Built in the 1970s, the Bledsoe-Miller Community Center is the last of Waco’s community centers to be renovated. And by this time next year, it will be the brand-new Bledsoe-Miller STEAM Center for Excellence.
On Thursday, Waco City Council members invited the public to visit the bare-bones community center and celebrate the beginning of the renovations.
"This center truly embodies what Waco is all about – community, forward momentum and the opportunity to do great things," District One Councilwoman Andrea Barefield said.
Barefield has pioneered the transformation. During the ceremony before the groundbreaking, she shared her joy for the new STEAM Center with the Waco community.
"Today, seeing that vision begin to physically come to life fills me with immense pride and an even deeper passion for the possibilities ahead," she said.
The Community Center functions that once took place at the Bledsoe-Miller Community Center, have already moved to the new Doris Miller Community Center on Elm Avenue, just one mile north of the Bledsoe-Miller Community Center.
Once renovations are complete, the Bledsoe-Miller STEAM center for Excellence will include state-of-the-art technology in robotics and immersive labs, music recording studios, a teaching kitchen and more. Assistant City Manager Diedra Emerson told the crowded room Thursday that the center was designed with opportunity in mind.
"This place will offer opportunities for Wacoans of all ages, from K to Grey so they can explore, learn and grow," Emerson said.
Mayor Jim Holmes echoed that sentiment when he addressed the crowd.
"This groundbreaking is not just about the construction of the building," Holmes said. "It’s about building a brighter future for Waco, the future where every resident has a chance to dream big and achieve their potential."
The city will partner with local businesses and schools to provide experiential learning opportunities for Wacoans of all ages, once the new STEAM center is open.
Concilwoman Andrea Barefield said she is looking forward to the opening of the STEAM Center and hopes that the Bledsoe-Miller STEAM Center for Excellence will be the premiere place in Waco for technology, science, math and the arts.
"If you say STEM or STEAM, I want the first thing you think of the be the Blesdoe-Miller STEAM Center," she said.
Construction is projected to last a year and the Blesdoe-Miller STEAM Center for Excellence will be open in early 2026.
