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Crowley County High School (built in 1919), the second longest
contiguously used high school in Colorado, is an impressive
brick building with much of the original Italian tile roof.
But the school is 88 years old and shows signs of its age.
Due to an antiquated heating and cooling system and inefficient
windows money was literally seeping through the school district’s
grasp. In January, February and March of 2006, the high school’s
natural gas bill reached $30,000 per month. The district received
an HVAC/energy upgrade grant from the capital construction
grant program to assist with their construction needs in the
elementary (built in 1954) and high school
The heating systems pipes were covered with asbestos, and
the pipes and radiators leaked water and condensation, so
the district had worked in asbestos and mold abatement costs
to its bid. But as removal of the insulated boards covering
their windows began, more instances of asbestos were found.
This unexpected development cost the district another $440,000,
resulting in another application to the Department of Education
for assistance.
The district has a 15% decline in enrollment from 2000-2006.
In small districts, such as Crowley County, the loss of several
kids has a relatively large impact of the district’s
budget. Couple a slowly declining enrollment population with
increased capital construction needs and the district has
the potential for substantial difficulty providing facilities
for an optimal learning environment.
Aside from the HVAC, asbestos and energy efficiency difficulties,
the district has some other pressing capital needs:
• The elementary school’s counselor office
consists of temporary partitions in the teacher’s
lounge.
• Several hundred bats have taken up residency in
the space above the auditorium.
• The high school’s art and band spaces are
not ADA compliant.
• The agriculture vocational building lacks adequate
light and temperature is regulated by opening and closing
a garage door.
• Several rain gutters have been installed inside
the gymnasium to collect water leaking through the roof.
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