A committee has been formed to lead a master planning effort for a prominent parcel of land - and three school buildings - in northwest Denver.

The committee’s charge is simple: to develop a facilities master plan to make the campus a model of school reform and facility design for the 21st Century.

The parcel is 35 acres. It is home to North High School, Valdez Elementary School and a building that houses the Denver Arts & Technology Academy. (DATA, as it is known, is getting ready to move to another site in northwest Denver.)

The parcel stretches from Federal Boulevard on the west to Zuni St. on the east. It borders W. 29th Ave. and Speer Blvd. on the south and W. 32nd Ave. and Dunkeld Place on the north. Thousands of motorists pass the land - dominated by the classic Beaux-Arts style structure of North High School - every day.

The committee that will develop the master plan for this parcel is composed of community members, DPS staff and administration and city and state agency representatives. Student involvement is being encouraged.

“This is the first such master plan that the district has undertaken and everyone is very excited about the ability to develop this master plan in concert with many city and state agencies,” said Larry Williams, Manager of Facilities Planning for Denver Public Schools’ Department of Facility Management.

Williams said community meetings will be scheduled soon to provide information to neighbors, parents and students as the project moves forward.

The first community meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 2 at Valdez Elementary School, 2525 W. 29th Ave.

Among those involved are the City and County of Denver’s Ashland Recreation Center (which sits just north of Valdez Elementary School), the city’s Planning Office, Denver Landmark Commission, Historic Denver, the State of Colorado and the Colorado State Historical Society. The project was launched with funds from the $310 million general obligation bond approved by voters in November 2003

Consultants selected to develop the master plan are Humphries-Poli Architects, a firm with extensive experience in the areas of historic preservation and community planning. Humphries-Poli just completed the award-winning restoration of Dora Moore K-8 School (846 Corona St.).

Assisting Humphries-Poli will be the firm of KLIPP Architects, one of the leading firms in the design and programming of educational facilities in Colorado. KLIPP served as the architects for new Denver School of the Arts (7111 Montview Blvd.), which was one of the projects under the 1998 bond program.

In conjunction with the Master Planning effort, the Colorado State Historic Fund has provided a grant of $29,510 to help fund a “Historic Structure Assessment” for North High School. The assessment will provide an analysis of the current condition of North High School and identify what restoration efforts need to be undertaken to restore and preserve the original 1911 Denver Landmark.

The oversight committee has established itself in three groups - a core committee, a corresponding committee and a technical advisory committee.

The core committee will coordinate and guide the effort. Its members include Darlene LeDoux, principal of North High School; Tom Archuleta, principal of Valdez Elementary School; John de la Garza, assistant principal, North High School; Miguel Lander and Larry Williams from the DPS Department of Facility Management; Allen Balczarek, program manager, DPS Department of Research, Planning and Special Projects; Dave Debus, Assistant Area Superintendent; community members Pam Brown, Andy Bell, Jean Abney, Rita Contreras (aide to City Councilman Rick Garcia), Terry Holtzinger and Lowell Hartvigson; Matt Seubert from Denver Planning Department; James Stratis from the State Historical Society; Joe Poli (Humphries-Poli Architects); and Jack Brokaw (KCJD Architects).

The technical advisory committee will consist of consultants, DPS facilities management staff and City and County of Denver staff. They will deal with the detail coordination between city and schools. The corresponding committee will attend core committee meetings on an itinerate basis and stay informed about committee activities and agendas.

For further information, please call Larry Williams, 303-575-4122.