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October 16, 2014 VOLU M E 1 1 9 | I S S UE 37 | 7 5 ¢ SPECIAL SECTION
ElbertCountyNews.net
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E L B E R T C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
THE INCUMBENT
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John Hickenlooper
Bob Beauprez
INSIDE: Hickenlooper proud of his record — profile on Page 10; Governor hopefuls stray onto new ground — debate coverage on Page 11; Q&A with Hickenlooper on Page 11.
INSIDE: Beauprez: State needs a leader — profile on Page 10; Governor hopefuls stray onto new ground — debate coverage on Page 11; Q&A with Beauprez on Page 11.
Leaky roofs highlight aging schools Money requested for capital projects in Elizabeth district POSTAL ADDRESS
ELBERT COUNTY NEWS (USPS 171-100)
OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Elizabeth, Colorado, the Elbert County News is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ELIZABETH, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210 Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 11 a.m. Legal: Thurs. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 10 a.m. G ET SOCIAL WITH US
P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY
By Mike DiFerdinando
mdiferdinando@colorado communitymedia.com Leaky roofs at Singing Hills Elementary and Elizabeth High School are just the most outward signs of aging infrastructure issues facing Elizabeth Schools. At Elizabeth High School, water came pouring into the school’s cafetorium as recently as Sept. 29. “These are safety issues,” said Chris Richardson, a school board member. “These kinds of infrastructure problems have to be addressed for the well-being of our students.” According to Richardson, the roofs on the two schools have exceeded their life cycle and the district would like to replace the roofs entirely at both locations. “When they were building the schools they had to make choices about where to cut costs. They decided to go with roofs that didn’t have as long of a life cycle as they
could have,” Richardson said. “We got more years out of these roofs than we probably should have and now it’s time to replace them.” Estimates to replace the roofs with new ones that are expected to last up to 30 years will cost EHS about $1 million and Singing Hills about $475,000. The district hopes to raise funds to fix the roofs and make other repairs to its schools with two ballot measures in the upcoming November election. At a special meeting in September, the Elizabeth School Board voted to place two tax measures on the 2014 ballot. The first is a shortterm mill-levy increase to ensure that the district can attract and retain quality teachers and begin to better meet the technological needs of its classrooms. A mill levy is the assessed property tax rate used by local governments and other jurisdictions to raise revenue in order to cover annual expenses. The mill levy is calculated by determining how much revenue each taxing jurisdiction will need for the upcoming year, then dividing that projection by the total value of the property with-
Elizabeth High School is one of multiple schools in the district that is encountering water damage in classrooms. The district has two measures on the ballot this fall hoping that, if passed, they will be able to repair aging infrastructure such as this. Courtesy photo in the area and adding up the rate from each jurisdiction to get the mill levy for the entire area. According to the school district, the estimated property tax impact of the mill-levy override, if approved by voters, is $4.32 per month per $100,000 of a home’s actual market value as determined by
the county assessor, or $15.74 per month per $100,000 for businesses. The second ballot measure is a capital-needs bond request for $2.5 million to go toward what the district calls critical needs, including the acquisition of emergency Roofs continues on Page 9
Elizabeth School District details long list of infrastructure needs Staff report In July 2013, the Elizabeth School District published an Infrastructure Assessment Committee report detailing the capital projects and infrastructure improvements needed. Of the 158 items contained in the IAC’s reports, 17 were considered for near-term corrective action using capital funding. These items represent safety and security risks and/or rapidly deteriorat-
ing infrastructure. 1. Replace Running Creek Elementary School fire alarm system. 2. Install Bi-Directional Amplification (BDA) systems to improve first-responder communication capability. 3. Purchase radios compatible with first responders. 4.Replace Knox-Boxes (wall safes containing building keys for fire departments) with large dualkeyed models. 5.Repair Elizabeth High School track/pole vault surfaces.
6.Replace Elizabeth Middle School smoke doors. 7.Install eyewash station at transportation maintenance facility. 8.Install protective barrier on windows adjacent to child-care play areas. 9.Repair lighting in Elizabeth High School parking lot. 10.Repair fencing and gates at elementary-school play areas. 11.Improve fencing surrounding child-care facility play areas. 12.Replace exterior doors at
Elizabeth Middle School. 13. Replace Singing Hills Elementary School roof. 14. Inspect/repair Elizabeth High School roof. 15.Repair water-repellent coatings and joint seals on masonry buildings. 16.Replace up to three highmileage buses. 17. Install additional dieselstorage capacity.