ROCK SPRINGS — The Sweetwater County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees are happy with how the legislative session in Cheyenne has worked out for the district.
$150 million in funding was earmarked specifically for a new Rock Springs High School building Friday, with the funding being part of a larger budget bill that was approved by both the House and Senate. It is awaiting Gov. Mark Gordon’s signature.
“We have the funding now in the budget for 24-25 for a replacement Rock Springs High School,” Chairwoman Carol Jelaco said Monday evening.
Superintendent Kelly McGovern said the funding will include the costs of demolition and disposition of the current high school on James Drive, which McGovern described as “very exciting.” While she mentioned the amount would cover demolition, she also said it’s premature to decide the future of the current building.
“We need to be very careful until some of the engineering assessments come through and what they determine for the future state of Rock Springs High School could be,” McGovern said.
She described the effort as involving the entire community for a long time starting in 2007 when former Superintendent Paul Grube began working on acquiring the land for the school. McGovern said the new high school will be built onto the current RSHS Satellite building near Sage and Pilot Butte schools. The site has 67 acres of land available for the campus.
“We have room for a full replacement that we’ll build onto the satellite school,” McGovern said.
McGovern also explained the district followed the rules laid out by the facilities commission, responding to claims from senators that the district had attempted to jump to the head of the line for school construction funding. She said the district utilized emergency procedures to advocate for funding from the state during its 10th year in seeking the funding.
Facilities Director Dan Selleroli said the funding will pay for an auditorium based on the size of the student population, which is based on population trends estimated for five years beyond the opening date. The school will receive a competitive gym, weight room, though, the weight room wouldn’t be a collegiate style room. The construction will pay for a grass football field and stadium, with a track, though a turf field wouldn’t be paid for.
“You get a high school with all the amenities,” he said.
Along with the turf field, state construction funding won’t cover a new swimming pool and tennis courts, which will force the district to seek other funding to install those facilities. Funding could come from the district’s recreation board mill levy if that board decides to allocate funding to improved and expanded amenities at the school. McGovern said the board is its own board and the group would make its own decisions.
“This community has been blessed, they’ve always come up with the difference,” Selleroli said. “That’s how you come up with two turf fields.”
Selleroli said the school will be large, with facilities commission representatives discussing a need for between 240,000 square feet and 260,000 square feet. If there’s an economic boom, he said the school could be larger. One concern he has heard about regards the industrial shops and CTE areas. There are guidelines, but the district can decide how to allocate its square footage.
In the short term, McGovern said she and Selleroli will approach the state school facilities commission March 27-28 to discuss the most cost-effective means of building the replacement school. She also said there will be a meeting with the RSHS staff to seek input regarding what they want to see in the new building, as well as what the view as the most important issues that should be addressed. McGovern said there will also be community discussions in April to gather ideas and input from residents.
“I think we would all agree that a new high school is something that our whole community would benefit,” McGovern said.
