Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Texas A&M-San Antonio unveils two campus infrastructure projects

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SAN ANTONIO – Texas A&M-San Antonio will unveil two new infrastructure projects next week at the start of the fall semester.

A recreation center and second on-campus residence hall will be unveiled amid other ongoing and soon-to-open campus infrastructure projects as part of what the university is touting as a “far-reaching master plan.”

The Student Recreation Center, a 22,000+ square-foot facility, is set to open at the beginning of the school’s new fall semester on Aug. 26.

“Our recreation center is designed to enhance the student experience, improve recruitment, and magnify the brand of the University in an increasingly competitive marketplace,” said Intercollegiate Athletics Director Darnell Smith.

The facility will house a gym, weight room, locker rooms and a basketball court for the men’s and women’s basketball teams, announced late last year.

A rendering of the basketball court inside of the university’s new recreation center. (Texas A&M University-San Antonio)

Student fees paid for a majority of the $19.2 million building, according to a university news release. The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved the construction in November 2022.

Opening on Aug. 21 is the four-story Estrella Hall, the university’s second on-campus residence hall.

Combined with the existing Esperanza Hall, both facilities will offer a combined 744 beds to students.

Along with the newest projects, the university provided updates on several ongoing developments furthering the university’s master plan.

Educare is a forthcoming $19.7 on-campus childcare center for students, staff and Bexar County residents. Construction is expected to begin early next year, the news release said.

A master plan executive summary released in the fall of 2020 shows a sports-focused development on a rendering of the campus. The news release describes a sports development that includes multipurpose athletic fields, an eight-lane track, and a renovated softball stadium.

“The facilities will be open to the public, helping create a hub for fitness, sports, and health in a part of the city that lacks dedicated fields and courts for youth and amateur sport,” the release said.

The university will also open a Public Health and Education building in the spring of 2026. The building will house a genetics and genomics laboratory, capping off a vested interest in forwarding public health research and access, specifically to the South Side community.

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