Firestone recently chose Carbon Valley Academy, a 20-year-old K-8 charter school in the St. Vrain Valley School District, as its partner to build a school on a 10-acre site in the town’s Central Park area.

Firestone chose Carbon Valley after issuing a request for qualifications for a school partner earlier this year, with a goal of expanding education opportunities in the community. Schools in Firestone now include two St. Vrain elementary schools, one St. Vrain middle school and Firestone Charter Academy. Firestone Charter, formerly Imagine, is a K-8 school.

Firestone spokeswoman Katie Hansen said in an email that residents have routinely expressed a desire for a new school as the town approves new housing developments in the fast growing area.

“The opportunity to work with the Carbon Valley Academy closely aligns with our Board of Trustees’ goal to make Central Park a place where families can learn, grow, recreate and truly have a spot to gather as a community,” she wrote. “It checks so many boxes for Firestone families, and we believe it will help solidify an active, daily presence within a new Central Park.”

Carbon Valley, which enrolled 245 students last school year, is located in nearby Frederick in a leased, converted commercial building. In 2022, according to Carbon Valley’s contract renewal application, the school tapped into the equity in its current building by selling it and leasing it back. The sale allowed the school to pay off about $4 million in debt, add about $1 million to its operating budget and avoid an upcoming debt balloon payment, according to school officials.

School co-founder Tony Carey, who’s serving as the project manager and interim school executive director, said a new building will allow Carbon Valley to increase its enrollment to up to 450 students. The new location also would be more accessible for families, closer to law enforcement if needed during an emergency, and next to a library and future ball fields that students could access.

“Being in a commercial area is not good for a school,” he said. “This is what’s good for kids. We need to put in schools where they’re needed.”

Construction is expected to start in 2026, with the building finished by fall 2027. The plan is for a two-story, 34,000-square foot building that would include 23 classrooms; a gymnasium; library, art and music rooms; administrative offices; a full kitchen; and outdoor learning and play areas. Now, Carey said, those spaces in the existing school come with a caveat of “makeshift.”

“It will be designed around students,” he said. “Everything will be better.”

The school is looking to finance the $17.85 million project through tax-exempt bonds issued by the Carbon Valley Academy Building Corporation, repaying the bonds mainly through increased operating revenue generated by higher enrollment. While Carbon Valley will cover the construction and maintenance costs, Carey said, the expectation is the town will lease the land to the school for a nominal fee.

The town purchased the 252-acre Central Park site, near Sable Drive and Colorado Boulevard, in 2005. The town approved a master plan for Central Park in 2021 and hired P3 Advisors in 2023 to create an action plan for the land. The area already includes the Carbon Valley Regional Library, Firestone Town Hall and the municipal court and police department. Other suggestions for the space have included a water park, a sports complex, restaurants and a hotel.

Hansen said the town expects to announce additional partnerships for the space soon.

“For 20 years, Firestone residents have waited for Central Park to materialize,” she wrote. “We’re working on a Central Park plan that will connect Firestone residents, celebrate our culture, provide outstanding recreational opportunities, and drive economic growth within the heart of our community.”