Thank you, Mesa County voters, for approving the November 2021 Bond Measure
to rebuild Grand Junction High School! Just as the district shared detailed
information during the course of numerous projects funded by the 2017 Bond
Measure, we will continue to post updates here on d51schools.org throughout
the Grand Junction High School construction process.
What has been done so far?
A good portion of the foundation of the new school is complete, piles have
been installed, concrete crews are forming up some of the walls, and work is
ongoing in the alleyway behind the school.
How many bond dollars have been spent so far, and how have they been spent?
Pictured below is information regarding the financial standing of the GJHS
Building Project and how the bond dollars are being allocated.
A look at the total expenses to date.
Expenses by category and type, as of October 2022.
Construction Timeline
- June 1, 2022 - Groundbreaking
-
May 2024 (anticipated) - Construction of new building
complete
-
Summer 2024 (anticipated) - Move furniture into new
building, receive certificate of occupancy, demolish old school
-
Aug.-Dec. 2024 (anticipated) - Renovation of the East Gym
and final site development
- End of 2024 (anticipated) - Projected complete
How will the outside of the building look?
How will the inside of the building look?
How big is the new school?
The three-story, 250,000-square-foot building is built to comfortably enroll
1,600 students, though there is room (100% capacity) for upwards of 1,900
students.
When will construction take place? Construction of the
new building is scheduled to take place from the summer of 2022 through the
summer of 2024. The old buildings will be demolished in the summer of 2024
and sports fields will be built in their place.
When will the new school open?
The new building is scheduled to be ready for occupancy in time for the
start of the 2024-25 school year. Sports fields will go in after the old
buildings are demolished.
What are some features of the new school?
The building will have a community performing arts center, an athletic
center, a commons area that can be converted to a dining area during lunch
time, a Maker Space and media center/library, and Career and Technical
Education classrooms. Rather than being divided by grades or subjects,
classroom wings will be sorted by career pathways/academies:
- Arts & Humanities
- Business & Entrepreneurship
- Engineering, Technology, & Natural Resources
- Health Sciences & Human Services
How much will it cost to rebuild Grand Junction High School?
The estimated project cost is close to $145 million, with about $113 million
of that cost coming from construction and the rest going to "soft costs,"
such as furniture in the building.
What are the funding sources for this project?
The 2021 bond measure provides the bulk of the project funding - $115
million. The rest will come from a $10 million Building Excellent Schools
Today (BEST) grant from the state and $19.5 million remaining from the 2017
Bond Measure.
How much will this bond measure cost homeowners?
The owner of a $300,000 home will pay less than $3 per month, according to
current estimates from the assessor's office.
Is the plan to rebuild the entire school?
The project will supply a completely new high school. However, the East Gym
and the Art Building, which are newer parts of the GJHS campus with more
structurally sound foundations, will be preserved as stand-alone buildings.
Where will students go to school during construction?
The design for a new Grand Junction High School is a three-story building on
the northeast part of the current campus. The placement of the new school
will allow construction to take place while students continue to attend
school at the current buildings. After the 2023-24 school year, GJHS will be
able to move into its new building over the summer, and the old building
will be demolished. Sports fields and parking will be completed on the site
of the old school in 2024, and the entire project should be done by the end
of December 2024.
Why build on the existing site?
Building on the existing site saves taxpayers the expense of purchasing new
land for the high school, and it was written into the bond measure that the
new building would go on the existing land. It also isn't necessary to move
- the soil under GJHS is the same as soil found pretty much anywhere else in
city limits, including right next door at the growing CMU campus. The
structural issues that led to cracks and sinking in Grand Junction High
School's foundation are the result of insufficient construction practices in
1955, when the main building was built. More modern construction practices
call for installing dozens of piles under the new foundation to anchor the
building to hard shale, rather than clay, and will result in a more stable
foundation.
How do bond measures work?
If voters approve a bond measure, the district is authorized to sell bonds
to investors in the amount of the bond (in this case, $115 million). The
district pays back the investors with interest over time using a temporary
property tax increase that voters approved specifically for the bond measure
when they voted for it. When the bonds are paid off, the property tax
increase goes away.
BALLOT MEASURE 4B LANGUAGE
SHALL MESA COUNTY VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 51 DEBT BE INCREASED $115
MILLION, WITH A MAXIMUM REPAYMENT COST OF NOT TO EXCEED $205.75 MILLION, AND
SHALL TAXES BE INCREASED NOT MORE THAN $20.9 MILLION ANNUALLY BY THE
ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS:
1) FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF REPLACING GRAND JUNCTION HIGH SCHOOL (CONSTRUCTED
IN 1956) WITH A NEW HIGH SCHOOL ON THE SAME SITE AND RENOVATING THE EXISTING
EAST GYM AND ART BUILDING ON THE HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS SITE (THE
“PROJECT”); AND
2) REPLACEMENT OF THE HIGH SCHOOL WILL INCLUDE IMPROVED CLASSROOMS, LEARNING
SPACES AND FACILITIES BY EXPANDING STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCESS TO MORE
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, COLLEGE CREDIT COURSES AND VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL
SKILLS TRAINING CLASSES; AND
3) THE NEW HIGH SCHOOL WILL ALSO INCLUDE IMPROVED ART AND ATHLETIC
FACILITIES AVAILABLE TO ALL STUDENTS; AND
4) WITH THE TAX INCREASE EXPIRING UPON THE REPAYMENT OF ANY BONDS ISSUED
PURSUANT TO THIS BALLOT QUESTION; AND
WITH BONDS ISSUED AT SUCH TIME, AT SUCH PRICE, AND IN SUCH MANNER CONSISTENT
WITH THIS BALLOT ISSUE, AND SHALL PROPERTY TAXES BE LEVIED AT A MILL LEVY
SUFFICIENT IN EACH YEAR TO PAY THE PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST ON THE DEBT AND
ANY REFUNDING DEBT WHEN DUE, OR FOR A RESERVE THAT CAN ONLY BE USED TO PAY
THE PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST ON BONDS; PROVIDED THAT THE PROCEEDS RECEIVED BY
THE DISTRICT FROM THE ISSUANCE OF THE BONDS AUTHORIZED BY THIS QUESTION
SHALL NOT EXCEED $115 MILLION; AND PROVIDED FURTHER THAT ANY PROCEEDS OF THE
BONDS REMAINING AFTER THE PROJECT IS COMPLETE SHALL USED ONLY TO REPAY BONDS
AND NOT USED FOR PROJECTS NOT AUTHORIZED BY THIS BALLOT QUESTION?
Notice of D51 Financial Information (click here)