FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KOAA) — The City of Fountain has received a $1.93 million EPA Brownfield Cleanup grant to demolish and redevelop the former Lorraine Elementary School property.
The funds will be used to clean up the site after lead paint was discovered in the building, paving the way for new development in the area.
"From my standpoint, any kind of progress is good as long as it's smart," said a former student who attended Lorraine Elementary in 1971 and 1972.
Plans for the site include a new community center where the school once stood, and an apartment complex with 106 specialty housing units just north of the location. The development area spans between North Iowa Avenue and the train tracks.
Some nearby residents have expressed concerns about the project, citing increased traffic on quiet streets, light pollution, and worries about the community's rapid growth.
"You still want that farmland, you still want those horses and stuff like that," said Edwin Templin, who has lived in Fountain since 2001.
Templin believes development needs to be balanced with economic opportunity.
"If there's no jobs down here for people to live comfortably, then what's the point of having houses," said Templin.
City officials have three years to use the grant money, though no specific timeline for demolition has been announced.
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