{"id":91938,"date":"2019-10-29T22:43:33","date_gmt":"2019-10-29T22:43:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/forum-to-discuss-future-of-dolores-campus\/"},"modified":"2019-10-29T22:43:33","modified_gmt":"2019-10-29T22:43:33","slug":"forum-to-discuss-future-of-dolores-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/forum-to-discuss-future-of-dolores-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"Forum to discuss future of Dolores campus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Journal
Journal file<br><br>The Dolores School District Re-4A will hold a community forum on the direction of the new facility next Wednesday.<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The Dolores School District Re-4A is planning a big campus renovation, and staff is seeking community input on some key decisions.<\/p>\n

This year, the district plans to apply for a Building Excellent Schools Today grant to upgrade the entire campus. Recently, engineers from the Colorado Department of Education, along with other officials and architects, evaluated the site and proposed moving the entire campus, largely because of the difficulties posed by the floodplain.<\/p>\n

The district will hold a community forum to gauge local sentiment on moving the campus site versus renovating the current facility. The forum is set from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Dolores Community Center.<\/p>\n

All community members are invited to share their thoughts.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur board must represent their constituents, and the only way they will know what you think and feel is to listen,\u201d Superintendent Lis Richard wrote in a letter<\/a> to parents posted on the school website. \u201cPlease come and share all of your thoughts.\u201d<\/p>\n

In August<\/a>, the Dolores school board approved a master plan to help guide the BEST grant application. The design options presented in the master plan<\/a> feature multiple new elements and additions, including a new secondary school and a more secure perimeter.<\/p>\n

While the master plan does not guarantee a BEST grant will be awarded, it\u2019s vital if the district wishes to be competitive in the application process, according to Max McCloskey of Humphries Poli Architects, which was awarded the contract to design the master plan.<\/p>\n

The master plan was crafted with the school\u2019s current location in mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe campus is at a point where new construction is necessary to support future student population growth and replace failing facilities, yet there is no room to grow without a large intervention to the current site layout,\u201d the master plan says in the site evaluation section. \u201cIt was also clear through the multiple stakeholder meetings that the community has economic and emotional ties to the current location of the campus in the center of town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another factor discussed recently has been the possibility of collaborating with the town of Dolores and moving the football field to Joe Rowell Park. The master plan includes this option in the final cost estimate: Renovations to the main campus come out to about $40.5 million, while the football field\u2019s relocation and construction would cost about $4.5 million.<\/p>\n

After the state engineers and officials examined the Dolores campus, though, some concerns with the current site came up.<\/p>\n

Those concerns, Richard said in her letter, include: safety and security, limited acreage, the site\u2019s location in a floodplain with a rising water table, and the cost of demolishing all buildings and bringing in fill to raise campus elements by 3 to 4 feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey encouraged us to talk with the community about the fact that it will keep flooding, as much money as we put into it,\u201d she told the board at their Oct. 10 meeting.<\/p>\n

A few board members were hesitant about the proposal to move the site.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom everything I\u2019ve heard, the school\u2019s the center of the community,\u201d said board Vice President Casey McClellan. \u201cAnd even moving it a mile out of town could change this whole community.\u201d<\/p>\n

They moved to table the discussion and hold a community forum to ensure all perspectives could be shared before making a decision.<\/p>\n

ealvero@the-journal.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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