Durango School District 9-R announced the purchase of a permanent home for Big Picture High School at the end of November. The new home, Unit 4 in the Coumbine Center, will provide the school with 12,698 square feet of space, which will be renovated before the school moves in Fall 2026. County Road 251, also known as 32nd Street, has re-opened for the winter after construction work began on the road redesign. The first half of the project included dedicated bike lanes, a shared-use path, landscaping, and drainage work from Holly Avenue to East Animas Drive. Next summer work will continue on the redesign from East Animas Village Drive to Metz Lane. The American Red Cross warns of increased fire risk during the holiday season, so keep homes safe from fire with a few safety precautions. Especially with people visiting and more indoor activities, it’s always a good idea to review your safety precautions, especially with holiday decorations. By Hannah Robertson. This story is sponsored by Happy Pappy's Pizza & Wings and San Juan Regional Medical Center.
Durango School District 9-R - https://www.durangoschools.org/
Big Picture High School - https://bigpicture.durangoschools.org/
City of Durango - https://www.durangoco.gov/
La Plata County - https://www.lpcgov.org/
American Red Cross - https://www.redcross.org/
Happy Pappy's Pizza & Wings - https://durango.pappys.pizza/
San Juan Regional Medical Center - https://www.sanjuanregional.com/
Durango big Picture High School will have a permanent home after the school district announced the purchase of Unit 4 in the Columbine Center at the end of November. 32nd Street has reopened for the winter, with the first phase of the road redesign from Holly Avenue to East Animus Drive completed. And with people and pets staying indoors more, the American Red Cross reminds you to take fire precautions to prevent house fires. You're watching the Local News Roundup, brought to you by Happy Pappy's Pizza-n-Wings in San Juan Regional Medical Center. I'm Sadie Smith. Durango School District 9-R announced a permanent home for Durango Big Picture High School with the finalized purchase of Unit 4 in the Columbine Center November 23rd. Unit 4 is a 12,698 square foot space on the top floor of the Columbine Building, and will undergo a major remodel that's scheduled to begin in spring 2025 with the goal of completion in fall 2026 when the lease for the current building, Big Picture High School occupies is up. The unit was purchased with funds generated by the sale of the district's former admin building, and aligns with the district's Long-Range Planning Committee and Board of Education's recommendations. Community connections will remain on the top floor of the Columbine Building. And La Plata County Public Health Department will move to a new building. Winter commutes just got easier with the reopening of 32nd Street after summer redesign work. The redesign included adding dedicated bike lanes, a shared use path, a center median landscaping, streetlights, and stormwater pipe work. Phase one of the project completed work between Holly Avenue and East Animus Drive; phase two of the project beginning next summer will complete the redesign work between East Animus Village Drive to Metz Lane. The city of Durango is looking into alternative routes for traffic to reduce the impact of the work during the road closure. The project is funded through joint sales tax funds between the city of Durango and La Plata County, with a current estimated cost of $8.8 million. The American Red Cross warns of increased fire risks during the colder holiday months, with December being one of the peak times for home fires, according to the American Red Cross of Western Colorado. Practice fire safety with some simple tips this winter. When using real candles, keep them out of reach of children and pets and never leave them unattended. Check your holiday lights for frayed or broken parts and keep to three or fewer strands per extension cord. Check labels to make sure outdoor decorations are for outdoor use. And fasten all decorations securely to your home or trees. If using an artificial tree, check for a fire-resistant label, and keep it away from fireplaces, radiators, and other heat sources. If using a live tree, make sure it's fresh, and keep it watered. If hanging stockings or other decorations on a fireplace or mantle piece, don't light a fire without clearing the space of flammable materials. Check all smoke detectors to make sure the batteries are good and working. Find more information and fire safety tips at the American Red Cross website.___ Learn more about these and other stories at durangolocal.news. Thank you for watching this edition of the Local News Roundup. I'm Sadie Smith.
