Monte Vista High students present plan to build a house, ask city for letter of support

Monte Vista High School building-trades instructor Aaron Woodke and several students told the Monte Vista City Council on a September 2025 meeting night that the school intends to design and build a roughly 1,200-square-foot house in Monte Vista as part of the class curriculum, and they asked the city for a letter of support to help secure grants and community resources.

The project, presented by Woodke and students including Mark Martinez and Logan Futura, is a yearlong, hands-on curriculum the instructor said usually runs from the start of the school year in August through May. Woodke said the program pairs classroom instruction with real construction experience and outside partners and that the students aim to complete a full-sized single-family house rather than a tiny home.

"So we're here to give information to the entire city on a project that we have going on with the high school," Woodke said during the council meeting.

Why it matters: presenters said the project will give participating students trade certifications and work experience, connect local employers with future workers, and could create a housing option that attracts young residents. The students and instructor said local business sponsors have committed in-kind materials and services and that the project will help students obtain nationally recognized credentials.

Project partners and certifications: Woodke told the council the Monte Vista program is a satellite of Careers in Construction Colorado (CICC), an education and workforce program associated with the Home Builders Institute. Through that partnership, students can obtain HBI certificates, a PAC-10 core credential and OSHA-10 training. Woodke said those credentials can make students eligible for apprenticeship and entry-level jobs in trades immediately after high school.

Student Mark Martinez described CICC's role in connecting students with employers and training. "They are a great program that helps high school students like me and my classmates get jobs, get that jump start on whether you're trying to be an electrician, a plumber, or an architect," Martinez said.

Funding, timeline and scope: presenters estimated construction costs at about $140,000, depending on whether the project includes purchase of land. They described the target home as about 1,200 square feet with three bedrooms and one-and-a-half or two baths, saying local realtors advised that configuration will broaden buyer interest. Woodke said the class currently includes roughly 44 active students and that the project is intended to run during a single school year so participating students will see the full construction cycle.

Local support and sponsors: presenters showed a sponsor list that they said included Valley Electric, McQuitty Plumbing, RG Bank, Colorado Farm Bureau, Matthias Concrete, Buffalo Broadcasting and Roberts Group Real Estate as silver-level sponsors. Greeny Mountain Lumber was listed as a gold sponsor that would sell required materials at cost. Woodke also said architect Graham Oden, a Monte Vista native working at a Denver firm, has agreed to help prepare plans.

Land and approvals: Woodke said the group has presented to the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) about building on a city-owned parcel and hoped to return to the URA's October meeting; he asked city staff and council to provide a letter of municipal support to strengthen grant applications. When asked about potential parcels, city staff member "DJ" identified several URA-owned properties, including lots on the 500 block of Franklin and one on South Broad, as possibilities.

Council response and next steps: Council members voiced informal support. Woodke asked for a letter of support; a city representative said the city could provide one and requested a draft to expedite the process. The students also displayed a QR code that links to a form for businesses and residents to offer donations, materials, volunteer labor or other assistance.

The presenters said they had applied to multiple grant sources and were pursuing gap funding with local partners; they noted that if grant funding falls short the team may pursue a smaller alternative such as collaborating with mountain-area schools on a tiny-home model.

The presentation closed with the students asking the council for a letter of support and the city indicating it would provide a letter if the presenters supplied a draft and list of existing letters of support from other entities.

For follow-up: Woodke said the group will continue applying for grants, coordinate with the URA on property options and invite business volunteers to site work and mentoring. The school will also post participation information on the school website and has already collected letters from the county commissioners and the school board.