Wamsley Elementary opens after delayed start

Hudson Parrington wanted to start school on Monday, August 12, like all of the other students in Garfield Re-2.

“I am excited to see my friends again and be with them,” said the newly minted Wamsley Wildcat 5th grader.

When classes at the other nine schools within Garfield Re-2 began on Monday this week, Hudson and his 400 other classmates got an extended summer break while construction crews put the finishing touches on a multi-million dollar summer facelift for the school.

“The improvements aren’t flashy. Many of them can’t be seen by our staff or our families, but they are important,” said Wamsley Principal Kathi Senor. “They help us keep a safe, secure, and wonderful learning environment for our students.”

Wamsley Elementary received new lights, all new bathroom fixtures, a new roof, a new boiler, upgraded siding, safety upgrades, and new floor finishes over the summer. They are still anticipating all new, energy-efficient windows and doors, however, those items remain on backorder and will be installed when they arrive.

Hudson approves of the new floors.

“With the carpet, we had to be so careful about not spilling anything and staining them. Now we don’t have to worry about that,” he said of the polished concrete floors.

The unexpected delay to the start of school came as crews began to uncover some unanticipated challenges in the original 1982 construction. In conjunction with the Garfield Re-2 Facilities team and the Wamsley Administration, Johnson Controls and their subcontractors were able to problem-solve and work through those issues. The Wamsley Elementary project is part of a $15.8 million dollar performance contract with Johnson Controls for facility upgrades. The District will use the guaranteed savings to support the project over the next 20 years.

In addition, two new buildings arrived at Wamsley Elementary over the summer - an early childhood modular building that houses three preschool classrooms and a toddler room, and a new modular classroom for the Significant Support Needs and the TREK program. The early childhood building was made possible in large part due to a $800,000 Colorado Employer-Based Childcare Grant. To accommodate the additional preschool demand, new modular buildings were added to the Wamsley campus.

Early Childhood coordinator Emily Kielmeyer said that the new classrooms provide relief to an overwhelming demand for preschool education.

“We've had an increase in interest for early childhood programming across the district, especially in Rifle,” said Kielmeyer. “Last school year, we had 125 students on the wait list that we were not able to get into preschool. This expansion has allowed us to provide many, many more children with an early childhood education.”She added that there is still space available in the toddler (12 months - 2 years) classroom.

Anyone interested in enrolling their child in preschool or the new toddler classrooms should contact Emily Kielmeyer at preschool@garfieldre2.net or 970-689-4248.