GOLDEN — Neighbors cheered a Jefferson County Public Schools decision Wednesday to not build a controversial alternative middle school near Red Rocks Community College.
“It looks like we might have won a little battle,” said Bob Wrigley, president of the Sixth Avenue West Homeowners Association. “We feel bad that it had to get this far.”
Residents had raised concerns about the relocation of the Johnson Program, a structured environment for expelled or at-risk seventh- to ninth-graders.
Objections included the type of students who would attend, a concentration of alternative programs in the area, obstruction of views, misinformation and the district’s failure to involve the community.
“I’m not here to debate the merits of the Johnson Program,” resident George Hamblin said at a community forum Monday. “I’m insulted by the fact (Jefferson County schools) apologize and think it’s all OK . . . when you conveniently forgot we were here. Shame on you.”
District officials acknowledge they failed to notify nearby residents of plans to build the 20,000-square-foot school before bulldozers showed up in August.
“I do understand we’ve got some makeup to do,” community superintendent Rick Myles told Monday’s forum crowd.
Parents of Johnson students were involved in planning, officials said, but they don’t live near the proposed site so the community wasn’t included.
Wednesday’s decision was made “with the best interests of the Johnson students and the neighborhood in mind,” a district news release said.
“We value the community’s involvement,” the statement said, “and we are committed to continuing the dialog about any future plans” for the area.
House District 23 Rep. Gwyn Green, D-Golden, said the district should have collaborated with the community, but the decision “is a real testament to the residents who took a very active role in stating what they wanted and a testament to the school district that it listened.”
Renovation of the current building, which doesn’t meet code, would cost about $2.6 million. The proposed building would have cost $4.9 million.
District spokeswoman Lynn Setzer said no decision has been made on the Johnson Program’s future location.
“We’ll go back to the drawing board and look at a couple of different options,” she said.
Ann Schrader: 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com
