Schools getting wish list granted

Most “gifts” will have to wait for spring

It’s that giving time of year again, and the Gunnison Watershed School District is getting in the spirit by making good on a promise to turn any bond money left from last year’s massive renovation effort over to the schools.

After a $55-million bond sale and 15 months of renovation work on seven school buildings, superintendent Jon Nelson told the school board last week that they could either use the nearly $880,000 surplus to pay down the bond or grant some wishes district-wide. The school board chose the latter.
“Those items are, for the most part, things that had been removed when we took the bond back down to $55 million,” Nelson said. “Through the course of the bond sale and very favorable requests, we have some funds left. We went with the original wish list…and then came back together as an [Administrative Council] to look at the list and figure out what needs to be taken care of.”
And while some of the schools got toys to play with, others got less glamorous gifts.  
Like the socks sitting under the tree, some gifts are all about functionality. And the Crested Butte Community School will be getting something functional under foot from the wish list this year: carpet, in every classroom.
The other thing on the CBCS wish list is something with an equal amount of functionality, and glamour, as the school is requesting a portable dust collection system for the shop.
But Nelson pointed to the new boiler the school got as a gift that was given early. “That’s huge. That brings things at that site up to par with the other buildings.”
The Gunnison High School will be getting lights on their football and baseball fields, as well as a storage and restroom facility for the athletic fields. The high school will also be getting a couple pieces of technology and more weights for the weight room.
The district’s longest wish list comes from the Gunnison Community School, which is in need of a few repairs as well as some upgrades and improvements, like carpet replacement, paving and electrical outlets for a parking lot and a fence between the elementary school playground and the parking lot.
Board member Bill Powell asked Nelson if there would be anything left to pay for as the bills worked their way through the district, but Nelson didn’t think so.
“I think if you take a look at the original wish list and the amount of things that were accomplished within the [Guaranteed Maximum Prices] that were set originally based on projected budgets and what we were able to add to the scope of work,” Nelson said. “If you look at what we accomplished at each site, we feel pretty good about that.”
Most of the items on the wish list can’t be started until spring, when contractors will move in to make each wish come true.