SCSD#1 Selects Bloomfield As New School Site

by Tiffany Turner

Sublette County School District No. 1 (SCSD#1) announced last Wednesday its plans to build a new elementary school within the new Bloomfield Subdivision located between Ehman Lane and the BLM Pinedale Field Office.

The elementary school site, which has been under consideration since 2006 and under extreme deadlines and public notice the last several months, was finally chosen this past month and district officials say they are excited to finally move forward with the plans.

“We are thrilled about the new elementary school and are anticipating a very successful project,” SCSD#1 Supt. Doris Woodbury said.

Some reasons behind the decision, according to a press release from SCSD#1, include the availability of sidewalks on all streets, safe biking and walking paths to the schools, Pinedale’s expansion in that direction, reasonable costs, potential for connection to current campus without crossing the highway and a developer willing to accommodate the school’s needs. The School Facilities Commission (SFC) also approved the Bloomfield site.

“This has been a long process,” district project manager Dennis Seipp said. “Hopefully, tonight is the beginning of the end of it.”

According to Seipp, the school plans to build a six-pod school structure for kindergarten through fifth grade, which will basically create six individual schools under the umbrella of one structure.

“We are at the design stage,” Seipp said.

He added the SFC is urging the school to fasttrack construction and building could begin before all steps are finalized. For example, the structure would begin to be set prior to the electrical system’s approval.

“It is an opportunity to shorten the construction period, basically by one year,” Seipp said. Through the next several stages of the project, the school district will meet with many individuals and entities to discuss the needs for the school and the community.

“We will certainly advertise that and invite members of the community,” Woodbury said.

“Whatever those criteria we have we will be working with... the contractors, developers.”

Matt Harber, the most public face of Haymaker Landholdings, Inc., the property developers, gave a PowerPoint presentation of the current development plans last Wednesday.

“We are very excited to be partnering with the school district to address their growing needs as well as the town’s,” Harber said. “We have planned our neighborhood around a school campus from the very beginning and because of that our streets, bike paths and pedestrian pathways will be convenient and safe for kids walking, riding or driving (with their parents of course) to and from the school, their homes and to where their parents might work.”

In addition to the structure, Harber said they hope many of the faculty, students and local families will take up residence in the new development as it takes shape.

“The new K-5 school will be a great fit and we plan to make the process as seamless as possible for the school district,” Harber saidd. “This is a great opportunity for us to work together to address the growth we are facing in smart ways and we are glad to be a part of it.”

The developing stages will begin to move quickly from this point on, Woodbury said.

“There is a real sense of urgency,” she added. “Within two years we’ll have many more children than this school is designed to hold.”