Location set for new annex in Temple
Judge: Bell County facility likely to be located across from MLK Festival Grounds
DAVID STONE | OUR TOWN TEMPLE
Although there are still “i’s” to dot and “t’s” to cross, Bell County and the city of Temple have reached an agreement on the location for a new county annex building just steps from the existing structure.
The new location would be on the east side of MLK Boulevard on a block bounded by Avenue C on the north, South 10th on the east and Avenue D on the south.
“We have been working with the city of Temple to identify a location for the new Bell County Annex, and we think we have our spot,” County Judge David Blackburn said today. “The details of our agreement are still being negotiated but the city will deed the property to the county in exchange for the current annex building and $1.”
The current Bell County Annex in Downtown Temple is located at 205 E. Central Ave.
Blackburn said the new annex project is still very much in the planning stage.
“It’s still preliminary because we weren’t sure where it would be located,” he said. “We couldn’t really come up with a design until we had a location locked down. The design will probably be about the same square footage as the existing facility but with a different layout.”
“The Temple Annex doesn’t really have a space deficiency in most of the building, but we think the design could be improved to better serve the public,” Blackburn said. “We use the annex for voting purposes, but it doesn’t work efficiently. During early voting the lines can be out the door and down the block. We want the new annex to better accommodate the voting center aspects better than the current building.”
The judge said some of the offices currently located at the Temple Annex are in need of expanding. The Temple annex includes an office for Tax Assessor-Collector (vehicle registrations); branches of both the County Clerk and County Treasurer departments; Justices of the Peace offices for Precinct 3, Place 1 and 2; and Constables for Precinct 3.
Blackburn said the county has been looking at improving its annexes in recent years. A new Killeen annex will be built in that city’s downtown area, and a building in Salado is being converted to an annex there.
Temple and Bell County struck a deal about two years ago that will give the city ownership of the Central Avenue annex building. As part of that deal, Bell County will begin construction of a new Temple annex before Dec. 31, 2024. The new annex should take about 18 months to build, and 90 days after completion the city will buy the existing annex for $1, Temple City Manager Brynn Myers said.
“We anticipate the city will own the current facility no later than Sept. 30, 2026,” Myers said. “It may be sooner.”
While the city hasn’t determined a use for the Annex Building,
Myers said the facility’s parking lot off Central Avenue likely will be converted to green space and maybe a children’s play area.
“There’s another parking lot behind the annex,” she said. “We would consider moving the main entrance to face the police station on Avenue A.”
The existing annex is right in the heart of City Centre, which will include the new 415-space parking garage, the new Bird Creek Burgers & Brew, several historic buildings being converted into loft apartments, the renovated Arcadia Theater and several other new businesses.
Many of the larger developments in the area will bring apartment living to Downtown on a large scale, and some of the buildings undergoing renovation also will house retail stores, offices, bars and restaurants.
Several other businesses — a bakery and cafe, an art studio and a wreck center — also are under development in the immediate area.
Utilities in the area have been moved underground and street-scaping projects are under way.
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