Information

The Sanford School is the heart of its community. Many of the town’s families have had three or more generations educated within its walls. The achievements of each new class are celebrated and are a source of community pride. This shared experience is one of the threads that binds the community together. The Town gathering place, however, was becoming worn. The original school building was constructed in 1921. In the 1930’s, a large addition that became the school’s academic core was built. Several other minor building additions followed. Lastly, a new gymnasium was constructed in 2002. The resulting facility contained several functional deficiencies and deteriorating systems. Through the State of Colorado’s BEST Grant Program, the Sanford School District had the opportunity to strengthen the commitment to its students’ education with new facilities to serve future generations.

LKA reviewed the District’s Master Plan and proposed that it be significantly modified in order for the resulting school to better serve the educational goals. The existing main gym in the 2002 addition was retained. The remainder of this addition’s space was repurposed for activities more suited to its construction. It became the auxiliary gym. The classrooms, vocational shops, library, cafeteria and support functions were placed in the new additions. They are in spaces specifically designed to support the educational programs, enhance student achievement and achieve sustainability goals. The new school houses 350 PK-12 students. The two new classroom wings are constructed to accommodate future growth

Preserving the school’s place in the town’s social fabric was a primary planning and design consideration. The building must be able to receive the students and townspeople invited to it. To this end, the library will be open to the public. It has its own entrance for after-hours use. The library and other spaces will be available for civic functions. They are located at the front of the school adjacent the main lobby so access is easy but the remainder of the building can be secure.

• LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Gold Certification.
• Classroom and Cafeteria radiant floor heating system. Displacement ventilation in classrooms.
• Return air heat recovery system.
• Daylight windows with interior light shelves and computer controlled electric window shades that automatically adjust to the time of year and day as well as exterior light conditions.
• Light fixture automatic dimming controls that respond to the daylight contribution.
• Photo voltaic panel demonstration installation with lobby video display to inform students about the solar energy contribution.
• Recycling stations throughout building.
• High efficiency condensing boilers.
• Energy modeling projects 46% annual energy cost savings compared to a base code compliant building. This has earned a $70,300 Excel Energy EDA program rebate.
• Domestic water consumption is reduced.
• Site designed to reduce and treat storm water runoff. Storm water collected, filtered and percolated into the underlying pervious soils.
• Site lighting is designed to reduce light pollution to adjacent properties.
• Irrigation designed to substantially reduce water consumption.