in the Central Texas health-care community and throughout the state.

Temple College offers an associate nursing degree, a vocational nursing program and certification courses in many medical-related fields.

UMHB’s Scott & White School of Nursing offers a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and the program prepares students to excel on the license exam.

Ailey II - World renowned modern dance troupe from New York City. The second generation of dance is led by Artistic Director Francesca Harper and spotlights famous works by founder Alvin Ailey. The Ailey Company has performed for 25 million people in 48 states, 71 countries on six continents! A rare opportunity in Temple!

“Second to None”

Want to be a nurse?

Explore Cru Nursing Summer Camp gives high schoolers a taste of college life, UMHB nursing program

By DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

High school juniors and seniors from Texas and beyond will be at the University Mary Hardin-Baylor this summer to experience nursing school, college life and Crusader pride. The students will be participating in the 10th annual Explore Cru Nursing Summer Camp from June 11-17. It’s a perfect opportunity to explore nursing as a career choice.

“The camp is limited to 24 high school juniors and seniors,” said Kelda McMullen, a UMHB nursing professor who facilitates the camp. McMullen was one of the camp’s creators back in 2013.

“Most of the students are from Texas, but we’ve had high schoolers from Chicago, California and Colorado as well. This year we’ve received an application from Oregon.”

The deadline for registering for the camp is April 15 and the cost is $695. Interested students can apply at https:// www.umhb.edu/healthsciences/nursing/explore. The application process includes writing essays and providing transcripts.

The camp — offered by UMHB’s Scott & White School of Nursing — provides students with the opportunity to experience nursing school and the profession as a whole, plus it gives prospective students an opportunity to get to know the university and its traditions.

“I went to the camp in summer 2018, the year before my senior year at Belton High School,” said Izzy Gutierrez. “I had an interest in becoming a nurse and my mother attended the nursing

area,” said Avery Stricklin, a graduate of Spring High School. “Camp was eye opening for me — it gave me a chance to connect with the professors before school even started.”

them in the labs and have them work with our human patient simulators.”

“The students will learn to conduct cardiac assessments and perform CPR on the simulators,” she said. “When they leave, they will be CPR certified.”

During simulations with the manikins — the name for medical mannequins — students will get instructions from the dummies themselves.

“Camp instructors will be in a control room and can talk to the students through the manikins,” McMullen explained.

school at UMHB. I remember I was so terrified — it was my first time away from home. It was great, and I got a stethoscope out of it.”

“Explore Cru Nursing Summer Camp solidified my desire to go to nursing school and to go to UMHB,” Izzy said. “It was the right decision — not many schools have the equipment we do here.”

Izzy has a nursing position at McLane’s Children’s Hospital in Temple lined up after graduation.

Another young camper in 2018 also is getting ready to graduate from Scott & White School of Nursing.

“I finish up in May, and I’ve been applying for jobs in the Houston

“I fell in love with UMHB, and coming to this camp let me know that this is where God wants me to be to study nursing,” she said.

McMullen said students arrive at camp on Sunday and spend the week in a UMHB dorm. They are joined by current nursing students who introduce the campers to college life.

“They will live on campus, eat at the dining hall and attend worship services. We have a sports night where we play volleyball and other games. At night, they will have homework.”

“The campers go to class from 8 to 4, just like in nursing school,” McMullen said. “Early in the week they will spend time in the classroom, then we will put

Also during the week, nurses from Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Temple will visit the camp and speak about the value of nursing in today’s medical world and career opportunities.

Campers will be given a topic to explore during the week, and on Friday they will make a presentation on what they have learned. Topics could be related to heart disease, taking blood pressure or other medicalrelated subjects and skills.

“The students who come to camp are always eager to learn and excited to live on a college campus for a week,” McMullen said. “I look forward every summer to meeting new students who desire to take a week of their vacation and learn about the profession of nursing.”

Community Spirit

New options for helping those in need are on the way

By DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

The Temple area has many options for helping less fortunate residents, including food pantries, a food kitchen, shelters and discount stores. Within the next year, more options will open.

Plans to create transformational communities for the homeless in Temple and Killeen are in full swing, and the Temple facility will be located on Little Flock Road.

The campuses — which could open as soon as this fall — are part of a recommendation by a consultant hired by the two cities to study homelessness and affordable housing on a countywide level.

The consultant’s recommendations, which creates a nonprofit umbrella organization called Arbor of Hope, was approved by Temple and Killeen city councils in early 2023.

The two campuses will be mirror projects — Arbor of Hope West will be in Killeen, Arbor of Hope East in Temple, Glover said.

“They will be partially modeled after similar projects in other Texas cities,” she said.

Both campuses will include shelters for up to 100 people, kitchens and cafeterias, health-care facilities, services for people who suffer from

mental health and addiction, places to purchase food, community garden space and facilities to help create job opportunities.

“Eventually, clients will be able to work on campus to raise money,” Glover said. “Similar facilities have stores and services provided by the residents — the work is done by the people who live there. They get paid and learn responsibility.”

Glover said the typical stay at a campus will likely be about 90 days. Options for the Arbor of Hope communities could include green houses and hydroponic systems to grow food for the campuses. “Our goal is to have a person’s needs met right on campus,” Glover said. “There should be no need to go offsite while they are working on a betterment program.”

According to the National Center on Homelessness & Poverty, nearly 554,000 people in the US are homeless on any given night. More than 300 of those live in Bell County, according to the 2023 Point-in-Time Count conducted earlier this year. Ideally, the Arbor of Hope communities would be a next step for low-level offenders with addiction or mental health issues who go to Bell County’s new Diversion Center once it opens in late fall or early 2024.

The Diversion Center will provide

The former Luvida Memory Care facility, 2400 Piazza Drive in Belton, will soon be home to Bell County’s new diversion center. Officials said the center will help local hospitals and law enforcement deal with people in a mental health crisis.

police officers with a short-term option other than sending the person to an emergency room or to jail.

“The Diversion Center will be a bridge facility,” said Bell County Judge David Blackburn. “The idea is to get them on medications if necessary and get them some help before we find a long-term solution.”

According to Glover, the ideal long-term answer is Arbor of Hope campuses where clients can continue to receive treatment and restore order to their lives.

“The Diversion Center will be a safe place for the homeless and addicts to land for about two weeks,” she said. “It’s a place where they can get their medications straight and create a plan for their lives. The new campuses would be places where they could go next. A shelter that is a safe place with services on site.”

dstone@tdtnews.com

People attend an outdoor worship service on May 21 at Heritage Park in Belton. The service was sponsored by First Christian Church of Belton and First Christian Church of Temple. Music was provided by the praise and worship team from First Christian, Temple including guitarists John Friesner and Brent Mathesen and vocalists Melissa Lohr and Kaiya Fowler. Event planners said the purpose of the service was to connect with the communities of the Central Texas Area by offering worship and fellowship opportunities outside church buildings with offerings supporting community ministries such as Feed My Sheep. Courtesy photo

Temple, Belton venues home for concerts, events

AZALEE MARSHALL CULTURAL ACTIVITIES CENTER

3011 N. Third St., Temple. Call 254-773-9926 or visit www.cacARTS.org.

TEMPLE CIVIC THEATRE

2413 S. 11th St., Temple. Call 254-778-4751, or visit www.templecivictheatre.com.

FRANK W. MAYBORN CIVIC AND CONVENTION CENTER

3303 N. Third St., Temple. Call 254-298-5720.

BELL COUNTY EXPO CENTER

301 W. Loop 121, Belton. Call 254-933-5353, or visit www.bellcountyexpo.com.

MARY ALICE MARSHALL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER TEMPLE COLLEGE

2487-2567 S. Fifth St., Temple. Visit www.templejc.edu.

SUE AND FRANK MAYBORN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, 810 N. Main St., Belton. Call 254-295-5999.

TABLEROCK AMPHITHEATER, TABLEROCK FESTIVAL OF SALADO

409 Royal St., Salado. Call 254-947-9205, or visit www.tablerock.org.

The Temple area is home to a growing number of venues for concerts, plays, comedy and other cultural events, and a lost theater that has been shuttered for decades is being renovated and will reopen in 2023.

The Arcadia Theatre will not return as a cinema, but instead

will host Battle of the Band-style concerts, performances by local and touring acts, comedy shows and more.

These Temple-area venues greatly enhance the quality of life in Central Texas and allow residents to experience artistic performances, entertainment and cultural activities without having

to travel to larger cities to the north, south and east.

The pandemic years are now behind us, according to health experts, allowing local, national and international artists to once again perform in the Temple area. Dozens of Temple, Belton and Salado businesses frequently offer live music and comedy shows.

BO’S BARN DANCEHALL AND CLUB

4984 FM 93, Temple. Call 254-939-7131, or visit www.bosbarndancehall.com.

SCHOEPF’S BBQ

702 E. Central Ave., Belton. Call 254-939-1151, or visit www.schoepfsbbq.com.

O’BRIEN’S IRISH PUB

11 E. Central Ave., Temple. Call 254-295-0518, or visit www.obrienstemple.com.

BARROW BREWING COMPANY

108 Royal St., Salado. Call 254-947-3544, or visit www.barrowbrewing.com.

JOHNNY’S STEAKS & BAR-BE-QUE

301 Thomas Arnold Road, Salado. Call 254-947-4663, or visit www.johnnyssteaksandbbq.com.

Eleno Alvarado carefully polishes his 1967 Chevy Chevelle SS during the car show Saturday at the Home and Garden Show at the Bell County Expo Center in Belton.

Nan Dickson/Special to the Telegram

Bicyclists participate in the annual Volks Ride fundraiser at Barrow Brewing Company in Salado.

Photo courtesy of Kaylee Berrier/ Rein Photography

Temple has third-cheapest average grocery prices in US but food costs remain high

BY DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

While food continues to be a major expense for U.S. families, many grocery shoppers in Texas are paying less than the national average.

According to the Council for Community and Economic Research’s cost of living index for the first three months of 2023, the five least expensive places in America to shop for fruits, vegetables and other food items are all in Texas.

Temple remains third on the list behind McAllen and Harlingen, and in front of Waco and Cedar Park.

Temple also ranked third in the final report for 2022 and has been in the top five regularly for the past three years.

“In the first quarter of 2023, Temple’s grocery prices were 13.6% below the national average while McAllen and Harlingen were both 14.1% cheaper,” said Jennie Allison, the Council’s research manager.

“Waco’s prices were 12.3% below the national mark,”

she said.

The Rio Grande Valley cities also ranked among the least expensive cities to live in America. Harlingen provided the best value for housing in the country and was 24.1% below the U.S. average. McAllen was fourth on the list at 19.1% below the average. Temple, which has seen huge increases in housing costs in recent years, was not on the list.

While Texas dominated the

Council’s cheapest food in America rankings, Kodiak, Alaska, had the highest prices at 32.9% above the U.S. average. San Francisco, Honolulu and two other Alaskan cities — Juneau and Anchorage — also were in the top five.

The most expensive places to live in America remain unchanged from 2022, with Manhattan, Honolulu, San Francisco, Brooklyn and Orange County, Calif., taking the top five positions.

According to Allison, 265 urban areas in the United States participated in the first quarter 2023 cost of living index research.

While Temple’s grocery prices rank among the least expensive in the nation, food costs remain high enough to cause some local residents to shop for bargains and try to stretch their food dollars.

Julie Stn and Karen Connell, for instance, are shopping at a variety of markets in search

of the best prices.

“I’ve been going to Aldi’s,” Connell said “Prices are cheaper, meats are good — you have to shop and compare. For things I can’t find at Aldi’s, I check H-E-B or Walmart. I’m a big fan of ordering online and picking up my order. It’s less people-y and it’s at least an hour of my time saved.”

Stn said she finds her bargains by shopping for quantity at Sam’s Club, but Phillip Troy may have the best answer to saving money on the family grocery bill. “Just eat less,” he said.

A breakdown on specific grocery items in the quarterly report will be announced this week. dstone@tdtnews.com

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A study shows that Temple has some of the most affordable groceries in Texas.

Local museums focus on history, rotating exhibits

The Temple area is home to five quality museums that offer fixed and rotating exhibits. They all offer educational and fun displays suitable for families.

BELL COUNTY MUSEUM

201 N. Main St. in Belton, was established in 1991 in a former Carnegie Library that was built in 1905. The museum owns more than 12,000 items related to the history of Bell County and the region. Call 254-933-5243 or visit www.bellcountymuseum.org.

TEMPLE RAILROAD AND HERITAGE MUSEUM housed in the historic Santa Fe Depot at 315 W. Ave. B in downtown Temple, opened in 1973 and features permanent and temporary exhibits, including those on the city’s railroad history. Call 254-298-5172 or visit www.templerrhm.org.

CZECH HERITAGE MUSEUM

119 W. French Ave. in Temple, displays artifacts and holds programs that share the rich influence of Czech culture in the community. The facility also presents Czech films at The Beltonian Theatre in Belton. Call 254-899-2935 or visit www.czechheritagemuseum.org.

SALADO MUSEUM AND COLLEGE PARK

423 S. Main St. in Salado, tells the pioneer history and cultural diversity of Central Texas. The museum includes an exhibit room, an auditorium and the Wee Scotts Shop, which sells traditional Irish and Scottish apparel, accessories and literature. Call 254-947-5232 or visit saladomuseum.org.

TEMPLE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

11 N. Fourth St. in Temple, resumed its regular hours in May after closing in response to downtown construction. The facility operates from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday through Wednesday and on the first and second Saturday of each month. Thursdays and Fridays are reserved for private parties and special events. Cost $7 per child and $7 per adult; admission must be reserved in advance. Call 254-500-7617 or visit templechildrensmuseum.org.

Lea Goates looks at paintings Friday during the Temple Community Treasures art exhibit opening at the Czech Heritage Museum, 119 French Ave. in Temple. This exhibit is composed of the entries in the Temple Community Treasures Photography Contest and the Temple Community Treasures Painting Contest, both of which focus on images of historic buildings in Temple. Nan Dickson/Special to the Telegram

Swimming

Local swimming pools, splash pads offer cool relief

BY DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

Beating the summertime heat in the Temple area is an easy task — there’s two major reservoirs, splash pads, swimming pools and water parks.

Lake Belton features 16 parks — including the immensely popular Temple Lake Park — operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Temple Lake Park — just follow Adams Avenue all the way west to the lake — has picnic, boat ramps and swimming areas. A day pass is required.

Stillhouse Hollow, built in 1968, has seven Corps-operated parks, most with picnic and designated swimming areas. Chalk Ridge Falls, 5600 FM 1670 near Belton, is open year-round and is popular with hikers. The park, just east of Stillhouse dam, has a scenic waterfall fed by a clear stream that feeds into the nearby Lampasas River.

SummerFun Water Park, 1410 Waco Road in Belton, is a favorite cool-day spot along the Leon River. The park opened in early May. Lions Junction Family Water Park, 5000 S. Fifth St. in Temple, also opened in May.

Central Texas has abundant splash pads and swimming pools to beat the summertime heat.

Morgan’s Point Resort has a pool at 60 Morgan’s Point Road on the shores of Lake Belton. The pool area also is home to a large playground and picnic area.

Temple has several pools and splash pads for community use.

Clark Pool is located at 1808 Curtis B. Elliott Drive, Walker Pool is at 2603 N. Third Street and Summit Recreation Center Pool is at 620 Fryers Creek. The Summit facility requires a membership.

Sammons Park Indoor Pool, 2220 W. Ave. D, offers senior swim times and classes, as well as open swim periods, lap times and family swim times.

Temple splash pads are also fun for kids and families. They are located at West Temple Park, 121 S Montpark Road; Miller Park, 1919 N. First; Jaycee Park, 2302 W. Ave. Z; and Ferguson Park, 1203 E. Adams Ave. The water fountain at Santa Fe Plaza also is popular splash zone for kids, adults and dogs.

Belton has two splash pads open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. They are located at Harris Community Park, 312 N. Alexander St., and South Wall Tiger Park, 1895 S. Wall St.

Offering Fresh Produce

Several local outdoor markets feature farm-fresh produce, eggs, breads, salsas and about every craft item imaginable. And as warm weather becomes more constant, Central Texans often head to their favorite market.

The Small Farm Market is open Thursday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 5242 Cedar Ridge Park Road. The market features local produce and home goods.

In Temple, a farmers market is located at West Temple Park, 121 S Montpark

Road. The market is located in a parking lot behind Fire Station No. 7. Hours are 7 a.m. to noon through the growing season.

The Temple Small Business Association holds monthly markets in the City Hall parking lot downtown at Third Street and Central Avenue. The markets are held on the second Saturday of each month.

The Water Street Farmers Market in downtown Belton is held from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday, all year long, rain of shine. Eggs, jellies, salsas and decor items are available.

The Downtown Belton Business Alliance hosts Belton Market Days around Courthouse Square in the spring and fall, including the third Saturday in September, October and November.

"Aji Dulce or pepper sweet are related to the habaneros only with not much heat and are used in Puerto Rico dishes" said, Jeff Oaks owner of Belton Veggie Guys, Oaks was selling his peppers of many varieties with various heat during the Temple Farmers Market.

Nan Dickson/Special to the Telegram

LOCAL THEATERS

Cinemark

Located at 4501 S, General Bruce Drive in Temple, this theater features multi-screens and first-run movies, plus a few classics during the year.

Grand Avenue Theater

Located at 2809 Oakmark Drive in Belton, this theater features multi-screens and first-run movies.

The Beltonian

The downtown Belton theater at 219 E. Central Ave. offers classic films and cartoons on the big screen.

The Last Drive-In Picture Show

The drive-in is located at 2912 S. State Highway 36 in Gatesville, about 30 minutes away from Temple.

Cultural Activities Center

The Central Texas Film Society shows a free classic movie on a Sunday each month. Popcorn is free, and there is a discussion before and after each movie. See the schedule and movie dates at cacarts.org.

Central Texas area has no shortage of PUBLIC LIBRARIES

BY DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

Checking out books and videos at Temple Public Library will become much more convenient in the next 10 years for those living far from the downtown facility.

Temple City Council approved a Library Master Plan in March 2023 that could eventually add up to three branches to the Temple Public Library system. A surging number of visitors and book checkouts at the downtown library fueled plans for growth. According to Library Director Natalie

Here’s a glance at area libraries:

The Temple Public Library is located at 100 W. Adams Ave. in downtown Temple. It is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 1 to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The city of Belton’s Lena Armstrong Public Library

is located at 301 E. First Ave. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

The Salado Public Library is located at 1151 N. Main St. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Bartlett’s library, the Teinert Memorial Public Library, is located at 337 N. Highway 95. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Closed on Fridays. The library is closed from noon to 1 p.m. each open day.

McAdams, more than a half-million books were checked out during 174,275 visits by local patrons. That book count almost doubled checkouts from the previous year.

The Library Master Plan calls for expanding and redesigning the downtown facility, and possibly adding branches in South and West Temple. A library kiosk would be built in East Temple, and that small facility would eventually be replaced by a fourth library.

The Moody Community Library is located at 612 Ave. D in Moody. It is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, from to 6 p.m. Tuesday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, from 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

The Harker Heights Public Library is located at 400 Indian Trail. It is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Rockdale’s library, the Lucy Hill Patterson Memorial Library, is located at 201 Ackerman St. It is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed each day for one hour at 12:30 p.m.) Monday through Friday.

The Cameron Public Library is located at 304 E. Third St. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday.

Holland’s library, the B.J. Hill Library, is located at 402 W. Travis St. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The Jarrell Community Library is located at 113 Limestone Terrance. It is open from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Morgan’s Point Resort’s Mary Ruth Briggs Library is located at City Hall, and it is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. dstone@tdtnews.com

Planning Ahead

Not everyone likes to plan ahead, but pre-planning your funeral arrangements alleviate some of the stress and burden your loved ones are going through as they experience the grief associated with the loss.

More Temple Parks on the Way

BY DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

A $75 million Places & Spaces capital improvement plan is funding dozens of upgrades at 50 Temple parks between 2023 and 2027, and will include the creation of new city parks, a new skate park, two new dog parks and miles of trails.

According to City Manager Brynn Myers, new park projects will be launched beginning in the summer of 2023.

The long-term plan includes constructing linear parks with hike-andbike trails close to BNSF railroad tracks connecting Optimist Park in North Temple to Santa Fe Plaza; a linear park and expansion of Henderson Road in East Temple; a new Blackland Prairie preservation park on Tower Road and a massive Southwest Community Park off Poison Oak Road.

The projects will be funded by certificates of obligation bonds, according to Myers. Certificate of obligation debt is similar to general obligation bonds in their usage and retirement but does not require voter authorization and are not used for refunding debt.

One of the biggest projects in Places & Spaces is the 100-acre Southwest Community Park in West Temple. The park will include a large playground, an in-ground skate park, a splash pad, a dog park, a basketball court, multiple pavilions and a trail system.

“The idea is to link the new Southwest Community Park by trail with nearby Von Rosenberg Park on Tarver Drive,” Myers said. “A covered basketball half-court, trails, an irrigation system and more trees will be installed at Von Rosenberg.”

Here’s an overview of the Places & Spaces program:

• Creation of a trail connecting the Belaire neighborhood with Miller Park.

• Replacement of the pavilion and restrooms at Walker Park, plus the creation of a Walker Park trail with exercise and play stations, new trees, a bridge and irrigation system.

• A BNSF Rail Line linear park and trail system linking Optimist Park with Santa Fe Plaza.

• Replacement of playground at Colquitt Park.

• Extending Henderson Road to 24th Street along with a trail over the 24th Street bridge. Right now, Henderson, South Knob, South 18th, South 20th, South 22 and South Terrace all dead end near the railroad tracks. An extended Henderson to 24th would link all of these roads and get rid of the dead ends. According to Myers, the Henderson extension would improve

safety and traffic circulation in the area.

• Extend Avenue N into an area of new development.

• Enhance the intersection of Ninth Street at Central and Adams avenues to improve north-south connectivity.

• Implement plans for Storybook Grove on Barton Street just north of Temple Public Library. The park will have a storybook theme with statues of characters from popular children’s books.

• Demolish and haul off the Old Battlefield Pavilion at Ferguson Park, add a cul de sac and other improvements.

• Add and replace existing playground equipment at Ferguson Park, and reconfigure 24th Street to where it curves through the park to 22nd Street rather than dissecting the park by going all the way to Adams Avenue. Myers said this would open up the park and eliminate a stream of traffic cutting

Temple is a city full of green spaces for outdoor and family fun, and the number and quality of these parks will grow in years to come.

An architect’s rendering shows improvements that will be made to Jones Park as part of the city’s Places and Spaces plan. The first wave of projects likely will start in 2023, according to Temple City Manager Brynn Myers.

through the play area.

• Replace Ferguson Park restrooms.

• Install an irrigation system, shade screens, trees and small picnic shelters at Ferguson Park. The plan would also turn the parking lot into a one-way loop to improve parking lot traffic flow.

• Reconstruct Nettles Park to give it an English Secret Garden theme. Improvements would include playground equipment and landscaping. An improved Nettles Park will feature privacy fencing, a hedge wall, a mazelike hedge feature and a play lawn. Crepe myrtle trees would be used along park boundaries.

• Create a dog park on Nugent Avenue from Sixth Street to Tenth. The park would include parking and a roundabout on Nugent to slow traffic approaching the park.

• Improve Jackson Park with additional play areas, especially for kids under 5. The new playground would include a tot lot designed for children ages 2 to 5. Also, restrooms at the park would be renovated, and sidewalks and trails connecting the park with other locations in the Jackson Park neighborhood would be built or renovated.

• New swings, trees, shade screens and irrigation systems at Jackson Park.

• Nugent Avenue road and sidewalk reconstruction and improvements.

• Replace the areas of a concrete Jackson Park trail that are in poor condition.

• Renovate the guard room at Lions Park.

• New playground equipment at Lions

Park.

• New pavilion playground at Lions Park.

• Improvements to the Upper Trail at Lions Park.

• Renovation of the restroom at Marvin Fenn Recreation Area.

• New pavilion and playground at Gober Party House.

• Improvements and renovations at Jones Park.

• New boardwalk and scenic overlook at Miller Springs Park.

• Trails, an educational pavilion, boardwalks, interpretive signage and parking at Blackland Prairie Park.

• Art on public right of ways and on city-owned property around Temple. dstone@tdtnews.com

A Giant Schnauzer shakes water off after taking a swim in Nolan Creek. Nan Dickson/Special to the Telegram

BY DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

Central Texas ACTIVITIES

Public courses in the area include Sammons Golf Course, 2727 W. Adams Ave. in Temple, Stonetree Golf Club, 1600 Stonetree Drive in Killeen, Mill Creek, 1610 Club Circle in Salado, and Greenbriar, 7810 S. Lone Star Parkway in Moody.

Temple also has Wildflower Country Club, 4902 Wildflower Lane, a private course that hosts many charity tournaments every year.

Temple also is home to three disc courses, including courses at Lions Park, South Temple Park and Crossroads Park.

Belton has a disc course on the former Leon Valley golf course

In Heritage Park.

The Sammons Community Center, located adjacent to the Sammons course at 2220 W. Ave. D, has art, computer, dance and exercise classes, plus many more. Memberships are $5 per year for Temple residents and $8 per year for non residents. There are free activities, too, including trail walking, dances, ping pong, and day trips around the community.

Athletic fields for softball, soccer, tennis and basketball are located throughout Temple and are available for rent through the Temple Parks and Recreation Department.

Paul Friedman returns a serve during a game of ping pong recently at Sammons Community Center. The center has three tables, and program director Marissa Ybarra says the growing club will soon need a fourth table. Courtesy photo.

No matter where you are in Central Texas, quality golf and other fun activities are just a chip-shot away.

Photo courtesy of City of Temple TX, Communications and Marketing.

Wilson Park Recreation Center, 2205 Curtis B. Elliot Drive, hosts many activities every month for families. These include day camps, art classes and a Fourth of July Fun Fest. Temple Parks and Recreation

provides daily camps for children. Visit templeparks.com to register for Camp Discovery (ages 5-7) or Camp Pathfinder (ages 8-13).

Other family friendly activities in the area include bowling and

laser tag at Spare Time Texas, located at 5434 Loop 205 in Temple.

Xtreme Jump Adventure Park in Temple Mall also provides laser tag, a trampoline park and gocart rides.

Sunday Schedule:

LifeGroups and Worship Service

9:30 AM

Couples dance to the music of the Old Friends Band recently at Sammons Community Center in Temple.

LifeGroups and Worship Service

11:00 AM (also streamed live on Facebook and YouTube)

Contact Us: tvbc.church

Facebook & Twitter: TaylorsValleyBC

254-939-0503

2497 W FM 93, Temple, TX, 76502

connect@tvbc.net

Photo by Nan Dickson.

By DAVID STONE | SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM

The reasons to head out on a Texas fishing expedition are many: Spending quality time with family and friends, enjoying the Lone Star State’s great outdoors or enjoying the thrill of landing a lunker bass.

While Lake Belton might not rank with legendary Texas bass hot spots such Choke Canyon, Toledo Bend or Falcon Lake, it is one of the Top 20 lakes in Texas when it comes to hauling in a five-fish string of trophy bass, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The average weight of a five-fish bag pulled from Lake Belton is 19.3 pounds, putting the Bell County reservoir in the same conversation as OH Ivie, Lake Fork and Sam Rayburn. The average fish caught on Belton weighs about 4 pounds, according to the TPW report.

OH Ivie is the top bass lake in Texas with an average five-fish bag of 38 pounds, followed by Toledo Bend at 29.6. The average fish caught on Ivie weighs nearly 8 pounds.

In 2022, the fishing organization BASS ranked three Texas lakes in the nation’s Top 10 when it comes to bass fishing: OH Ivie ranked second in the country, Lake Fork ranked seventh and Sam Rayburn was ninth.

Salado-based fishing guide Bob Maindelle said 70% of his fishing excursions are in Lake Belton, and most of the rest are at Stillhouse Hollow Lake near Belton.

“The fishing is excellent here,” Maindelle said. “There’s really no reason to go elsewhere. We focus on hybrid striped bass on Belton. The hybrids are a sterile fish — they can’t reproduce — so they have to be restocked. Belton is one of the lakes Texas Parks and Wildlife uses to invest their hybrid resources.”

The state wildlife agency introduced 2.2 million Sunshine bass into Lake Belton waters last year, and another 687,307 Sunshine are being added in 2023. Sunshine and Palmetto bass, both common in the lake, are crosses of striped and white bass. Sunshine bass are crosses of female white and male stripers, and Palmetto bass are the opposite — a hybrid cross between a male white bass and female striper.

Maindelle said hybrid bass are not the only fish pulled from Belton waters.

“The lake also is known for large populations of smallmouth bass and blue catfish,” he said.

Bob Maindelle, owner and operator of Holding the Line Fishing Guide Service, holds a hybrid bass he pulled out of Belton Lake. Fish caught through Maindelle’s guide service are released after the catch. Courtesy photo

Fishing LAKE BELTON

Central Texans head to Lake Belton for a variety of reasons: Some like to fish, others want to ski, paddleboard or kayak. And some don’t get in the water at all. No matter if you are wanting a quiet picnic, a game of volleyball or a date with a big fish, Lake Belton and its many parks are the place to be during warm weather.

Lake Belton, the crown jewel of Bell County’s outdoor recreation scene, covers a surface area of 12,385 acres and has more than 136 miles of shoreline. The lake’s maximum depth when full is 124 feet. The lake is fed by the Leon River, Cowhouse Creek and several smaller streams, and the Leon is a tributary of the Brazos River. The lake and dam are managed by the Fort Worth District of the US Army Corps of Engineers. Lake Belton Office: 254- 939-1829

MARINAS

Frank’s Marina: 3260 Lake Park Road in Belton. Franks rents pontoon boats, Bobcat E2 Elite power catamarans, paddle boards and single and double kayaks. Rentals are by the half hour and hour, with longer rates available. The marina is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 254-939-7443

Morgan’s Point Resort Marina: 16 Calamity Jane Drive in Morgan’s Point Resort. Summer hours begin May 1: 1 to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; and noon to 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Gas, soft drinks, snacks and ice are available. 254-742-3296.

North Point Marina: 3681 Cedar Ridge Park Road in Temple. Ship Store sells 93 octane fuel, two-cycle oil, beverages, snacks, ice and sundries. Spring and summer hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 254-986-1336.

Photo by Lawrence Bradburn

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