The next chapter of Colorado Springs’ oldest high school is about to begin.

The first phase of significant renovations to Palmer High School in downtown Colorado Springs will start next month. Leaders say the $100 million investment will expand classroom space and athletics, connect campus spaces, and set up the school for the future as a first-class learning institute and community cornerstone.

“This will be the premier destination IB (International Baccalaureate) diploma-granting school on the Front Range,” said D-11 Superintendent Michael Gaal at a groundbreaking ceremony Monday.

The first phase of construction will close the nearby section of Boulder Street for the next two years as work begins on a new academic wing along North Weber Street. The road closure will begin on June 3, while the current school building is slated to be demolished in July.

The ambitious undertaking has garnered significant attention from the Palmer community. As D-11 looks toward the future of the beloved school, some have expressed excitement over the modernization and how it might revitalize downtown, while others have voiced concerns over what might be lost.

“There are as many thoughts and opinions about the renovation as there are alumni,” CSHS-Palmer Alumni Association President Judy Owsley said at the ceremony.

Losing history

As the construction project begins and affects the general area beyond the school, some neighbors have expressed concerns over what could change.

Last week, D-11’s Board of Education approved the district to buy four properties located just north of Palmer along St. Vrain Street that are currently slated to be removed in the master plan.

Cheryl Brown, president of the Historic Uptown Neighborhood Association, said that demolishing these buildings, three of which were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, would destroy a part of Colorado Springs’ history.

The properties, built between 1890 and 1910, are currently being rented out to residential and business tenants. The district intends to acquire and remove them, along with a section of Boulder Street, to construct a new athletic field, and unify the school properties between St. Vrain and Platte Avenue.

Brown added that the lack of communication from the school district has her and others in the historic district concerned.

“It just seems to me that there has been no attempt to reach out and discuss what’s going to happen, other options, negotiations, anything,” she said. “It’s just like, ‘We’re going to buy them and we’re going to tear them down.’ And that just doesn’t bode well, I think, for a public institution to behave this way.”

Over the past month, Brown and the association have been spreading awareness about the potential purchase of the four properties and their historical significance. She said that future conversations with the school district should include additional organizations like the Historic Preservation Alliance of Colorado Springs and History Colorado and consider the city’s Historic Preservation plan.

Jessica Wise, D-11 executive director of engagement, said the process for community engagement over the past nine months has involved current students, staff, alumni, local businesses and stakeholders. She said that while the school district didn’t directly reach out to the Historic Uptown Neighborhood Association, the Palmer project team did.

With planning and developments now about to impact the neighborhood, the community engagement team has begun contacting neighbors to inform them of the changes in the coming months.

“Now that we’re turning to not a school issue, but a community issue, we’ll be focusing our efforts toward those community members who maybe don’t feel like they’ve gotten enough chance for feedback,” she said.

Regarding the historical significance of the homes, Wise said she and the architects working on the renovations have a meeting scheduled with the city’s Historic Preservation Board next month to discuss different possibilities and considerations.

At D-11’s May 7 Board of Education meeting, she said that options remain on the table for what will ultimately happen to the homes, such as relocating them to another part of the city.

“There’s no hurry. We have lots of time to engage, to listen and figure out what the best plan is,” she told board members.

Brown, a parent of a Palmer graduate who loves the first phase of the renovation, hopes to bring together the local historical organizations with D-11 leadership to determine a solution that everyone can agree on.

“It’s not like it’s a hard ‘No, you can’t ever do anything’ kind of thing, but you’ve got to do it with a plan,” she said. “They don’t even know if they can close off Boulder yet.”

City changes

While some are worried about the historical implications of the Palmer renovation, others are wondering about the city impacts.

Regarding the properties being eyed for purchase, former Board of Education member Theresa Null said that, because of their age, they are likely to contain varying amounts of harmful materials previously used in construction.

She recalled, during her time on the board, property owners and businesses in the homes surrounding Palmer tried to sell them to the school district. Subsequent inspections found most of them had dangerous amounts of lead, asbestos and arsenic.

Since the mitigation would have been too costly to warrant market rates, Null said the property owners rescinded their offers. She added that the previous district properties that have been mitigated involved repetitive processes like soil testing that cost the district several millions of dollars.

Because of this possibility with the four properties looking to be purchased, she believes that demolition would be in the best interest of the school district.

“You always have to look at cost, just like any business. What’s your return on investment?” she said. “For a government agency [like a school district], it’s not just money. It’s what’s best for the students and the community.”

Another major development in the master plan that’s received little attention to date is the proposed removal of the portion of Boulder Street that runs through the high school that will ultimately come down to approval by the City Council.

For the initial construction, D-11 will apply permanent traffic control between Nevada Avenue and Weber Street to allow construction staging over the next year or two.

Urban Planning Manager Ryan Tefertiller said that the city Planning commission has yet to be presented with an application from the Palmer design team but expects one in the coming months.

The formal application is known as a “vacation of right of way” to cede city ownership of a street portion to a private owner. Once submitted, it will go through a technical review to consider all city entities in its proposed design.

“We all review it, give comments on it and, ultimately, those applications will all end up going through Planning Commission and City Council and they’ll take formal action on the plans later this year,” he said.

If the City Council declines D-11’s application, the contracted architects stated previously that they will adjust the master plan and incorporate previous concepts. The removal of Boulder wouldn’t occur until phase one is completed, which is anticipated in 2028.