MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — By 2026, kids, teens, adults, and our seniors will have a new place to learn and grow. Ground was broken Thursday, January 16th, for the Bledsoe-Miller STEAM Center for Excellence.
- The center will house a Teaching Kitchen, Robotics Lab, Recording Studio, Demonstration Space, Multipurpose Classrooms, Computer Lab, and Immersive Lab.
- The transformation of the 51-year-old community center will also bring a new playground, but with the fun and games, it’s also meant to inspire all generations.
- Council member Andrea Barefield believes the location of the STEAM center will provide opportunities for not only East Waco but the whole community, regardless of age or background.
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“I like to look at new things a lot and explore,” Kadence Schat said.
“I would say cooking interests me more than the robots,” Eden Brigham said.
Expanding the minds and opportunities for generations to come.
“It’s great, it opens more doors for more people,” Waco ISD GWAMA student Alexander Varela said.
The City of Waco will soon be the home to a new vibrant place to learn, The Bledsoe-Miller STEAM Center for Excellence
“It’s going to have so many things, full robotics lab, computer lab, immersive lab, recording studios, full commercial teaching kitchen, maker space, all of those things are available,” said District One Councilwoman Andrea Barefield.
Council member Andrea Barefield tells me she’s been a part of this project for seven years and is excited for families like the Brigham’s who homeschool their children to utilize this space to create a brighter future for their kids.
“We’re always looking for resources to continue to build experiences for our kiddos. My son is definitely all over technology and AI computers; my daughter is very experimental; she has her spot in the house in the kitchen where she explores, and I’d like to see her do that here,” Chisa Brigham said.
The transformation of the 51-year-old community center will also bring a new playground, but with the fun and games, it’s also meant to inspire all generations.
“We want to make sure we don’t lose our elders and that community, and they have an opportunity to learn and do better because, as I said, the world is technological, and they’re still in this world, and there’s a space for them to have access too,” Barefield said.
“I want to talk a little bit about the location of this space, it’s here on this space on this side of Waco, what does it mean, and why right here?” asked 25News Reporter Dominique Leh.
“At that time, the recreation center for district 1, specifically the black community, and it being right on the river right in the heart of our community in downtown, not only accessible for the community that it serves first and foremost, but all of our community because it is centrally located,” said Councilwoman Barefield.
The goal is to have the new STEAM center up and running by the end of 2025. The city is still ironing out our details in terms of pricing, but Councilmember Barefield said their mission is to keep the process affordable and manageable.
Barefield asks locals to be on the lookout at libraries and parks as they will begin to showcase some STEAM activities this year.
For more information on the STEAM center, you can visit the City's website.
