| Is Montrose due a new high school?
The Montrose County School District is currently in the process of deciding if it's time for a reimagining of Montrose High School's aging facility. The possibilities are pretty cool, but they're not cheap.
On Tuesday, school board members dove into two different approaches to the MHS redesign. The first focuses on renovations, and incorporates more of the existing facility into the new design. The second approach, while incorporating a few elements from the existing facility, mainly the gymnasium, entails in large part building a new facility.
Montrose's high school was originally constructed in 1940. Much of the current school, however, consists of additions made over the years. This redesign project aims to address not only the aging infrastructure at MHS, but also address space constraints and other concerns.
Perhaps surprisingly, the renovation approach is estimated to be the costlier option, with an estimated price tag between $215 and $239 million, and also take longer, with an estimated timeline of about five years. The new-construction option, meanwhile, is estimated to cost between $199 and $221 million and take three years to complete.
Following last night's presentation from a collective of design firms on these two options, the school board landed on the same option favored by attendees of numerous community meetings that started in February: they like the new-build approach, not only because it's less expensive and will take less time, but also because of some of the design elements, such as reorienting MHS's entrance from Townsend Avenue to Rio Grand Avenue.
By August, the school board will need to decide if the district should place a bond measure before voters in hopes of funding the project. The bond measure would aim to increase property taxes by 11.81 mill property for 25 years — that breaks down to $26 per month, or $316 annually for a home valued at $400,000.
Between now and then, Superintendent Carrie Stephenson told board members, the community will need to be sold on the need for a redesign of MHS: "There would be a lot of educating our community that would need to happen in order to be successful before November."
You can read more about the MHS redesign here.
Have a Good One,
Jeremy Morrison, managing editor
jeremym@montrosepress.com
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