District asks staff to begin lease and operating-agreement work after workforce-center briefing

Build Pagosa staff presented a business plan for a proposed regional workforce center and asked the Archuleta County School District board to authorize district counsel and staff to begin drafting an updated lease and operating agreement.

Roxan Ricker, Build Pagosa’s new program director, told the board the plan includes operating-cost projections and an explanation of the methodology used to estimate utilities and other recurring expenses. "We are guesstimating that it would cost the district approximately $3,400 a month," Ricker said, adding that Build Pagosa’s share was estimated at about $1,100 a month based on scaled comparisons to local facilities. Presenters said some line items (for example, alarm monitoring) were quoted precisely while other figures were triangulated from comparable buildings.

The presenters said the existing memorandum of understanding versions (from 2021 and 2023) require revision into a tighter lease and a separate operating agreement that spells out hours, responsibilities, insurance and cost-sharing. They also described fundraising to date: an average of roughly $61,000 in annual fundraising and a stated three-year private foundation commitment of $450,000 to underwrite program expenses.

Board members sought clarification on the cost split and long-term benchmarks. Directors asked for enrollment and job-placement outcome measures, contingency/exit plans if community partnership or revenue falls short, and specifics about who would carry different operating costs such as insurance. Presenters said they could provide additional documentation and recommended a summer work session to surface outstanding questions and to prepare a draft lease that would return to the board for review and ratification.

District staff indicated the board could direct district counsel (Daryl) and the administration (Rick) to begin negotiating the updated lease and operating agreement and to return with a near-final document for approval or ratification. Presenters emphasized that federal grant reviewers will check that any lease and operating relationships are clear and auditable during merit review and compliance checks.

Next steps: Build Pagosa will provide the business plan and requested details digitally, the district will compile board questions and schedule a focused work session this summer, and staff will bring a draft lease/operating agreement back to the board for formal review and possible ratification.