Brittany Kelley
KYLE — Hays County commissioners Michelle Cohen and Debbie Ingalsbe have been working on a way to bring more resources to the east side of the county. Now, the project is beginning to come to fruition.
The Hays County Eastside Campus Project has been in the works for two years, explained Cohen: “I don’t think it’s a huge secret that we lack county services on the east side of the county. I think we’ve all known that for a long time. That was very apparent during COVID-19 when a lot of groups were looking for space to hand out things. There’s no community center; there’s no library. The schools were limited [and] we couldn’t access them. So, for me, it really elevated the need for county services on the east side.”
These resources are even more spread out after the redistricting, which extended Precinct 1 — Ingalsbe’s precinct — from San Marcos into Kyle. Additionally, Cohen’s office — Precinct 2 — is constantly overcrowded, she continued, making simple services, such as paying taxes, take up to three hours.
After analyzing these expanding needs for service, the two teamed up to create a building that could remedy these gaps.
The facility would have a community space for any emergency scenarios, such as water distributions or a space to give vaccinations, if ever needed again, Cohen said, as well as have a tax office, juvenile services, veteran services, a small health department, adult probation, county clerk, office of emergency management, an area for the sheriff’s office, county manager and more.
“As we were going through that whole needs assessment of what that footprint would look like, we were having other issues at the government center, where they were running out of space,” the commissioner said. “People wanted more staff, [but] we didn’t have enough space to accommodate everyone; we were just kind of busting at the seams there. So, that’s when the idea came of, ‘Hey, why don’t we add another floor to this concept and move our administrative offices, which includes Human Resources, budget, auditing, out of the government center into this new east side campus.'”
This would provide a “win-win” situation for the county, she explained, as it would bring resources to the rest of the residents, while allowing the government center to turn strictly into a judicial space, alleviating safety concerns and giving them space to grow.
According to Cohen, because the government center isn’t a true judicial center, concealed carry is allowed on the first floor, but since there are no security guards at the staircases and elevators, there is no true way to ensure that no one brings a weapon to the floors above, which makes the judges feel uneasy. After moving the administrative offices, the building would be able to be locked down entirely.
The idea for the new facility also extends to the employees: “I need it to be a place where we would consider the whole work-life balance, that we created a space that was going to be welcoming, [like] we had a small cafeteria where people would actually be able to get hot food,” said Cohen. “I think the vision for this whole area is to be this beautiful park space, with having the county building where people can leave their job and take a nice walk … I’m always concerned about [the employees’] mental well being and feeling appreciated in their workspace.”
The three-floor facility is planned to be located in Kyle, off of Dacy Lane and Bebee Road, said the commissioner, though the commissioners court is currently still in discussion with the city about the land.
The rest of the commissioners saw the idea for the east side campus for the first time at the Aug. 5 meeting, said Cohen, where a presentation was given and HDR was approved as the architect and design firm.
Next steps include beginning community engagement and the design process, while also working on a funding mechanism, she said.
“Having that vertical infrastructure is going to be game-changing for us as a county,” said Cohen. “My goal and passion [is] to try and bring these much needed resources to an area of the county that has nothing … I'm extremely excited about it. It’s going to be the first of its kind for the east side and I think everyone’s just ready for it to happen.”
The building is currently planned to open in 2028.
