Chavez Huerta proposes 73,501 square-foot high school expansion to Pueblo P&Z

Chavez Huerta K-12 Preparatory Academy proposed a 73,501 square-foot expansion of the Dolores Huerta Preparatory High School building to the Pueblo Planning and Zoning Commission Wednesday afternoon.

The expansion would not only increase high school classroom space, but also add space for a new Ersilia Cruz Middle School attached to the existing Dolores Huerta Preparatory High School building. Expansions are slated for completion in April 2024 at an expected cost of about $35 million. About $30 million of the cost is covered through the Colorado Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) grant. Remaining funds are being paid through the refinancing of bonds from 2019.

The middle school addition will consist of two stories and about 53,540 square feet attached to the northeast side of the existing high school. It will include 20 classrooms, dining space, an area for performances and a kitchen. A proposed high school addition of nearly 20,000 square feet will add 13 high school classrooms.

Expansions would eliminate the need for modular classroom buildings, said Jack Bay, chief business officer at Chavez Huerta. A portion of students at Chavez Huerta have been attending classes in modular classrooms for more than two decades.

"Our whole goal is to get rid of modulars," Bay said. "I disdain modulars for a variety of reasons. They are modular, temporary buildings. Well, they have been temporary for 22 years. I think our time has come."

Benefits of permanent buildings over modulars include increased safety in lockdown situations, protection from inclement weather, room for social distancing if needed and less money spent on upkeep, Bay said.

While the expansion would allow Chavez Huerta to leave modulars behind, it would also eliminate a traffic circulation loop behind Dolores Huerta Preparatory High School. Elimination of the circulation loop was the subject of concerns from the Pueblo Planning and Zoning Commission about fire truck and ambulance access to the school. Bay said he met with engineers to address these concerns following Wednesday's meeting.

In addition to the circulation loop, the project would eliminate 66 parking spaces. However, 160 parking spaces, including seven Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible spaces, would still be available at the site, according to a staff presentation from the Pueblo Planning and Zoning Commission.

Since the beginning of the fall semester, Ersilia Cruz Middle School students have been housed in a "transitional" school. The transitional building will house elementary school students from Cesar Chavez Academy once expansions to the high school building are completed in 2024. The existing Cesar Chavez Academy building will house a preschool program and administrative offices.

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Chavez Huerta proposes high school expansion to Pueblo P&Z