courtesy Charlene Duran
TRINIDAD — On June 13, 2019, Trinidad School District #1 was awarded the B.E.S.T grant to complete renovations and updates to the Trinidad Middle School. Originally, the building served local students as Trinidad High School. The cornerstone was laid on November 15, 1910 and opened for classes on September 11, 1912. This structure served the community for over 60 years, when – in the early 1970’s – a new high school was completed on the land behind it. The older building was remodeled in the 1990s and serves today as Trinidad Middle School. As with any old structure, the building needed serious renovations to provide a safe and comfortable learning environment for students. Community support and the B.E.S.T. grant provided the necessary funding.
As part of the new comfort system upgrades, two new dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) air handlers along with new condensing coils for the variable refrigerant flow (VFR) were installed. The new system can provide both cooling and heating just by reversing the process of either condensing a gas to liquid (heating) or expanding a liquid to a gas (cooling). Every area of the school has this capability now, and all of it is controlled by an extensive computer controlled smart system. Students will now experience learning in comfort year-round.
Work continues on the structure as the district looks forward to the day when students are invited back into the schools for in-person learning. Until then, progress continues.
