Eagle County Commissioners visited the site of a potential elementary or middle school in El Jebel earlier this week.
It’s the first step in a years-long process.
Roaring Fork School District already owns land in the Blue Lake subdivision. It wants to join that with an adjacent 8.6 acres of public property to create the site of a future school, something the district anticipates a need for as the midvalley population grows.
After touring the site on Tuesday, commissioners approved the request. At this stage, the decision signals the site meets basic health and safety standards, like having access to a clean water supply.
School districts in Colorado have condemnation power, which means the Roaring Fork School district could simply take the land. County commissioner Jeanne McQueeney says the district is going through the approval process in an effort to be transparent.
“They’re opening this up to the public process, and they’re being collaborative, so I think they are interested in hearing from the public as to what their concerns are and what they want to see on the site,” she said.
If the school district chooses to eventually develop the site, it will come up with project specifics like sidewalks, lighting and what would happen to a ballfield and park that currently exist on the property.
