When Spring Branch ISD first laid out plans to upgrade Tully Stadium and the surrounding athletic facilities, one of the first objectives that came to mind was making as much of the end product as “multipurpose” as possible.

Tuesday, when the district held an open house and tour of the new fieldhouse and athletic offices, district officials beamed with pride as they led a tour of the new Athletic Complex, which replaced a 43-year fieldhouse and center of operations.

“We’re thrilled with the facility. We’re excited that our facilities are being brought up to that standard for the future,” said Dr. Duncan Klussmann, Spring Branch ISD superintendent. “We’re proud of the work that occurred here. We made sure when we started this project that we got something functional that provide a lot to the community and the kids.”

The $15 million project also includes upgrades to the Don Coleman Community Coliseum and Tully Stadium.

Check back soon for a complete video tour of the facility, guided by L.P. Jones, Spring Branch ISD’s Executive Director of Athletics.

There are three sections to the new fieldhouse:

- Area A, which houses the athletic offices. It will double as a sign-in area for evening events.

- Area B, the fieldhouse. It has six dressing rooms with toilet, shower and storage areas. There are two training rooms.
Also in this area are three officials dressing rooms.

- Area C, which houses the operations area. This area houses a laundry, concession storage, dressing areas for workers, work rooms and equipment storage facilities. A second conference room is in this area.

“(Versatility) was No. 1 for us,” Jones said. “You want to use your dollars as efficiently as possible. Having the Coliseum here and the stadium, we knew what we needed. We had to make as much as we could dual-purpose and that’s what we tried to do.”

The original fieldhouse was built in 1965. The neighboring Don Coleman Community Coliseum, which hosts myriad events ranging from sports to concerts to graduations, opened nine years later.

The exterior is being painted and renovations are underway to replace the coliseum’s roof.

“We’ve added soccer, we’ve added girls sports, but we’ve never added to the fieldhouse,” Jones told a small gathering of district and area dignitaries. “We had one training room, a couple of storage rooms and an office. That was it, and we’ve been working with that for several years.”

Next in line for replacement is the Tully Stadium turf, which has been upgraded every 12 years since 1984. That project begins Saturday, the first day of Spring Branch ISD’s spring break, and is slated for completion sometime this summer.

Several upgrades will be made to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, likely including the installation of elevators at both the Coliseum and Tully.

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