The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Next step is polling the community
[ by Mark Reaman ]
The RE1J school district will begin polling citizens in the district about what elements in a proposed $98 million bond issue have strong support. The idea is to fine tune the bond proposal and then go to the public for a vote this fall.
The basic proposal as currently outlined would expand the Crested Butte Community School to accommodate just more than 1,000 students, improve safety protocols at the entrance to all of the district’s school buildings, upgrade some sustainable items such as replacing all lights with LED fixtures and improving things like mechanical and boiler systems. A new turf sports field in Gunnison is also part of the proposal. The CBCS was built to hold 760 students and there are currently about 800. Modulars are being used to accommodate the overflow and the current trend is showing the school adds about 24 students every year.
A citizen task force has met three times to go over the plan and during the April 29 meeting the task force again emphasized the benefits of aggressively pursuing sustainable practices as part of the bond. While the consulting firm developing the plan, RTA Architects of Colorado Springs, had included some items in the bond that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they seemed less enthused about utilizing strategies like geothermal exchange that some members of the task force said could get the district buildings closer to net zero when it comes to producing greenhouse gases.
Geothermal is being pushed by task force member and Gunnison County manager Matthew Birnie and he has overseen a conversion of several county buildings to geothermal and used it on new construction. He has said it is the most appropriate sustainable way to heat and cool buildings in the climate of Gunnison County. RTA has looked at the alternative and told the task force it is too expensive and not as efficient as some other electric methods. At the second task force meeting they estimated the payback for geothermal would be 100 years.
“I will again say that this warrants more investigation,” said Birnie who met with RTA engineers and school district representatives. “I think it is more financially beneficial than what has been modeled. I question their financial modeling. We are doing almost net zero in our county buildings and that includes not just the new buildings but also ones that were renovated. Geothermal works really well in this climate.”
Birnie’s estimate is that the new courthouse building will see a payback of between 12 and 15 years. “Each building is different, and future energy costs are unknown, so there isn’t a “standard” payback period that can be generalized among buildings,” Birnie explained. “It is different for every building and very dependent on energy costs. For example, the Health and Human Services building will likely have a longer payback than the Courthouse because it just doesn’t use much energy, but Blackstock could have a faster payback because it was an energy hog. But I find the 100-year estimate incredible given our experience.”
Birnie said geothermal exchange would be appropriate for the school district for a number of reasons. He noted that mountain communities that rely on snow (and water) for their economy are heavily impacted by climate change so there is a direct tie to the issue. He said that because the school is a place of learning it should strive for best practices when it comes to climate. And he said geothermal functions incredibly well and reduces greenhouse gases at a significant rate.
RTA Architects consultant Brian Calhoun indicated the climate mitigations in the proposed plan would reduce greenhouse gases by about 30 percent for the district.
Birnie and others on the task force advocated that aggressively going after sustainability measures could also be a major selling point for any bond in this community. “It reflects the values of the community,” he said. “It would generate community support. People here will support driving toward net zero carbon emissions.”
“I agree with that,” said task force member and Crested Butte town manager Dara MacDonald. “Sustainability is a big conversation within the community.”
Gunnison mayor Jim Gelwicks agreed sustainability could help generate support for a bond… to a point. “You might gain additional people with sustainability but others might agree with the idea unless the price tag is too high.” He said there should be some investigation of a cost point that might deter people from voting for a bond.
A 30-minute breakout session was held during this third meeting to give task force members an opportunity to speak frankly. Afterward, spokespeople for both groups expressed some concerns with the $98 million proposal. Talley Nichols said her group really wanted the school district to be more aggressive with climate and sustainability measures. “The environmental element could be a unifier across the county,” she said. “Make it clear that energy efficiency is a clear goal. Reduction of greenhouse gases is not enough, investigate more geothermal options and look for more cutting-edge opportunities. And the next polling phase should focus on the costs to individuals and businesses. Also be clear with what the kids will get out of this bond issue.”
“It is important to get the message across that the sustainability measures would be in perpetuity,” added task force member and Crested Butte mayor Jim Schmidt. “It would not just be a five- or 10-year fix but would outlive many of us. It is a long-term benefit.”
Hedda Peterson said her group had some significant hesitancy with the $98 million proposal. She said they would recommend offering a significantly reduced alternative plan at about half the cost to at least get a community discussion started over what is needed. “There is a lack of understanding of the proposed programming and facility needs. That needs to be much more clear,” she said. “We also have concerns with the continued growth trends and what that means for the schools, especially in Crested Butte. We don’t want to have to approach voters again for another expansion in four or five years. And we would agree it would be valuable to better connect the community’s values with what is in the ask.”
District superintendent Leslie Nichols said the growth projections are a continual unknown. Gunnison enrollment has remained relatively flat for years while Crested Butte has seen a steady increase in numbers. “Growth is an unknown,” she said. “When will it be too expensive for families to move to the north valley? Will we keep seeing increases in the secondary school numbers? I think we would have at least 10 years from when we move in but I don’t know. Growth is inherently unpredictable.”
She did say the school board was investigating the possibility of a land purchase that could ultimately be used for a new north valley school campus. While in the early stages, she said the hope was to buy a parcel using capital reserve funds. There is also consideration of a turf field for Crested Butte.
Beyond Your Base consultant Paul Hanley said he would begin formulating a mail survey of residents to see what sort of support there would be for a bond issue. The group will conduct some webinars and make further outreach to staff, parents and citizens. The goal is to get some solid reactions from the community to the $98 million proposal and present them to the task force and school board at a June 30 meeting.
“We hope there is ultimately an overwhelming show of support from the community,” he said. “We don’t want to just squeak out a win.”
Nichols admitted she has received some concerns from people, including task force members, about pursuing a bond issue this November. “But I feel an urgency,” she said. “I think the consultants have done a good job and our planning is good. The need is real, the community trusts the school district, interest rates are low. I feel if we don’t push through the polling process we will be doing a disservice to the community.”
