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Building blocks: Option C, a new high school

Teresa Ristow

At a glance:

Option C—New high school campus

• Size: 198,297-square-feet

• Proposed location: 35-acre Steamboat II site

• Cost: $56.5 million for construction of school, $102.8 million to $114.9 million total for Option C

• New district enrollment capacity: 3,000 (currently 2,365)

District officials have informally discussed asking voters to approve a bond measure as early as November to fund either a new pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, pre-kindergarten through eighth grade or a new high school to address increasing enrollment within the district. This series takes a closer look at the three options.

An architect hired by the Steamboat Springs School District will spend the next week or two further developing an option for the district to build a new high school, a scenario favored by a district facilities committee, he told the school board Monday.

At a glance:

Option C—New high school campus



• Size: 198,297-square-feet

• Proposed location: 35-acre Steamboat II site



• Cost: $56.5 million for construction of school, $102.8 million to $114.9 million total for Option C

• New district enrollment capacity: 3,000 (currently 2,365)

“[Option] C provides you the most flexibility within the district,” said Matt Porta, who is working with engineer Jeff Chamberlin to study three scenarios for new school construction to accommodate increasing enrollment in the district.

The two are expected to make a recommendation on an option to the school board June 15.

Option C solves long-term capacity issues in the district, relieving pressure at every grade level while preserving valuable space on existing campuses that would otherwise become classroom additions under options A and B.

It’s also the most costly option and could cost between $102.8 million to $114.9 million when construction of the new campus, primarily interior renovations at the existing schools and soft goods, permit fees and professional costs are bundled together.

Under this option, the district would construct a new $56.5 million, 198,000-square-foot high school, potentially on its 35-acre Steamboat II site.

The school would have 46 teaching stations and a capacity of 920 students, and overall, the option would increase the district’s student capacity from 2,365 to 3,000.

“I think it seems to offer a lot of long-term solutions,” said Superintendent Brad Meeks.

Once students had moved into the new high school, renovations would allow district middle school students to move into the former high school site, along with district administration offices and a new district kitchen at a total construction cost of $7.8 million.

A new 5,000-square-foot Yampa Valley High School facility would also be built on the original high school site at a cost of $1.3 million.

The relocation of district offices and YVHS would allow the district to potentially sell its property on Seventh Street, which currently houses both departments.

Under this scenario, the now vacant middle school would be renovated for use as another elementary school, which would operate collaboratively with the adjacent Strawberry Park site, perhaps by dividing upper and lower elementary grades between the two sites, an option that would provide flexibility to the district when faced with a particularly large “bubble” class. The renovations at the former middle school would total $5.9 million in construction costs.

Renovations to add small group learning spaces, remove modular classrooms at Soda Creek and add a new cafeteria at Strawberry Park are included in every scenario under consideration by the district and would total $5.8 million in construction costs.

In total, Option C would cost $78.1 million for construction and total $102.8 million to $114.9 million when soft goods and additional service costs to open each school are factored in.

Porta said Monday that, while the facilities committee has given the most support to this option, he believes more of the community needs to join the conversation about the three options.

“I think there is a need to be able to talk to more of the community than the 30 to 50 people that are able and choosing to participate in the process,” Porta said. “My sense is there needs to be more communication happening.”

To reach Teresa Ristow, call 970-871-4206, email tristow@SteamboatToday.com or follow her on Twitter @TeresaRistow


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