The Weld (Colorado) RE-9 School District plans to break ground this summer on a K-8 school in Ault.
The Greeley Tribune reports that the facility will be built adjacent to the Highland Middle and High School campus.
Voters in the district, which includes Ault, Pierce, Nunn and Carr, approved a $88 million bond proposal last year to pay for the project.
The new facility will replace two century-old buildings that house the elementary and middle schools.
Highland Elementary School in Pierce, built in 1923, has heating and cooling problems, inadequate space for technological and electrical infrastructure and concerns about fresh air and security.
Similar troubles persist at Highland Middle School in Ault, built in 1921, which also struggles with limited space, students traveling between buildings and ventilation problems.
The K-8 space will increase student capacity in anticipation of a predicted enrollment rise. Elementary enrollment is expected to increase by 100 students, and high school enrollment is expected to grow by 50, the district says.
The school’s proposed design would keep middle and elementary students separate. To the west, the elementary side will have a playground with an open field. The outdoor middle school space will have a courtyard next to basketball courts and an open field.
The only crossover for middle and elementary students will happen at the front entrance, where parents will pick up and drop off students.
After the new facility is completed, the district plans to demolish Highland Elementary; the site would be used for outdoor community activities or future school facilities.
The district also may opt to sell the property to the town of Pierce for a multipurpose building that would house the town hall, a recreation center and more community use spaces.
