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Design team hears youth input as Leadville advances community center planning
Summary
Design and outreach for the Leadville Community Center continue: planners reported a youth coalition session with roughly 30 students who emphasized light, flexible 'unstructured' spaces and interior character; engineers confirmed the existing building has good bones but mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems will require major replacement and ADA upgrades could be expensive.
Leadville — City staff and the Leadville community’s design team told council March 3 that the Leadville Community Center planning process is advancing with direct youth engagement and building assessments.
Design teams (Anderson Mason Dale with Headframe Design and local partners) met with a Lake County youth coalition of roughly 30 high-school–age participants who prioritized brightness, color and flexible, unstructured spaces over the feel of a "dungeon." Council members and staff said that feedback aligned with prior outreach and underscored a community desire for multi-use indoor space for art, athletics and gatherings.
The design team’s structural and systems review found the existing former school building has solid "bones," but the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems are at the end of their useful life. Staff noted that adding windows and skylights improves light but drives up cost because of structural changes and asbestos abatement. ADA accessibility to the upstairs (likely an elevator) and restroom upgrades are cost drivers the team will analyze, staff said.
Ballard King, part of the planning/operational team, is preparing five- and ten-year operational projections, including potential revenue generators and tradeoffs between high-revenue features and youth-friendly programming. Council asked for follow-up on projected operating models and possible funding mechanisms, including the prospect of a taxing district or targeted grant funds.
Next steps: the design team will continue testing options, share materials with council in upcoming meetings and produce cost and operational scenarios to inform funding decisions.
