Bishop Lynch High School has filed a zoning change application and begun fundraising to replace athletic facilities on campus, according to documents filed with the City of Dallas.
The application proposes an amendment to the planned development to replace and update existing athletic facilities and create two parking lots on tracts of land located to the south.
“We’ve envisioned a master plan for that area, and it’s a 10- to 15-year vision,” Bishop Lynch President Chris Rebuck said. “It’s a lengthy process to get it rezoned, so we wanted to put plans out there and get approval from the city.”
Updates to the athletic complex follow several building upgrades that have taken place since 2010, Rebuck said. A $33 million capital campaign allowed the school to build a new academic wing that included classrooms, counseling suites and a media center.
Funds for the athletic upgrades will come from donations and tuition fees.
The first project will be the replacement of the field house. The structure will be torn down and replaced with a two-story, 37,000-square-foot building that will house coaches offices, a weight room and expanded space for Bishop Lynch’s top-notch athletic training program. Two athletic trainers provide $300,000 worth of rehab and physical therapy to student-athletes and mentor students gaining hands-on athletic-training experience through an elective class.
“Once we realized the value of the program, we decided the building needed to represent the value of the service we’re providing,” Rebuck said. “It will be a treatment space and a lab- or classroom-type space.”
The school is fundraising for the $10 million project from specific donors and hopes to break ground in 18 to 24 months, Rebuck said.
Eventually, the school would like to replace the bleachers, press box, scoreboard, concession stand, locker rooms and dugouts, according to the application.
“We have a high level of participation, and we’ve added new sports. We’re just out of space,” Rebuck said. “This will also allow us to address the gender imbalance. When the school started in the 1960s, we didn’t have that many girls participate. Everyone is active now. We need to come up with ways that the men’s and women’s programs are equally represented.”
