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In a few weeks, the Weld RE-4 School District Board of Education will vote to decide if a $271 million bond proposal measure will be included on election ballots in November.

The board is scheduled for the vote during its Aug. 15 meeting in Windsor. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the board room at the district administration building on Main street.

But first, on Monday, the board will convene for a work session where it will discuss and review the potential bond and mill levy override ballot questions, according to the work session agenda. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. It will also be held in the board room in the administration building and the meeting will be streamed live: https://live.myvrspot.com/st?cid=ZmI5MD

The board discussed a possible MLO earlier this month during a previous work session.

The school district has maintained over the last several years the need for new schools, renovated schools and other facilities in the face of an increasing student enrollment.

The district said it conservatively projects 6,497 students in Weld RE-4 schools this year, excluding Windsor Charter Academy. The district estimates a little more than 8,000 students with WCA added to the projection, which represents a 98.5% increase in the last 12 years.

Eight of nine schools in the district have exceeded building capacity. To manage growth for the upcoming school year, the district purchased five modular buildings (25 classrooms) at a cost of $8.9 million. The modulars are in the process of being installed, according to Weld RE-4 Director of Communications and Public Relations Katie Smith.

If the board votes to include the bond measure on the ballot, this will be the second time in two years the district tried for capital funding to build and renovate schools. A $179 million bond measure failed by fewer than 500 votes on last year’s ballot.

One component of the bond proposal focuses on Windsor Middle School, a nearly 100-year-old building located in a high traffic corridor on Main street. The middle school has a capacity for 700 students in sixth through eighth grades. The school’s enrollment during the 2021-22 school year was 818. More than 830 students (834) are registered to attend Windsor Middle for 2022-23 as of late July.

The proposal on the table for the middle school recommends building a new 900-student capacity middle school on 15th street in Windsor at an estimated cost of $92.5 million. A new middle school at this location was also a part of the bond package rejected by voters a year ago.

The middle school project under the current version of the bond includes maintaining the existing Windsor Middle School as a middle school until it can be repurposed for future district use. New chief operating officer Michael McCullar said earlier this month the request to maintain the current Windsor Middle School came from the board of education and the bond advisory committee.

“If we had shut down Windsor Middle School as soon as this one was open, we would already be at capacity,” McCullar said during an online community meeting July 19 on the proposed bond package. “We’ve already been delayed from the 2020 election being cancelled and then failing the 2021 (bond), our growth has continued to accelerate and we did not want to open a brand-new building at capacity.”

The current bond package also allows for building repairs at multiple schools. The repairs at the middle school will focus on replacing the roof, roof-top units, boilers and water heaters, according to information posted July 28 on the district Facebook page.

“The town and the district both want to get Windsor Middle School off Main street,” said Chris Ruff, a Windsor resident and member of the district’s long-range planning facilities committee and the bond advisory committee. “No one is opposed to that. But we’re not there yet.”

Smith said if the bond passes the district’s plan is for Severance Middle and the new middle school to have capacity of 900 students. Severance Middle School is slated to receive a 300-seat addition and a second gym under the current bond proposal.

The district will then form a boundary committee representative of the community to decide boundaries for the three middle schools.

A portion of Windsor Middle School, more than 36,000 square feet, remains closed off and unused. There is asbestos in that section. McCullar said the rough cost is $1.2 million to tear down that section. He gave the estimate in response to a question on asbestos in the building during the July 19 online community town hall.

McCullar added the asbestos is inspected and evaluated every six months, and the building is scheduled for inspection by a third party this summer.

“We have processes in place to monitor the asbestos where it does exist,” McCullar said. “Specifically at Windsor Middle School, that part of the building has been shut off and students are not allowed in that area.”

Smith said there is no record of the district requesting funding 20 years ago to remove asbestos from the middle school and the work then not occurring.

Smith said safety and maintenance issues in the building were addressed through funds from the 2016 bond. A secure entry was added and repairs were made relating to sewer, mechanical and drainage. Portions of the building received new paint and carpet and new LED lighting in classrooms and hallways.

Earlier this year, a layer of asbestos was found in the roof of the old Greeley West High School as it was prepared for demolition. Abatement on the asbestos continued this month. The process must be completed before the remaining section of the building is demolished.

The school will be replaced by a rebuilt Greeley West in the coming weeks and in time for the opening of the new academic year next month.

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that occurs in rock and soil, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Asbestos has been used in a variety of building construction materials for insulation and as a fire retardant because of its fiber strength and heat resistance. Asbestos does not pose a health risk if it is managed properly, according to the EPA.

Ruff said the building other than that section is a “functioning school.”

“We’ll fix the roof and make HVAC repairs and keep it going,” Ruff said. “We don’t want it to fall into disrepair. We can’t afford to close Windsor Middle School as it exists. We have too much need for seat space.”

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