A growing school district in south central Colorado is in the process of making plans for a variety of facility upgrades and repairs to its nearly two dozen schools.
Based in the city of Pueblo, the Pueblo County School District 70, which additionally serves students in the cities of Mesa and Mountain, is looking at a number of repair and upgrading issues.
Those issues include everything from cooling and heating system upgrades, to new security camera systems, roof repairs, and classroom additions.
In response, the district has placed on this November’s ballot a proposal asking voters to approve a $75 million bond for the work.
If passed, that bond would pay for such things as a classroom reconfiguration at the North Mesa Elementary School; a building addition to the Pueblo County High School; the renovation of a library at the Vineland Elementary School; and the building out of a classroom at the Liberty Point Elementary School.
In a press release issued by the District, Superintendent Ed Smith noted that the while many school districts in Colorado have closed schools that are beyond repair, “In District 70, we have many buildings well over 50 years of age in good working order, with a great deal of life left in them because we have a history of taking care of them.”
A proposed bond in the amount of $35 million was overwhelmingly defeated in the fall of 2011 by district residents with 62 percent of the vote.
By Garry Boulard
