District 51 plans to convert East Middle School into centralized administrative offices; project just under $7.6 million

Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 leaders on Wednesday outlined a two-phase plan to convert East Middle School into the districtadministration center, presenting design plans, a construction timeline and a near-$7.6 million cost estimate.

Clint Garcia, the districtchief operations officer, told the Board of Education the plan is intended to consolidate staff currently split across multiple leased and owned sites to increase operational efficiency, reduce lease costs and centralize meeting and training space. "Wewant to utilize that existing facility instead of shuttering that building," Garcia said.

Architect Daniel Gardner of Chamberlain Architects described the work in two phases: phase one would retrofit lower-level classrooms into open offices and cubicle space and create a districtwide training room; phase two would reconfigure upper-level classroom space and make targeted improvements in the gym building, including accessible restrooms. "The layout that you see includes very few walls or doors. Itis really mostly cubicles," Gardner said.

Melanie Trillo, a district staff member who presented the budget figures, said the total project cost for both phases is "just under $7.6 million." She broke that into roughly $700,000 for phase one (primarily furniture and fit-out) and about $6.8 million for phase two construction. Trillo said the district expects to recoup about $2.5 million by selling two properties currently housing administrative functions (referred to as BTK and Emerson) and to eliminate a Compass lease that costs about $155,000 per year.

District staff said the project will be paid entirely from capital project fund dollars and will not use bond or mill-levy funds, nor will it affect the general fund. "This project will be paid entirely from capital project fund dollars," Trillo said.

Construction is planned to begin next summer, with staff moved into the lower level first so that disruptive work on the upper floors can proceed with minimal interruption. Officials said they expect the work to take roughly a year, noting some work will need to be scheduled around occupied spaces.

Board members and staff highlighted accessibility and site changes, including converting parallel to diagonal parking on Gunnison and Hill avenues and removing interior courtyard fencing no longer appropriate for an office campus. City planning and council review had been completed earlier in the rezone process, staff said, and contractor bidding has begun.

Board members asked about projected utility and energy savings; Trillo said utility savings were expected to be modest because square footage and head count remain similar, and staff were still assembling that analysis. The gym will remain available for students and community use, the district said.

Next steps described by presenters include finalizing contractor selection through the bidding process and proceeding with phased construction; staff said they will return with additional implementation details as they become available.