Odessa College’s Amphitheater will soon have a shade covering that will make it more hospitable to spectators and performers.
The groundbreaking was held Thursday with Odessa Chamber of Commerce, friends of the college and officials from University of Texas Permian Basin, OC, Medical Center Hospital and the City of Odessa on hand.
The total project cost is $700,000 and it is expected to be completed in spring 2024, said Cruz Castillo, president of JSA Architects. JSA designed the covering along with many other buildings and features on the campus and MW Builders is constructing it.
Vice President of Academic Partnerships Jonathan Fuentes, who served as emcee, said this was an exciting day for OC.
“The amphitheater will include seating for over 400, lighting, a sound system and a beautiful cover,” Fuentes said. “We regularly use the amphitheater for community and student events. We were honored to host the United Way of Odessa community kickoff in this space last August and we recently hosted the Drive for Success finale and the Odessa College Preview Day in this space, so I can speak for myself and my team — we’re thrilled to have shade added to this space.”
Castillo of JSA said the amphitheater was designed in 2012-13 as part of the Vision 2015 bond package.
Since then, there have been a variety of events and gatherings there. Castillo said the shade covering will enable people to stay longer in the spot because they don’t have to search for shade.
Executive Director of Odessa Arts Randy Ham said the shade covering will add another artistic element to the campus.
“You’re going to see the drama department, the music department, all of the fine arts from OC have another opportunity to perform for the public in this gorgeous space. I cannot say enough about that vision and that forward thinking,” Ham said.
OC President Gregory Williams said the project is about supporting and serving the community. He added that good things are happening, have happened and will happen at OC and there’s more to come.
Asked about funding, Williams said the college has a lot of friends that support it and the projects that it undertakes.
“We’re going to name this facility … after someone, so we think that will help with that piece. Funding begins with our local tax base. It continues with the students and the tuition and all those things. Then we also accept donations for projects like this,” Williams said.
Williams said OC will be able to have its team meetings, Coffee and Conversation meetings, performances, presentations and competitions at the amphitheater.
“This is a space where you will have all types of events, all types of services, all types of presentations, competitions; almost anything can be done. We encourage our elementary schools, high schools, community members, to come out here to your college; hang out; have a good time. The secret sauce to all of that is we’re introducing more people to college life, to the college experience so that you don’t have to be afraid of it. You don’t have to say that’s not for me. This college is your college. Come here. Make yourself comfortable, learn and enjoy,” Williams said.
As the college beautifies and transforms, Williams said he thinks it will help increase enrollment.
“I think more and more people will realize that it’s one of the best spaces in our community. And why is that? Because this community has prepared it for them, prepared it for us. So we want more and more people to take advantage of that. Our enrollment continues to grow. I think this will be another piece, another brick in that wall of helping us to go higher and higher,” Williams said.
OC Downtown will have its first free event Friday called First Friday. The band Current Nine will perform from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Fourth Street and Jackson Avenue. First Friday ODTX is put on by Odessa Arts and Downtown Odessa and features live music, art, interactive activities and the opportunity to visit local merchants. Confirmed stops include Homemade Wines, Copper Key Gifts, Rooster’s diner, Downtown Marriott, Patrick Clay’s Icon Tavern, McJack’s General Store and Isy’s Fine Jewelry.
The motivation for the events and improvements is the community.
“We want to do everything that we can to make this community better. We’re Odessa’s community college. We represent and we serve this community and we’re going to do everything that we can to be the very best college in the nation,” Williams said.
Castillo said construction on the shade covering will start in the coming weeks and be completed in late spring 2024. Total cost is $700,000.
“That’s a covering that will allow shade for more than 400 spectators, or 400 people that are participating in whatever activity is going on in the amphitheater. It has a lot of benefits. We had the foresight back in 2012-2013 to create a space in this open area for students, faculty and community people to congregate. As Odessa College continues to grow and continues to have more and more events, this shade structure is going to allow those events to continue to take place and also for the numbers to grow and have these events go on for a longer period of time since it will be more comfortable for the spectators and those that are coming to the college,” Castillo said.
Tube steel will be used for all the framing and metal panels will create the roof cover and the shade. It will cover the spectators and performers.
“We took design aspirations of some of the other buildings that we have here, modern elements just like what you see at the Salisbury Center and the Wood Building. This canopy looks like a work of art and all of the materials and the design elements are cohesive with the buildings that are around it,” Castillo said. “That was the No. 1 objective and that’s to make something that is functional, attractive and that fits in within its environment. I feel like we have done a good job on that,” Castillo said.
Castillo is from Odessa and leaving high school he knew OC was going to be his path to architecture school. He was able to come home, practice his craft and help the college continue to improve and expand.
“I want to see everything in our community get better and to be able to have a hand and participate in that along the way is very attractive to me. It’s something I want to do. Architecture, when it’s done right, it brings people together. It celebrates a space and I want to do the very best I can for our community,” he added.
When he was an OC student in the late 1990s, it felt like a commuter college. You drove to campus, went to class and didn’t have much reason to stay. The campus has evolved to where he said it’s alive in all aspects.
You’re going to be on campus all day as a student in class, in a lab, at the student life center, participating in an athletic event or any of the other things going on. Castillo said it helps retain students and staff and keeps spirits high.
“As we continue to use architecture and good planning from the design side and the college leadership side, everywhere you go around this campus, it feels like you’re supposed to stick around and see what’s going on,” Castillo said.
“Like Dr. Williams said earlier, the college is going to continue to make improvements and strive to meet the needs of the community. As we continue to evolve, we learn of other needs that need to be met and when we’re a part of a progressive organization to do that, and when you have people like myself and other supporters who jumped in to try to help make it better, it feels successful. I’m just glad to be part of it,” he added.
