Colorado town spending $95 million to expand schools, upgrade safety

The Gunnison Watershed School District (GWSD) in Colorado will use $95 million to upgrade security, improve playgrounds and add more classrooms at four of its seven schools. Voters approved the projects as part of a 2022 bond package. Construction will begin this year.

The district will spend $55 million to upgrade Crested Butte Community School, a project that calls for building more classrooms to expand the school’s capacity by one-third. Other upgrades include improving the HVAC system, creating special education and STEAM spaces, expanding the cafeteria and renovating the science lab.

Plans call for spending $29 million on Gunnison Community School to expand the cafeteria and kitchen and make the playground and main entrance safer. The district will install an HVAC system, install classroom temperature controls, renovate the library and increase STEAM space flexibility.

The district will spend $9.3 million on Gunnison High School/Pathways to build safer entrances and expand career readiness facilities. Plans also call for a $2.8 million Lake School project that includes making the school’s entrance, traffic flow and playground safer.

Districtwide security upgrades include $6 million to install CCTV cameras and monitoring software. Other additions include installing interior push lock buttons that allow teachers to secure rooms from the inside and door monitors to alert staff to propped-open entry points.

Gunnison is located 200 miles southwest of Denver.

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