Depending upon the fate of a $43 million bond in next month’s election, a rural school district based in Manitou Springs hopes to see construction begin soon on a proposed new middle school.
The bond for the Manitou Springs School District 14 would also pay for the renovation of the Manitou Springs High School, located at 415 El Monte Place and built in 1956.
Uniquely, the bond will also be used to restore the architecture of the 99-year-old Manitou Springs Elementary School’s auditorium, with an emphasis on also updating the auditorium’s dressing rooms and installing both Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant seating and new lighting systems.
Additional projects to be funded by the bond include general safety and security upgrades to the Manitou Springs Elementary School, as well as the Ute Pass Elementary School, completed in 1968, along with district-wide playground and athletic field improvements.
If passed, the bond will be combined with some $9 million in state funding the district is eligible for through Colorado’s Building Excellent Schools Today program.
District 14, with some 1500 students, serves a city whose population has remained remarkably stable in fast-growing Colorado, with a current population of nearly 5,400 people, up from around 5,000 people in 2000.
By Garry Boulard