Avon, Vail Valley Foundation’s proposed early childhood education facility on track for spring 2025 groundbreaking
The facility will have space for up to 180 children from infancy to five-years-old, with education provider candidates interviewing this week
Town of Avon/Courtesy photo
The early childhood education facility partnership effort between Avon and the Vail Valley Foundation is still on schedule to start construction in spring 2025.
The property lies in the Village (at Avon), south of the Piedmont Apartments and north of the railroad tracks. The Vail Valley Foundation is driving the project, while the town owns the land on which the facility will be built. If the project stays on schedule, the facility will open in late 2026.
Matt Pielsticker, Avon’s community development director, gave the Avon Town Council an update on the project during its Tuesday, Nov. 19 meeting.
What does the facility look like, again?
The 15,000-square-foot facility should be able to accommodate up to 180 children from infancy through 5 years old, though the actual number of students may be slightly lower. The determination will be left up to the early childhood care provider.
“Based on the square footage, the number that we’ve been told is 160 children, but that depends on the operator and more details,” Pielsticker said.
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The Vail Valley Foundation requested a proposal for early child care providers earlier this fall and interviewed five candidates this week. The selected provider will be permitted input in some of the details of the facility’s construction.
The estimated cost to build the facility is $10 million, Town Manager Eric Heil wrote in the meeting packet memorandum. The Vail Valley Foundation is raising the funds after Avon donated the land.
Initially, a housing complex was supposed to be constructed on the upper floors of the education center. However, there was no funding available for the $16 million addition, and building housing so close to an educational facility posed additional complications, so the housing was eliminated from the current design.
The project is going through the Village (at Avon)’s design review process now. The project has already passed the initial review, and, if approved at the final review, will move forward with early construction steps. Avon’s Planning and Zoning Commission also reviewed the plan and provided comments.
The Vail Valley Foundation has already selected a general contractor for the project.
“So as soon as they get done with approvals from the Village (at Avon), they’re ready to proceed with finishing construction drawings, getting a building permit and commencing construction,” said Eric Heil, Avon’s town manager.
If anticipated funding comes through, construction might begin on the project as soon as this spring, once the snow melts.
What are Avon’s next steps?
Town Council will see a draft of the land lease in early 2025, likely in January, Heil said. While the exact length of the lease is unknown, “it’ll be something more than a few years,” he said.
In the lease, the town will also be able to place additional requirements on the center, including sustainability expectations, prioritization of town employees’ children and expectations of tuition assistance for low-income households, Heil said.
Town staff has already been working with the Vail Valley Foundation on making the building all-electric, and adding photovoltaic solar (solar panels) and batteries, Heil said.
There is “ample space and ample sunlight,” on the roof for photovoltaic energy capture, Pielsticker said.
Avon Mayor Pro Tem Tamra Underwood also noted that the project is an opportunity for community vendors, such as materials suppliers and renewable energy companies, to donate goods and services.
“It’s really going to be a showcase,” Underwood said. “There are all kinds of sponsorship opportunities for a really great project. I hope those people will be contacting the Vail Valley Foundation to see what they can do because I think town of Avon is really doing its part by contributing the land.”
Keeping up with safety concerns
In his presentation, Pielsticker noted that several utility lines run through the site.
Underwood said she had heard from a concerned citizen that there is a high-pressure gas line running under the project and requested further clarification on the risks that might pose.
“Will we ever see some explanation that it really is safe to pave over that area … that it is OK to have a child care facility in that neighborhood, et cetera?” she asked.
The main gas line is along the railroad tracks, to the south of the planned project, rather than running directly through the site, Pielsticker said. “Development next to high-pressure gas lines is very typical through most towns,” he said.
The Vail Valley Foundation is also aware of the concern, Heil said.
Town staff will provide more information from Xcel Energy about the gas line during a future meeting.
The exterior of the facility will feature a one-way driveway, in which drivers will move counterclockwise to drop off and pick up children. Avon will install a bus stop on the north side of the property, between the driveway and the building, and a sidewalk will wrap around the property.
There will also be two fenced, outdoor play areas for two age groups of children to play separately.
Mayor Amy Phillips suggested placing additional fencing on the south side of the property, between the school and the road.
“Just knowing how steep that hill is, you get an errant 4-year-old, it seems like a safety hazard to have that kind of slope,” she said.
Once the education provider is selected, the project planners will ask that organization for input on potential safety hazards of the property, Heil said.
The early childhood education facility will likely return to Avon Town Council in January.
