Community Update from the Dolores School Board RE4A — 9/1/20
As our students and staff head back to school, the Dolores School Board would like to take this opportunity to provide a master plan building project update. During our August 13, 2020 meeting, the board moved to pause the master plan building project and delay seeking a BEST grant for the 2021 cycle.
We have completed the first step in the long term master plan process of selecting a building site. The site selection process began at the very beginning of the global pandemic we are currently still facing. We, as a community, are not sure of the financial impact this will have on us at a local level; however, we are sure that state funding towards this type of project has significantly decreased and will most likely continue to decrease for the next few years. For this reason, the Dolores School Board has decided to pause.
A site selection review committee that consisted of ten members (see list below) was created. Based on availability and proximity to town, three properties were selected for the committee to review: O’Brian, Taylor and Northrop. All three properties had strengths and weaknesses and the committee used a selection rubric to determine the property most qualified to meet the needs of the district.
There is still long term planning work to be done and the Board would like to keep the momentum of this project alive. The board has agreed to appoint two committees to help serve the long term planning needs required to realize this goal. The first committee will be the Design Advisory Group (DAG) which will provide input towards the form and function of our future school. The second committee will be the Bond Initiative Committee that will focus on marketing solutions to obtain a bond that will help fund the building project. The board is looking to fill these committees with professionals from our community that have experience in either of these areas. If you would like to contribute your time please email the school board to express your interest or use our new “Talk to the Board” tab at: https://doloresschools.org/talk-to-the-board/
We heard from our students and staff loud and clear what the future of Dolores School District will need. We listened to input from all sides and we are thankful to have such an involved, vocal, and supportive community. We would also like to thank the committee members for their participation in the committee and for providing a cross section of input from our community. By working together we can create an amazing future for all Dolores students.
Sincerely ,
The Dolores School Board
Site Selection Committee
Max McClosky – Ratio Architects
Tom Engel – Goff Engineering
Ken Charles – Dolores Town Manager
Susan Lisak – Dolores Chamber of Commerce
Kyle Riddle – Realtor
Mark Lowe – Archeologist
Jeromie Schumacher and Valiena Rosenkrance – School administrators
Lenetta Shull and Maegan Crowley-School Board Members