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Wheat Ridge recommends Spectra Centers to reuse Wilmore Davis Elementary, retain park potential
Summary
After an RFI with eight responses, city staff recommended Spectra Centers — an educational operator — as the preferred partner to reuse Wilmore Davis Elementary; Spectra would retain the building for specialized educational services while allowing the city to preserve designated park uses. Council gave consensus to proceed with non-binding letters of interest and draft agreements.
City staff recommended Spectra Centers as the preferred partner for reuse of the vacant Wilmore Davis Elementary site and the council gave consensus to advance negotiations, staff said during a June 22 special study session.
Staff described the RFI outreach (about 500 recipients via BidNet/OpenGov and direct email) and said eight proposals were received for Wilmore Davis. The recommended respondent, Spectra Centers, is a Colorado-based educational organization licensed by the Colorado Department of Education and the Department of Human Services that provides specialized programs for students whose needs are best served outside traditional public-school classrooms. Staff said Spectra’s proposal would keep and reuse the existing school building, is permitted under current zoning, would have a smaller student footprint than a typical public school, and accommodates the city’s stated desire to preserve space for park uses.
Staff emphasized Spectra’s operational experience, the organization’s desire to open a second, more centrally located campus, and a comparatively quick timeline relative to other respondents. The city would next seek to negotiate a non‑binding letter of interest with Spectra and prepare formal agreements and any necessary documents to present to Jeffco Public Schools and to council. Staff also recommended an early neighborhood meeting to introduce Spectra to nearby residents and a later public process to finalize park plans should the transaction advance.
Councilors who grew up near the school and neighbors who spoke in prior public comment expressed support for preserving the building and ensuring public access to park space. Council gave unanimous consensus to select Spectra Centers as the preferred partner and to direct staff to prepare the next-step documents and community engagement events.
