A decades-long community effort to renovate the Old Taos Elementary School is finally paying off. By the 2011-2012 school year, the old building—which dates from the early 1950s—will have been re-designed and rejuvenated to house the first and second grades of Enos Garcia Elementary. It’ll have a new name, too—Enos 1-2.

This summer, the old carpets, windows, and floor tiles were removed in preparation for tearing down the building’s side wings. The main trunk of the building will in all likelihood be preserved. “This project is the number one priority in the district right now,” said Paul Eskeldson, Construction Manager with Parsons. The Taos Municipal Schools Bond Program is managed by Parsons, a company that provides a wide range of program management services including design management of the architectural engineering firms assigned to the project as well as program reporting.

According to Principal Nadine Vigil, third grade students will be housed with the 4th and 5th grades in the main Enos Garcia School building. Four portables will be installed temporarily on campus to house the second grade. Second grade classrooms will start off the school year in the Old Taos Elementary, but should be in the new portables by Labor Day.

This school year, there will be only one bus drop-off and pick-up area instead of three areas as in years past. The bus area for all students will be on the east side of the Enos Garcia main building, directly across Manzanares Street from the Central Catholic gym.

There will be two areas where students may be dropped off or picked up by parents. Families may park their car at the Early Childhood Building and walk Kindergarten First, or Second grade students into the building. For parents with 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade students, families may drive through a newly zoned area in the parking lot across from the main Enos Garcia building along Don Fernando. Parents may no longer use the parking areas around the Old Taos Elementary since construction will be on-going.

“We are thrilled about the prospect of a newly designed school. The staff and parents have been very supportive through this process. We ask everybody to bear with us a little longer,” said Principal Vigil. The Design Team, which includes school staff, parents, Bond Oversight Committee representatives, and members of both Parsons and Living Designs Group Architects, meets weekly to discuss programming needs, construction costs, and design.

Enos Garcia Elementary, with a student population of almost 700, is the largest elementary in the school district. It is one of the schools benefitting from the Taos Municipal Schools Bond Program that is financed by a local bond passed by the voters on September 23, 2008. The 2008 bond authorized the issuance of $40M in local bond funds which will provide the funds necessary to improve nine school facilities at eight sites.