Project funded by the 2019 Bond
Arlington ISD celebrated the start of construction on the future Arlington ISD Service Center with a groundbreaking ceremony last week.
It’s a big project that includes new construction, renovations, demolition and added parking, and will transform much of the district’s current Service Center.
Home to the district’s bus barn and facilities and security departments, the Arlington ISD Service Center is sandwiched between Arkansas and Colorado lanes in central Arlington.
The new construction already underway is the future Building A, a facility that will house the transportation, security and health services departments. It will include offices, a large dividable training room, multiple conference rooms and two break rooms. It will also contain a secondary data center for the district in a storm-protected space.
The entire project is about providing facilities that enable district support employees to thrive and do their jobs in a way that best supports students.
“This is a community project, and I’m grateful for a community that supports all facets of education,” said Arlington ISD superintendent Dr. Matt Smith at the groundbreaking ceremony. “It takes all of us to do great for kids.”
Arlington ISD Board president Justin Chapa reminisced about playing ball as a kid across the street at the Central YMCA and remembered that the current service center facilities still look the same as they did back then.
But now, that is finally changing.
“This is a good example of our community appreciating the work that folks do behind the scenes every day to make sure that our kids are safe, that they’re healthy and that they get to where they need to be,” Chapa said.
A long time coming
“It is a long time coming,” Chapa said about the new building under construction.
The current transportation building opened in 1983 and has been too small for decades. It lacks enough space and restrooms to accommodate the district’s bus drivers.
The new building will fix that, but the current building isn’t going away. The old office space will be completely redone with a new floor plan and new flooring, paint and light fixtures. The garage – where school buses are serviced – will also get renovations with new epoxy flooring and new overhead motorized doors and finishes.
Nearby, a couple of the old district buildings, Annexes I and II, will be demolished to make way for new parking.
See renderings of the future Building A here. And see more photos from the groundbreaking here.
The project is funded by the 2019 Bond program.