A lengthy list of cooling system and facility safety upgrades may be in store for the big Denver Public Schools district, depending upon the results of bond election this coming November.
The bond proposal at $975 million is the largest such proposal ever presented to Denver voters and will see, if approved, work on all of the district’s more than two hundred facilities.
The largest portion of the bond, at $301 million, is set to target basic critical maintenance work at 154 buildings; work that will include electrical, mechanical, and plumbing system upgrades.
A nearly as large $240 million portion of the bond will go to install air conditioning systems at some 29 schools. The work would include the installation of what are known as “climate conscious” systems. Such systems typically focus on measures designed to lower the ambient temperatures in a building.
Around $124 million is set for the construction of a new elementary school and middle school on the northeast side of the city; while $100 million will go for cafeteria, outdoor classroom, and restroom upgrades district wide.
The creation of space specifically designated for science, technology, engineering, art, and math learning, otherwise known as STEAM, will account for $51 million of the bond; with another $43 million for middle and high school stage and theater upgrades.
Always an ongoing concern, the Denver Public Schools wants to spend some $28 million building security vestibules in seventeen schools. Those vestibules are typically set to the front of a school’s entryway and are designed to screen visitors to the facility.
Prospects for the bond look good: in 2020 district voters by a 72% to 28% margin approved a $795 million school facilities bond. A recent survey completed by the Keating Research company indicated that just under 70% of respondents said they planned to vote for this newest bond.
By Garry Boulard
Image Credit: Courtesy of Pixabay