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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPINECONE PUD FORT COLLINS HIGH SCHOOL SITE PLAN ADVISORY REVIEW - 60 91B - MEDIA - CORRESPONDENCE (3)Resident C61AS."amo Members of the Board: The meeting at FCHS last night was the first I had attended. Fam. ily commitments necessitated I leave early, so I did not get a chance to speak. Overall, I like what I see evolving from the plan- ning process with one major excep- tion: the attached commercial use is very ill-conceived. There are several key questions you should ask yourselves before continuing on your present course: 1. Schools by your own admission are built for 75 year life spans. Strip centers are built with at most a 20 year life expectancy. If these uses are attached, what problems are you buying for the next genera- tion? 2. When will the commercial por- tion be built? Surely there is not a current market for this develop- ment. This town is full of off -Col- lege neighborhood centers fighting for their financial lives. Will this be a vacant lot for several years? Then what? 3. W.W. Reynolds is a good devel- opment firm. Will they in fact be the actual developer of the 10 acres, or will they be allowed to sell it to another who may not be as "enlightened"? 4. Having design control may be good for Poudre R-1 but may in fact make the strip center infeasible in the market place. Then what? 5. No matter who owns the com- mercial area, what happens after it is developed and the owner goes bankrupt and/or is foreclosed upon? 6. Why should any school want to have a "right of governance" in a retail area? Isn't that carrying th "control" thing just a little too far? 7. Will we be facing another bond issue in 30 to 20 years to buy the commercial area? Public/private partnerships can be wonderfully positive things. This one has all the makings of a good start. The entire concept could work in separate buildings on their own defined lots, preferably across' a local street from each other. You maintain your concept, but elimi- nate a big risk. Think about it. Randall E. Larsen I attended the last two meetings re. the new Fort Collins High School. The huge increase in atten- dance at the last meeting over the prior, of about six to one, shows that The Coloradoan's publicity directed to the taxpayers and the Board Members of School District Poudre R-1 has borne fruit. The objection level, by tally, at the Feb, it meeting was 3 to 1 AGAINST the proposed location at s c-imment on ner- FCHS plan a1►ilga. the intersection of Timberline and Horsetooth, and 2 to 1 AGAINST the design of the building. The location is widely recognized among real estate developers as one of the most desirable commer- cial sites in northern Colorado. City planners project that Timberline will become 6 lanes and Horsetooth 4 lanes, making what will become one of the busiest intersections in the city. THIS IS THE WRONG LOCATION. TAXPAYERS & SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS: PLEASE STOP and RECOGNIZE REAL- ITY. OUR PRIMARY MISSION IS TO EDUCATE OUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE BEST POSSIBLE CONDITIONS. Do we want a safe, tranquil envi- ronment for our new high school or do we want to foster commercial developers' dreams of high finan- cial gain? The architects and developers have presented this concept of join- ing education and business as something new and wonderful. In fact, this concept was proposed and discarded some 15 years ago on the west coast, in Los Angeles and San Francisco and in counties, sur- rounding both cities. THIS CONCEPT OF MIXING HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION AND COMMERCE IS WRONG! If we put stores in such close proximity to the new high school we will be asking for trouble. Such stores will become a prime gathering place for undesirable persons, dealing in drugs and other unsavory, illegal activities leading to disorder and crime. This fact is well understood by law enforcement officials. Realtors often remind prospec- tive buyers of new homes and busi- nesses that one of the most import - ant factors to consider is LOCATION, LOCATION, ' LOCA- TION. Likewise, re. the site of the future high school, we must avoid DISTRACTIONS, DISTRACTIONS, DISTRACTIONS. In these hectic days, teaching by faculty and learning by students require as calm and quiet an atmosphere as possible. E.L. Jess James I am writing in regard to the pro- posed plan of the new FCHS to be built at Timberline and Horsetooth. I for one can tell you I probably will not shop at such an area! A grocery store at a high school? - sounds like a perfect place to teach shoplifting! I don't want to do my marketing with a bunch of school kids cruising up and down the gro- cery isles. Anyway, I have a brand new Steele's where I would much prefer to shop. Most high school students have their own vehicles and, I believe, they would rather leave the cam- pus area for work, food, etc. Have you ever been to the food court at the Foothills Fashion Mall during the lunch hour? Building the new school with tax dollars should make the best long term use of funds. Natural lighting, solar usage, handicap accessible, adequate parking and growth expansion would be major concerns to incorporate in the new high school plan. The design of the new school should cater to the concept of long term education. Sentiments may not be practical and, after years, the new school will generate it's own special memories. Educating our children is the focus here! The new high school's main goal is to provide an educa- tional environment! I realize most students have to have part ,time jobs, but they'll find these all over town in every interest area. Please, convey these comments to the Poudre R-1 School District on my behalf. I have been unable to attend any of their meetings, but I am very concerned about the new high school. We don't need an alba. tross! We certainly don't need any more retail space. We do need an improved, uncrowded educational facility. Carol J. Babyak' I don't think a commercial area adjacent to the high school- is a good idea. I object to tainting edu- cation with strictly commercial interests. Who will move into a mall near a high school? Record See SCHOOL, Page E3 Continued from Pay 2 stores, fast food shops, video stores and arcades, T-shirt shops and other businesses that cater to kids as a commercial market. Don't we have enough commer- cialism aimed at children on Sat- urday morning with all the ads on TV? Why not have a partnership with some interests that will actually improve the educational opportunities of students? Part, ner with CSU, or locate a Senior Citizens Penter there. Give high school kids the chance to develop relationships with older adults. Have a Day Care Center so stu- dents can positively influence younger children. Have a recy- cling center to improve the envi- ronment. Build a branch of the Fort Collins Library. I believe a larger vision is required of edu- cation than just "saving a buck" on building costs. As a taxpayer, I want to subsidize education, not commercial interests catering to the acquisitiveness of my chil- dren. The justification of the com- mercial area based on student jobs misses the point. First, why don't we focus on student learn- ing instead of student jobs? Sec- ond, even if students want to work after school, how many jobs will really be available and what percent of the FCHS stu- dent population will be hired? I am for more tightly integrat- ing the larger community with the educational system so as improve the relationships between the two. Why not have room for adult education at the high school? Having the larger community use the education facilities of the high school would promote learning at all ages and provide opportunities for fami- lies to learn together. Design the school for flexibility in providing educational alterna- tives and a conducive environ- ment for learning. Moveable walls, skylights, open atmos- phere, first rate library, com- puter lab, carpeting. Design -for a quiet learning environment and limited auto traffic. Have bike paths and good athletic facilities. Alex Barnett 1) We believe a joint commer- cial/educational area for the new high school is an extremely poor idea. The people of Fort Collins passed a bond issue to support the creation of an educational facility; not a suboptimal combs. nation of commercial and class. room. The possibilities of reduced discipline and educa- tional focus far outweigh the sup. posed benefits. 2) We believe that expo --ding the campus to include other edu- cational operations such as Front Range C.C. or NTU would add to the educational focus of the site and provide positive leverage for Poudre R-1 through easy access to additional instruc- tional capabilities. 3) The physical appearance is of lesser import than the quality of curriculum and instruction. The design should reflect budget- ary concerns and the oncoming twenty-first century. We will have the original Fort Collins High School building to preserve the old. 4) As to new design features, we would like to see ample win- dows and light for a healthy envi- ronment, flexibility in class- rooms to accommodate teaching options and built-in ease for installing evolutionary improve- ments in computers and elec- tronic media. 5) Briefly, we would like to add that even though we are excited at the prospect of new schools for our own children and many chil- dren in Fort Collins thanks to the bond issue passing, we are increasingly disillusioned by the lip -service and song and dance of ''community buy -in." We have seen time and time again, it is only a dance — the real decisions and directions are apparently being set by district administra- tors, not the parents and people who pay the bills. Sincerely and with frustration, Keith Bartlett Connie Bartlett 1. I have mixed feelings regarding the proposed 10-acre commercial area that would be adjacent to the new high school. While some jobs might be pro- vided, I'm concerned about pro: moting unbridled consumerism. I'm not in agreement with the location either, the school should be closer to the north side. 2. Yes, it is a good idea to have shared community services because this concept would pro- mote a dynamic interaction between the school and the com- munity, including businesses. 3. The school does not have to reflect the design of the existing school. 4. Design features: energy effi- cient lighting; gas fired 1 com- puter controlled) heating and cooling system; passive and active solar' design: proper insu- lation of walls, roofs and floors; double glazed windows and skylights with ''heat mirror" sheets between layer's; cost- effective air circulation sys- toms: recycling collection ven- ters. John Kefalan