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Sheridan High SchoolUpdated: May 27, 2018. |
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Sheridan High SchoolUpdated: May 27, 2018. |
Sheridan School District's application for grant money to build a new high school with the help of the state's Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) program has been turned down. Cyndi Wright, Director of Facilities and Transportation for Sheridan School District 2, told the board of education and its last meeting [on May 22, 2018], the district's application was lauded for its clarity and readability. She added that she expected to receive a detailed explanation for the rejection.
The total estimated high school construction project for Sheridan's proposal was $59.1 million. The district was requesting a state grant of $37.8 million. If the state board had approved, Sheridan voters would have been asked to approve the local match of $21.2 million.
The district could potentially proceed with requesting voter support for the concept this coming November, to demonstrate the community's commitment to shoulder its share of the cost, but Superintendent Michael Clough said after the meeting he did not think such a bond campaign would be advisable.
Webmaster Notes: As expected, the grant applications were very competitive this year. The needs through out the state are very significant. Seven of the eleven major grants were awarded to rural school districts. The largest grant was to Hayden for a Junior/Senior High School replacement in the grant amount of $38,879,497.00 for a total project of $61,175,897. The second highest grant was to Buena Vista for a high school and middle school renovation and replacement in the grant amount of $21,362,125 for a total project of $50,862,204.There are two apparent issues with the Sheridan application. The Sheridan application was not seen as one with a greatest need. The Sheridan application was for a high school only. The two biggest grant awards were for junior/senior high school combinations. It is expected the district will try again next year.
The school disttrict staff has submitted the application for BEST (Building Excellent Schools Today) grant fund to build a new high school. The school would located southeast of the current building and would be ready for use in January of 2021 under the proposal. The plans first must be approved by the state’s Capital Construction Assistance Board. A decision is scheduled for May. The proposal would then go the Colorado Board of Education in June. If the proposal achieves green lights at the first two stages, the project would then be submitted to Sheridan voters for consideration of a bond proposal in November, 2018. Sheridan’s share of the project would be 36 percent ($21.2 million) of the $59.1 million cost. This same grant process was used to build Fort Logan Northgate School.
The grant proposal provides detail on the current high school’s deficiencies, including safety and security, plumbing, mechanical systems, site drainage, food service, technology, communications, traffic and pedestrian flow, accessibility for students with disabilities, and other issues as well. If the project wins approval from the state and also from local voters, the new building would be constructed at the same time as the current high school continues operations. The plan would also affect the bus garage, the warehouse and the building that houses the district’s unused swimming pool.
A copy of the grant application and site plan are available at the following links 2018 Best Grant Application and Proposed Site Plan. The instructions are on the first ten pages and actual grant application starts on page 11. These files are in a PDF format.
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