New Colorado PreK-12 School Breaks Ground

By Eric Althoff

WALSH, Colo.—GH Phipps Construction Companies has commenced work on the Walsh School District’s newest PK-12 school. Personnel from the general contractor, the district as well as architect Wold Architects and Engineers were on hand for the event. The new school, priced at $34 million, is meant to replace an older educational building that stood on the same site. Much of the funding comes from a Colorado Department of Education BEST grant.

The 60,000-square-foot school will feature two gyms, an event space for performances, a library, vocational classrooms as well as various other amenities. Adequate room will also be set aside for after-hours and extra-curricular activities.

The existing elementary and high school buildings will remain on the jobsite during the ongoing construction work for the new school, which is anticipated to be completed in the spring of 2024.

“We have an extremely tight-knit community, and I am ecstatic to see this project come to life and serve our staff and students for years to come,” Corey Weiss, principal of Walsh Junior and Senior High School and superintendent of Walsh Public Schools, said at the groundbreaking. “This has been a longtime vision of ours, and we can’t wait to have a facility that sets our students up to truly soar.”

Josh Grenier, principal at Wold, said that the Colorado-based design firm was excited to work on a local community project such as this work for the Walsh School District.

“This building will support a diverse student population, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the district to help bring their ideas to life,” Grenier said.

Wold was ranked in Building Design + Construction Giants 400 Report as the 6th largest national firm in the K-12 sector.