U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The 10th Civil Engineer Squadron welcomes comments and questions from the public regarding compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) regarding the planned demolition of Douglass Valley Elementary School and Air Academy High School.
While these facilities are owned and operated by School District 20 (D20), they are located on U.S. Air Force Academy lands. The Academy is the federal agency responsible for compliance with the NHPA in accordance with 36CFR800. While not directly part of the Academy mission, both schools were built during the first phase of Academy construction and feature design elements found on many of the Skidmore, Owens, and Merrell buildings found on campus. Both buildings contribute to the Academy Campus Historic District status (5EP.595).
In compliance with the NHPA, the 10th CES consults with the Colorado State Historical Preservation Office and more than 30 federally recognized tribes on projects with the potential to affect Historic Properties. Due to the project resulting in adverse effects to Historic Properties, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation will also be invited to participate, as required by 36 CFR800. Finally, the Academy is seeking public input and comments, a central part of the NHPA process.
School District 20, which owns and operates the schools, plans to demolish and replace Douglass Valley Elementary School first, then demolish and replace Air Academy High School later. Since both schools contribute to the Academy Campus Historic District status, D20 investigated options for renovation, but the building materials, equipment, and finishes of both schools have exceeded their useful life and will require extensive repair and/or replacement. Systems related to health and safety require extensive upgrades to bring them up to modern standards. An analysis found that rehabilitating Douglass Valley Elementary School would cost 23% more than constructing a new building. The difference between rehabilitating or replacing Air Academy High School was approximately 5%; however, rehabilitation would make it nearly impossible to meet a 30-year lifecycle and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver requirement.
The planned demolition of Douglass Valley Elementary School and Air Academy High School will result in an adverse impact to the Academy Campus Historic District status. Under Section 106 of the NHPA, steps must be taken to mitigate the impact, which will be laid out in a memorandum of agreement between the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office, the Academy, and D20.
Examples of potential mitigation include:
- Retaining and reusing original materials and features in the construction of the new schools
- Detailed recording of the building’s architectural plans and features
- The development of interpretive signs about the schools' histories
The 10th CES will draft the memorandum of agreement in close coordination with the stakeholder agencies listed above. Concurrent with this inter-agency collaboration, the 10th CES seeks comments and input from non-governmental organizations and individuals interested in the Academy’s historic properties, specifically Douglass Valley Elementary School and Air Academy High School and the Academy Campus Historic District status.
This announcement seeks to notify the public and obtain their views on the proposed demolition. Any interested party is welcome to request a copy of the draft memorandum of agreement and offer their feedback.
Identifying your interest can be accomplished by emailing 10ces.taskers@us.af.mil or by U.S. mail addressed to:
ATTN CR MANAGER
10 CES/CENP
8120 Edgerton Drive
U.S. Air Force Academy, CO, 80840
Background
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 was enacted to acknowledge the importance of protecting our Nation’s heritage from federal-related development and to foster historic preservation, including federal-state and federal-tribal collaborations and citizen involvement. Section 106 of the statute addresses federal agencies’ planning procedures, requiring: (1) Federal agencies to consider the effects of their undertakings on historic properties, and (2) the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation must be allowed to comment on such undertakings. The Academy’s natural landscape and built environment have a unique appearance related to its original 1950s-era design, and this iconic setting in total is important symbolically and practically for the Academy’s mission of developing leaders of character for our U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Forces. The Academy’s cadets, senior officials, staff, graduates, visitors, and supporters all benefit from experiencing the Academy’s special presence.
Visit www.achp.gov/protecting-historic-properties/section-106-process/introduction-section-106 for more information on the National Historic Preservation Act's planning process. The public’s role in the process is explained at https://www.achp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2017-01/CitizenGuide.pdf.