Palmer master plan presented: district unveils phased $100 million-plus rebuild with academic-first approach

District 11 staff and design partners presented an updated master plan for Palmer High School at the April 9 work session that phases construction to prioritize academic spaces, preserve and restore the 1939 building, and eventually bring athletic fields onto campus.

Superintendent Carl opened the presentation by describing the project as a multi-year effort to deliver a long-term campus vision. "This is the last picture of the current layout of Palmer High School that we will ever see," he said, urging the board to consider both technical plans and community-focused renderings. Dr. Wise, who led the district’s planning work, told the board the process has included extensive outreach; "we've had over 30,000 touch points of community feedback," she said.

Design and construction partners—RTA Architecture, Perkins Eastman and Adolphson & Peterson—outlined a phased approach. Phase 1 focuses on a new three- to four-story academic building on the east side of campus, demolition of the existing tech building and renovations to the 1939 structure and limited work in the 1968 building to enable student moves during construction. The timeline presented calls for abatement and demolition beginning after the school year ends, construction to begin in summer 2025, substantial completion of the academic wing in late 2026, and completion of the 1939 renovation by January 2027. Landscaping and remaining punch-list items were shown into spring 2028 to meet permitting and seasonal planting windows.

The project team presented a target project budget in the conceptual planning materials of approximately $100 million (total project budget). The team emphasized that estimate includes design, direct construction costs and contingencies to allow for unknowns such as utility relocations and tariff fluctuations. District staff said the estimate gives the team flexibility during design to prioritize instructional elements while monitoring market conditions.

Design highlights include restoring glass-block features on the original 1939 façade, creating a new main entry plaza and secondary Weber Street entry, a prominent picture window with views to Pikes Peak from the academic wing, and a library/media center repositioned as a central student hub. The presentation also showed a campus walk, a curved path that becomes part of a phased track-and-field scheme, and placeholders for the Eagle memorial and bell.

The team said the academic-first approach reduces disruption to students by keeping most instruction on-site through phased moves; staff estimated the first summer moves would affect a minority of teachers and that the district can accommodate students without remote relocation. The board discussed planning for traffic, permitting and a permanent closure of Boulder Street in a later phase; staff said temporary construction closures will be pursued first and that a permanent closure for the athletics phase would require a year-long city approval process.

Operational and sustainability questions were raised by directors. The design team noted shading devices, perforated metal screening and façade strategies will be refined through energy and daylight modeling to reduce glare and solar heat gain while maintaining views. The district confirmed the rebuilt spaces will be fully conditioned and ADA-compliant. The design team indicated they are working toward applicable energy-performance goals and will model options during design.

Why it matters: Palmer is the district’s downtown high school; the master plan aims to modernize instructional space and consolidate facilities downtown while eventually restoring on-site athletics, which the community and students requested across engagement sessions.

Next steps: Community open house scheduled for April 22, an official board approval of the master plan anticipated May 14, and a groundbreaking planned for May 12. District staff said detailed phasing and permitting will continue through design, with future budget and contract approvals to return to the board as each construction phase is refined.