$7.4M secured for Pueblo County High School infrastructure improvements

(PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo.) — A legacy high school in Pueblo County is set to receive some major upgrades after receiving a multi-million dollar grant from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE).

Pueblo County School District 70 (D70) Superintendent Ronda Rein, walked FOX21 News’ crews through Pueblo County High School on Wednesday, June 19, and showed some of the main issues that students and faculty have faced for years including; drywall damage, flooding in the electrical room, along with mold and wastewater malfunctions, just to name a few.

According to Rein, the $3.3 million BEST (Building Excellent Schools Today) CDE grant, will be combined with another $4 million contribution from D70, totaling $7.4 million that will go toward “critical, life-safety infrastructure improvements” at the high school.

“There are some sections that have been here for 48 years and have never been replaced; they have just been repaired,” said Rein. “And then the sewage system, whenever it was put in, it was originally put into place for 800 students and Pueblo County High School has grown, we have a lot of programming and so we have around 1,200 students now, 1,400 with the staff, and so that sewage system can not keep up with our current population.”

According to a D70 press release, the funds will also be used to replace the roof of the legacy building along with “necessary upgrades to the wastewater/septic system, ensuring compliance with EPA regulations and avoiding potential financial penalties.”