Timnath scores new school

By Dan MacArthur
Fossil Creek Current

Almost all get what they want in a deal that will result in construction of a new school in Timnath.

The town gets a second elementary school to accommodate additional students accompanying new development. The school district, at no cost, gets a superior site enabling the majority of students to walk to school. And the Timnath Ranch developer, Jon Turner, gets a neighborhood school making it easier to market his project to families.

"It's really good for him and us, too, because it creates a little community," said Bill Franzen, executive director of operations for the Poudre School District. He called it a "best-case scenario" because the estimated 350 elementary students eventually living in the nearly 1,000-home development will be able to walk or bike to the school.

The remaining students in the 525-capacity school will come from the growing southeast Fort Collins area, where schools are bursting out the doors. It was parents there who were perhaps a little less enthused about the decision. Franzen said many would have preferred that yet another elementary school be built nearby the packed Zach and Bacon elementary schools. But he said that eventually would have led to a costly surplus of schools in the area when the numbers of primary school children decline as the surrounding neighborhoods mature.

The Timnath site may seem a stretch for the district now, but Franzen said it's mostly a matter of perception. "I-25 is more of a mental barrier," he contended.

"It makes sense to put it there," agreed Timnath Mayor Donna Benson. "I think the school board made a good decision. It was a hard decision."

Town planner Tim Katers said Timnath's land-use code requires developers to provide land or cash for school sites. He said they can choose to provide either 1.84 acres per 100 dwelling units or cash in lieu based on the value of the zoned and platted property. But, Katers said, the provision has not yet been put in play. "We haven't crossed that bridge yet," he said.

Franzen said Turner agreed to make the site buildable by next year so construction can start and the school will open by 2008.