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District reviews Gateway building for testing use and possible CTE conversion; retrofit, sprinklers and funding unknown
Summary
Superintendent Aaron Salt told the board the Gateway building is currently used for testing and that one option is to keep half as a testing center and convert half to career and technical education; fire‑suppression requirements and retrofit costs are still under study and grants cited as unlikely to cover capital work.
The Woodland Park School District RE‑2 superintendent briefed trustees on options for the district’s Gateway building, saying the site currently functions as a testing center for the middle and high schools and that the district is exploring converting part of the facility into a career and technical education (CTE) hub.
Superintendent Aaron Salt said staff are investigating the construction and code changes required to move programs such as ProStart (culinary) into Gateway. "One of the concerns is the building is not currently sprinkled," Salt said. He told trustees the immediate need is to determine whether fire‑suppression work would be required for the entire building or only for a commercial kitchen area; he said there are kitchen hood systems with independent suppression that might meet code and that district staff were consulting local officials about options.
Why it matters: Repurposing Gateway to expand CTE programming could expand students’ vocational opportunities but may require substantial capital investment. Salt said replacing networking switches and addressing other technology issues at Gateway would cost about $10,000; retrofitting the building for CTE purposes could cost much more and the district has not yet received bids.
Salt said the district has examined grants but that most CTE funding sources do not cover capital construction; grant programs the district reviewed tend to fund direct program costs rather than retrofit or building work. Trustees asked whether the district had reached out to multiple contractors for bids; Salt replied that the district was still defining scope and had not yet solicited firm bids because code requirements must first be clarified.
Salt said staff are developing a community engagement plan about Gateway and that the district would begin broader discussions with parents, staff and community members as planning advances. No board action or funding commitment was approved at the meeting; trustees directed staff to continue scoping costs and to report back when estimates and options are available.
