A residential construction boom in northwest Arvada has increased student enrollment numbers faster than predicted, and the Jeffco School District is discussing what to do about classrooms rapidly hitting full capacity.
“Not all of these developments are directly adjacent to each other, but it’s all along what we call the 93 Corridor,” said Steve Bell, the district’s chief operations officer. “The initial numbers said there could be 4,000 to 5,000 residential units in a 15-year buildout, and now that could happen in five or six years.”
The area affected by the population increase extends from north Golden to Arvada along Colorado 93 and serves approximately 3,420 students in six neighborhood schools. The rapid influx of new residents has or soon will push enrollment past capacity at Fairmount, West Woods, Mitchell and Meiklejohn elementary schools.
While Arvada’s northwest sector has so far seen mainly residential growth, long-term plans call for 604 acres to be developed into commercial and retail space, including hospitals, fire stations, an Xcel substation, big-box stores and convenience stores.
“This pace won’t last forever, but we’re going a heck of a lot faster than we were three years ago,” said Mark Deven, Arvada’s city manager.
Highlighting the need to find a solution, Bell pointed to the fact that Mitchell Elementary sixth-graders had to be moved to Bell Middle School last year.
“Some of these schools are bursting at the seams,” said school board treasurer Jill Fellman.
Recent discussions have centered around building a K-8 school on 10 acres near Colorado 93 and 58th Avenue. The school would cost an estimated $25 million and provide relief for Mitchell, West Woods and Fairmount elementary schools.
“I want to stress that there’s been no decisions, and all options are on the table,” Fellman added.
Bell and Fellman said other options include changing boundaries of neighborhood schools, busing students to less populated schools, temporary classrooms or additions to existing schools.
In a recent presentation to the school board, Tim Reed, the district’s executive director of facilities, said roughly two-thirds of district facilities are more than 30 years old, with a district total of $469 million in facility deficiencies. About a dozen schools are being recommended for replacement.
The operations and maintenance budget hit $66.1 million for the 2013-14 school year.
The last influx of money for facility expansion came with a successful 2004 bond issue; voters shot down a 2008 request, and a 2012 bond approval for $99 million went for maintenance.
“The 2012 bond did not produce one new square foot of space at all,” Bell said.
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com or twitter.com/abriggs
