Editors note: An earlier version of this story had some inaccurate information. This story has been edited to reflect the correct scope of renovations and costs.
There are a few messages the Alamosa School District has been looking to get across as it considers asking voters to approve a $28 million bond issue in the November election.
One is that “time is of the essence” with construction costs only expected to rise in coming years, making the improvements costlier. Another is an effort to make Alamosa the “school district of choice” among families who have the option of sending their children to neighboring school districts by completing necessary projects that advance the safety of students.
Those arguments and others will be before the Alamosa School Board when it meets in a special session Monday to decide whether to submit the bond proposal to voters this November. School board President Heidi Richardson is on board. She’s been leading the charge, arguing that it’s never a good time to ask voters to raise their own property taxes to pay off the bond debt.
“Nobody likes to pay taxes, but at the end of the day, if we don’t take care of our schools we’re going to be back to everybody being online and that obviously did not work,” said Richardson during a recording of the school district’s podcast.
Through its facilities master plan, the school district has identified $30.7 million in construction costs to make improvements at its elementary, middle school and high school campuses. The bulk of the improvements would come at Alamosa High and Ortega Middle School. Those potential projects are listed below.
The school district says to pay back the bond issuance would mean a property tax increase of around $16 per month or $192 per year on the average home value in Alamosa.
What’s not included in the bond issuance is the school district’s purchase of the Friday Health building that sits vacated on Main Street, which the school district is working to purchase for $2.3 million. Once the transaction is completed, the Main Street building will serve as the school district’s administrative headquarters and eventually home to Alamosa’s alternative and online high school classes and operations.
“It opens so many opportunities,” Alamosa School District Chief Financial Officer Amanda Hensley said of the Friday Health building purchase. “We can have our admin offices upstairs as well as some rental space, and then we can expand our online and alternative education program on that whole bottom floor. So those are things that are not contingent on the bond at all. It’s a completely separate pool of money.”
Here’s a closer look at Ortega Middle and Alamosa High projects. The Alamosa school board meets at 6 p.m.
Ortega Middle School
Complete a building remodel and a two-classroom addition to increase the number of toilets available. This project will rearrange classrooms so new group toilets can be added in a central location. An addition at the northwest wing will be required to offset the lost classrooms. The building improvements would include installation of tubular daylight devices (i.e. Sola Tubes) to the remaining interior classrooms.
The outbuildings may also receive restroom updates if funding allows. The gymnastics/shop building and the STEM building will get updated ADA-compliant toilets. In addition, exterior accessible toilets and a concessions room will be added to the STEM building to support activities at the baseball fields.
Entry points may be provided directly into the auxiliary gymnasium locker rooms, to support teams during baseball games if funding allows.
Ortega Middle School Cost Summary:
Square Footage Summary:
- Renovation area: 2,954 square feet
- Approximate new building area: 2,790 square feet
- Potential STEM addition: 650 square feet; renovation: 610 square feet
Alamosa High School
Complete a building addition on the west side of the building. This will include added square footage of the existing cafeteria and kitchen. Additional space will be provided to house an enlarged counseling department. This space will also serve as a secondary security entry point.
Renovations will include the classroom immediately adjacent to the administrative office, to accommodate needs for the nurse’s clinic. The vacated counseling suite will be reconfigured for the displaced classroom on the first floor. The toilet rooms will be updated and a toilet room will be added adjacent to wrestling. In addition, a sprinkler system may be installed to serve the entire building if funding allows.
Alamosa High School Cost Summary:
Estimates for Alamosa High School are concept planning cost of construction estimates provided by GH Phipps Construction Company. Soft costs and contingencies are also included to create an overall estimate of probable project cost. Due to the current escalation rate in the construction market, it is difficult to accurately project these costs into the future. As a result, these costs are based on January of 2024 costs and contain a blanket 10% escalation cost.
Square Footage Summary:
- Cafeteria & kitchen addition and renovations: 12,346 square feet
- Counseling addition: 2,150 square feet
- Restroom remodel: 2,078 square feet (includes Wrestling Room Toilet)
- Nurse and second floor classroom renovation: 2,176 square feet
- Add sprinkler system: 123,951 square feet