D-11 plans might lead to Constitution Avenue extension

The latest version of Colorado Springs School District 11's school use report, released Tuesday, suggests closing Mann Middle School and Stratton Elementary School and donating the land to the city for the expansion of Constitution Avenue to Interstate 25.

The idea is far from becoming reality, and is just one suggestion among many as D-11 looks at how its buildings are utilized as enrollment declines. Deputy Superintendent Mike Poore said the idea, and many others in the ever-evolving draft report, may have been generated from historical documents or other reports.

District officials have not discussed the Constitution Avenue idea with the city, but they expect to meet with city planners before the final recommendations are presented to the board to ensure its plans fit with city plans, he said.

A D-11 steering committee is considering many reports and documents on building use as it adds details and ideas that will guide public discussions over the next three weeks. The idea is to consider all possible scenarios for school use before making recommendations to the board in February, Poore said.

The first meeting for public input on the plan is 6:30-9 p.m. tonight at Mitchell High School, and the reports on the district's Web site all were updated today.

Also, the district will use a "community dialog model" for the meetings, with short presentations followed by table discussions, said spokeswoman Elaine Naleski.

Each table will record its discussions using a form provided by the district.