On January 12, the Salida School Board held its first meeting of 2021. The district has had much success with in-person learning throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and is continuing to remain strong in the new year. One of the main highlights of the meeting was the conversation surrounding land acquisition by the district for future growth. During the meeting, the board discussed possible land sites for future buildings. Due to COVID-19, the land acquisition process and plan to expand was put on the back burner last year.
Superintendent Blackburn explained “We identified two pieces of land. We were looking at purchasing one but with COVID hitting we had to back out of that private purchase. That could be a conversation we could kick back up. I haven’t come back to it. The other was working with the county. There’s a piece of land that is north of the fair grounds.”
This map shows the revisions for district boundaries. Image courtesy of the Salida School District.
Blackburn spoke with the commissioners about this potential build site near the Chaffee County Fairgrounds. The land is currently used as pasture land but was purchased by the county for the development of the fair grounds. This proposal is still in early phases with more conversations to be had. The district would plan to use 36 of the 76 acres. Currently the District is working on a purchase agreement.
Blackburn said “It would not be something we would develop today. It would be to make sure at that ten-year mark, for those of us now sitting at the table who aren’t here anymore, that that team of leadership has the right assets to manage the growth.”
The growth in population led to a revision of current district boundaries. The board ultimately voted to approve a resolution that revises director district boundaries and re-designates director districts according to a recent demographic study.
The study was done through Western Demographics. Inc. to conduct a population survey. The board believes that based on said survey, revisions are necessary.
Recent Comments