LOOK INSIDE:
PAGE 3
Spooktacular
PAGE 8
Beast
PAGE 9
Sings
the
Sopris Carbondale’s weekly
Because every town needs a park, a library and a newspaper
community connector
Sun
Volume 7, Number 37 | October 22, 2015
RFSD explains security plans Part of bond proposal By Lynn Burton Sopris Sun Staff Writer
H
ere’s something that WILL NOT happen regardless of the outcome of the $122 million Roaring Fork School District bond issue election on Nov. 3. The school district will not be installing airport-type security, or other electronic security devices, at school entrances. That’s what Roaring Fork School District Chief Operating Officer Jeff Gatlin tells The Sopris Sun. Several “safety and security” improvements are listed on the school district’s fact sheets (rfsd.k12.co.us), as well as the categories “learning environments,” “facility condition improvements” and “energy efficiency upgrades.” Big-ticket items in the proposed bond issue are: $34.4 million for a new pre-kindergarten-througheighth-grade school between Glenwood Springs and Carbondale at Eastbank; $31.6 million to modernize and upgrade middle schools in Carbondale, Glenwood Springs and Basalt; $20 million for a Glenwood Springs Elementary School remodel to create a single, interconnected school (the district received a $9.1 BEST grant that it must use it or lose it); and $15 million for RFSD employee rental housing. Gatlin is the school district’s go-to guy for questions about safety and security. The Sopris Sun e-mailed several questions to him (including the one about electronic security). Here are his email responses. Question: What is the total cost district wide for safety and security improvements? Answer: It will be difficult to provide the total cost for all safety and security improvements due to the nature of how some of these costs were calculated. The cost estimators provided a general remodel price for each building and safety and security costs were included in this number. While we do have some of the safety and security line item costs identified, it is not accurate due to the nature in which many schools’ costs were calculated. Q: The term “secure entry vestibule” appears for most of the schools. What is a secure entry vestibule? A: A secure entry vestibule is an area at the entrance of each school where individuals can enter the school through one set of doors but need permission or granted access to enter another set of RFSD SECURITY page 8
Mattias Ericsson-Walterson (up to his neck in leaves) and Jon Walterson (right) get a workout raking leaves in River Valley Ranch over the weekend. Mattias told The Sopris Sun they plan to get out the ladder and do a little leaf-pile jumping next weekend. On a related note, now that RVR trees are coming into maturity, they splash palettes full of yellows, reds, oranges and other colors for a couple of weeks in late September to early-and-mid October, with even more spectacular displays predicted for years to come. Photo by Lynn Burton
Full line-upp and ticket information f at MoabFolkFestival.com