UPDATE following the May 21, 2009 School Board Meeting
Round Rock ISD Trustees did not take action on the City of Round Rock Recreation Center item; however, they did provide guidance to district and city officials. Trustees requested more concrete and specific information regarding the recreation center prior to taking action. Questions were also raised about the possibility of all RRISD residents being given the opportunity to join the recreation center at the fee of a City of Round Rock resident.
Trustees would also like officials to investigate the possibility of creating a committee that could study and explore this option along with considering other land options in the City of Round Rock. In addition, Trustees requested the city to allow the RRHS school resource officers an opportunity to speak on how they plan to secure the campus to protect students if the recreation center is built on RRHS property.
This joint-venture project still requires RRISD Board of Trustee and City of Round Rock City Council approval.
Planned Lease Space | Proposed RRHS Master Plan | RRHS Master Plan showing Phases 1-4
Round Rock voters approved bonds in 2001 to build a Recreation Center on the city’s west side, and plans are now underway to build the facility on the district property (Round Rock High School.) City officials approached Round Rock ISD to discuss the possibility of leasing approximately 4.75 acres of district property which includes 1.8 acres of the Micki Krebsbach Pool. The Recreation Center would be constructed on 1.7 acres and an additional 1.25 acres will be allocated for parking. The Recreation Center would be built next to the Micki Krebsbach Pool.
The joint venture still needs final approval by the Round Rock City Council and RRISD’s Board of Trustees. The Trustees are expected to learn more about the partnership at its Regular Board Meeting on May 21 at 7:30 p.m. “This venture could be mutually beneficial to taxpayers and it is an efficient use of resources,” said Superintendent Dr. Jesús Chávez.
Student safety is paramount, and city and district officials will work together to take the necessary precautions to provide a safe environment. District officials have asked the city to put in similar campus safeguards at the Recreation Center. The land proposed for the Recreation Center will not impact any current programs at the high school; all athletic, fine arts and extracurricular programs will continue to have appropriate space to operate its programs.
The City Council and Board of Trustees are both expected to make a decision regarding the joint venture this summer. If approved the Recreation Center will be open to the public in 12 to 18 months.
“We believe we can address issues related to safety and program space to everyone’s satisfaction and build a recreation center the entire community can enjoy,” City Manager Jim Nuse said. “This will be another example of the City and RRISD working together to maximize our limited resources to the community’s benefit.”
If you have questions regarding this joint venture, please e-mail Community_Relations@roundrockisd.org
Frequently Asked Questions
How is parking going to work on evenings when our high schools host large sporting events?
City officials have indicated a desire to close the Recreation Center during varsity football games in order to ease the parking concerns.
Why is Round Rock ISD considering this joint venture?
Districts throughout the state often join together in partnerships that are mutually beneficial to taxpayers and that are good uses of resources.
Why not put the Recreation Center in another location?
The City of Round Rock is building the Recreation Center, not the school district, this question should be addressed to the city.
What additional security features will be added to RRHS to protect our kids, due to the increased access and traffic on campus?
Student safety is paramount, and city and district officials will work together to take the necessary precautions to provide a safe environment. District officials have asked the city to put in similar campus safeguards (Raptor system, adult and/or security supervision) at the Recreation Center.
Will these facilities be available to the high school given the fact that they are losing their practice fields if this is built? If not, why?
At this time classes will not use the Recreation Center during the school day. The campus is not losing practice field space. The proposed center would be built on an existing parking lot and additional parking will be built on land that is not currently accessible to the school community.
Will the Recreation Center be open during school hours?
Yes the facility will be opened to the public during the day.
There are only certain questions that can be answered by the school district. If you have a question that relates to the specific operation of the Recreation Center, quality of construction of the facility or any other "city" question, please address your questions to Will Hampton at the City of Round Rock whampton@round-rock.tx.us
Questions answered by the City of Round Rock:
I would like to know if there is another facility that it is modeled after (on a High School Campus) that has the same situation.
There are several city-owned facilities that successfully operate on school property. The City of Austin and Austin ISD have co-located facilities, including one that features a recreation center on an elementary campus. Another example is in Median, Ohio, where a rec center is attached to a high school and the school uses the facility along with the public during the day with no problems to speak of.
Is the city going to carry additional insurance in case of a problem?
There is no need for additional insurance. In each situation, the criminal justice system will determine if someone is truly negligent.
Is this facility going to benefit the students of Round Rock High?
The facility will benefit all residents of Round Rock, and we believe there are opportunities to benefit RRHS students specifically. This facility will allow for a great partnership with the High School Business Academy and could provide job shadowing and internships. The city hires more than 150 high school students each summer to work at our facilities. Currently, the city has had more than 260 applications for employment from high school students and continues to receive more.
During construction, are the contractors required to have criminal background checks?
Currently there is construction going on at RRHS and we’re unaware if those workers are required to have background checks. The city will work with RRISD to meet the standards the district uses for general contractors who work on school projects.
Is there a better place to build this center that will cause less stress to our city , RRISD parents and staff? Possibly across the street where the city owns property.
The proposed site is an ideal location. The City and school district already partner for the use of the pool at that location, and this project can be another successful partnership in our community. By building the rec center at this location, the city is leveraging dollars to take advantage of a pool that’s already constructed, which provides savings to all of our citizens. In addition, it also has the potential to save RRISD money in heating costs for the pool which it currently pays the City to use. The City-owned Brush Recycling center across the street is not a good location. It is an old quarry and would require extensive ground work to make it suitable for construction.
Why is the City of Round Rock determined to build its recreation center on Round Rock HS property?
The primary reason for this location is because the City and the Round Rock ISD already partner on the Micki Krebsbach pool, and locating a rec center next to the pool allows the City and RRISD to continue to share resources to our taxpayers’ mutual benefit. Round Rock High School swim team members can benefit from a locker room “next door” to the pool. We will we offer RRHS soccer teams the opportunity to practice and/or play in the facility. We think it could also provide the softball team a great location for fitness training.
We'll also offer opportunities for employment and the opportunity to work with RRHS Business Academy students. Project Graduation uses the Clay Madsen Recreation Center; we would welcome those events in this facility as well. Many students, as Mayor Alan McGraw noted in his remarks to Trustees on May 21, will be able to walk to the rec center before or after school to enjoy the facilities.