Big changes could be coming to Monument athletics.

The Lewis-Palmer District 38 board of education unanimously approved a resolution to explore possibilities for leasing district land to the Monument Athletic Foundation to develop a multi-use athletic facility where the district’s Grace Best Education Center currently stands.

The Monument Athletic Complex would operate as a year-round indoor facility featuring an ice rink, multi-use turf and multi-use courts suitable for hosting school athletic practices and games and public recreation. A swimming pool and outdoor baseball diamond were mentioned as potential additions after the complex opens.

Lewis-Palmer High School hockey coach Scott Bradley and a local cohort, including district employees, past district board members and other community members, recently formed the nonprofit foundation to fund, develop and manage a state-of-the-art hub for the community.

The board was first presented with the proposed complex during a March 3 work session.

Bradley’s wife and fellow board member, Jill, said they and other local D-38 parents started the foundation to provide Monument with an accessible and cost-friendly option for local athletics and to help D-38’s hockey team compete with better-funded schools in Denver.

She added that both the small town’s population and interest in hockey continue to grow and that the complex would meet these needs as a community hub.

“High School sports and even middle school sports are amazing because you get all kids together,” she said “Kids from all kinds of homes and backgrounds and cultures and they should have a chance to be seen.”

Jill explained that, in addition to early-morning practices, the Lewis-Palmer high school teams currently rent out the Monument Ice Rink, Ed Robson Arena at Colorado College and the Air Force Academy, which can suddenly become inaccessible for various reasons.

She added that the all-indoor facility would provide consistent use through any extreme weather that might otherwise cancel practices or events.

Ahead of the vote, D-38 superintendent Amber Whetstine and board members noted that the approval does not ensure any financial obligation by the school district.

“This is not a commitment,” said board director Tim Bennett. “This is a ‘Let’s continue to gather information.’”

If the lease and development were approved, the facility’s land would still be owned by D-38 and its sports teams would have priority access. In the initial proposal, the district would be on the hook for funding and completing the asbestos remediation of the current structure to deliver a compliant site for the foundation to begin construction.

The initial estimate for the asbestos remediation was roughly $1.3 million without accounting for recent inflation.

The foundation would then raise the funds through grants, private donations and corporate sponsorships. Jill told the board during the work session that the nonprofit model would provide access to federal, state, and private grants that are otherwise unavailable to a school district.

She also suggested that a portion of user-fee revenue could go toward teacher salaries in the district.

If the foundation is unable to secure funding or complete construction of the complex, the leased land would return to D-38.

The Grace Best building is slated for demolition next year because it has reached the end of its structural life. Following the board’s approval, the foundation will finalize its design contract with the district before beginning its capital campaign and forming its facility committees this summer.

While a number for the complex’s total funding has yet to be determined, Jill admitted that it would be “a big number” and that they are “under no impression that this is going to be easy.”

That said, she believes it’s an undertaking that Monument is ready for.

“D-38 has great schools and we want that (complex) to be a flourishing place,” she said. “And this is not a new idea. We’ve seen similar things in other towns. It’s just time.”  

The construction of the complex is slated for July 2028.