Aguilar School District unveils $13.7M BEST renovation including demolition for regulation-size gym

Aguilar School District leaders presented details of a $13.7 million Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) grant project that will renovate and expand school facilities, with plans to demolish the old cafeteria and bus barn to make room for a regulation-size gym. The presentation, given February 12, 2026, lays out a capital improvement aimed at updating aging infrastructure and expanding space for students and community activities.

The project centers on a new, larger gym that meets regulation dimensions, a change district leaders say will increase opportunities for physical education and enable the school to host regional school events. Replacing the outdated cafeteria and repurposing the bus barn footprint are pivotal parts of the plan, freeing central campus space for expanded student programming. The BEST grant is funding the work, reducing the immediate need for local capital levies to finance construction.

For a rural district in Las Animas County, the renovation carries more than athletic implications. A regulation-size gym can support broader after-school programming, community recreation, and youth sports that are important for health equity in communities where access to indoor recreation options can be limited. Improved facilities also have potential public health benefits by enabling more consistent physical education classes and safer, weather-protected activity spaces for students year-round.

The demolition of the old cafeteria raises practical concerns for daily student needs during construction. Displacing a kitchen and dining space typically requires temporary meal-service plans, changes to food delivery routes, and attention to food safety and nutrition continuity for students who rely on school meals. Similarly, removing the bus barn will affect transportation logistics and staff who maintain buses and routes; the district will need to manage vehicle storage, maintenance operations, and routing while construction is underway.

Construction will also bring typical public-health considerations for nearby residents and school occupants: dust control, noise, traffic changes, and air quality during demolition. These impacts underscore the importance of mitigation measures such as construction timing, containment, and clear communication with families, staff, and bus drivers to protect vulnerable residents and sustain essential services.

Beyond physical improvements, the project raises questions of social equity. Upgraded facilities can help level the playing field for Aguilar students compared with larger districts, but the process of planning and implementation offers a chance to prioritize local hiring, workforce training, and inclusive scheduling for community use. Transparency about timelines, interim service arrangements, and workforce impacts will be central to maintaining trust in the Aguilar community.

The district presented the scope of work and funding on February 12; next steps include detailed design, permitting, and scheduling decisions. For residents, the coming months will reveal how demolition and construction are phased, how meal service and transportation will be maintained, and how the new spaces will be programmed to serve students and the broader Las Animas County community.