East Temple Community Enrichment Center

The East Temple Community Enrichment Center is a completed single-story new construction project located at 201 South Martin Luther King Drive in Temple, Texas. The City of Temple served as the owner of record for this 2,800-square-foot facility, which was designed by MRB Group. The project involved the construction of a community center intended to serve the local population in Bell County.

Registered with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) in March 2021, the project carried an estimated cost of $700,000. This figure corresponds to a cost of $250 per square foot. Construction began in May 2021, and the filing indicated a scheduled completion date of February 2022. The project utilized public funds and public land for its development.

Project Scope and Location

The scope of work consisted of single-story new construction for a community center. The facility is situated in the 76501 ZIP code, an area with a population of approximately 17,223 residents according to U.S. Census American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. The median household income in this area is reported at $50,764, and the median owner-occupied home value stands at $151,000.

Third-party sources provide additional context regarding the project's purpose. Local coverage from tdtnews.com reported that the Temple City Council approved the federal grant program associated with the East Temple Community Enrichment Center. A description on virtualbx.com listed the trades involved in the work, including civil, life safety, architectural, structural, and mechanical systems.

Status and Comparison

TDLR closed the project file in February 2022, which marks the end of the accessibility review process for this construction. This status indicates that the regulatory review phase is complete. When comparing this project to 1,366 other new construction filings in Bell County, the estimated cost is below the county median of $850,000. The project size is smaller than the county median of 6,600 square feet. The cost per square foot is above the county median of $151. The scheduled build window of 280 days is close to the county median of 242 days.

The City of Temple has six other TDLR-registered projects totaling $12,047,275, including the Hog Pen Creek Trail and the Summit Recreation Center. MRB Group, the design firm, has six other registered projects totaling $12,165,100, such as the Bell County Engineer's Office in Belton. The construction of this center represents a specific infrastructure investment in the East Temple area, distinct from the other municipal projects in the region.