In a special meeting of the Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees, held via telephone on June 14, the trustees voted in favor of a resolution authorizing the purchase of 1.49 acres belonging to Harry and Mary Dike, and located at 1306 and 1312 Lincoln Ave. in Steamboat Springs.
The board agreed to purchase the Dike property adjacent to the college’s campus in Steamboat Springs, an agreement that included a $600,000 donation from the sellers, capping months of negotiations between the college and the landowners. The land purchase will allow the college to build a new access road to its campus in Steamboat Springs, access that the city is requiring for fire and emergency services.
“We are pleased that we’ve successfully reached an agreement that satisfies the Dike family, the college and the city,” said Dr. Stan Jensen, president of the college that encompasses 11 locations on the Western Slope. “And we’re very grateful that the Dikes have made this substantial donation, in support of the college and our students. Constructing this road will make the campus safer, allowing us to meet the city’s needs for increased emergency access.”
Harrison Dike, who handled the sale for the Dike family, expressed his family’s support for the transaction. “We have always enjoyed a good relationship with our neighbors of more than 33 years, Colorado Mountain College,” he said. “We support the creation of an access road through the property which will ensure that fire trucks and other emergency vehicles will have an easier time reaching the campus.
“This property will create a Lincoln Ave. entrance that we hope will provide Colorado Mountain College additional exposure to solidify Steamboat in the minds of visitors as not only a great ski community, but one also of higher education,” Harrison Dike added.
“This transaction has provided us the opportunity to make a significant charitable donation to Colorado Mountain College, which having family alumni we are pleased to do,” he said.
College administrators will continue meeting with neighbors about plans for the road and building, and with city officials for any necessary permits and approvals. These are the next steps in the college moving forward with plans to build a new student services and academic building on the 65-acre campus.
The new building would replace two to three outdated buildings that originally were built as dormitories in the mid-1960s and have since been adapted for academic use. Construction of the new building is expected to begin in the summer of 2011 and be completed the following summer.
“These older buildings are inefficient in terms of space and energy use,” said Peter Perhac, a college vice president and CEO of the residential campus in Steamboat Springs. “Our new building will be constructed to a LEED silver standard, and will be warmed and cooled using a geo-exchange system of ground-source heat pumps.”
Other features planned for the new building include an auditorium, new cafeteria and food service area, new bookstore and cybercafe, as well as classrooms for current programs such as ski business, outdoor studies, resort management, art and emergency medical training.
Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat Springs
New Construction FACT SHEET (as of June 30, 2010)
Administrators at Colorado Mountain College are planning for a new student services and academic building to be constructed on the southwest section of the college’s 65-acre campus in Steamboat Springs. The new building will replace the academic space of two to three outdated buildings that originally were built as dormitories in the mid-1960s. The older buildings are inefficient in terms of space and energy use and are not conducive to a 21st century college learning environment. Construction of the building will follow the creation of a second access road – required by the city of Steamboat Springs – that will be built on the south side of the campus, connecting directly to Highway 40. The campus has not had any major construction projects since 1997, when residential Hill Hall was built.
Size: One three-level building currently estimated at 45,000 square feet to be built below Bristol Hall; Monson Hall and Bogue Hall will be torn down after the new construction is completed; the future of Willett Hall is yet to be decided
Construction timeframe: Construction of the building is expected to begin during summer 2011, and to be completed during summer 2012. Work will be sequenced to minimize disruption to student learning, with new construction followed by demolition.
Construction cost: To be confirmed in later stages
Features of the new building:
- Approximately 250- to 290-seat auditorium with retractable, bleacher-type seating with foldable chair backs, allowing use as an open room for multiple functions
- Classrooms for current programs such as ski business, outdoor studies, resort management, art, emergency medical training
- New cafeteria and food service area
- New bookstore and cybercafé
- Spaces for cardio rooms, weight rooms, martial arts classes
- New one-stop shop for student services
- Lobby hub
Energy- and resource-saving features: The new building will be constructed to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) “silver” standard, at a minimum, employing many green and energy-efficient design and construction measures. In terms of relative efficiency, LEED silver is above “certified” and below “gold” and “platinum.” All attempts will be made to dispose of demolition materials in an environmentally responsible manner. The building will be heated and cooled using a geo-exchange system of ground-source heat pumps. Administrators also are investigating the possibility of retrofitting the existing Bristol Hall with ground-source heat pumps.
Project partners:
Architect: H + L Architecture from Denver and Colorado Springs, which has designed college buildings and high schools across the state including Eagle Valley High School in Gypsum and Battle Mountain High School in Edwards, and has designed eight LEED projects
Construction management: ARC Integrated Program Management, Inc., with offices in Eagle, Boulder and Casper, Wyo.
General contractor: should be selected by fall 2010