Photo: ‘Build Pagosa’ executive director Will Ridlehoover presenting to the Archuleta School Board, October 14, 2025.
From the BuildPagosa.org website, October 2025:
There is a critical need for additional CTE and skills training space to serve our community. We have partnered with the Archuleta School District on a plan for a new facility, adjacent to Pagosa Springs High School. Through grants, generous donations and fundraising events, Build Pagosa has raised over $2.3 million as of 2024 towards what will be our “Regional Workforce Center” (RWC).
According to a presentation to the Archuleta School District (ASD) School Board on October 14, by Build Pagosa Executive Director Will Ridlehoover, this description above is somewhat dated. The amount raised so far, according to Mr. Ridlehoover, is closer to $4.3 million.
Now he wanted to ask ASD for a significant donation to the project.
“It’s been a really big, exciting year for us… We’re kind of at a turning point in the progress that we’ve made, and we want to make sure that we’re really open with you guys, as our main stakeholder and counterpart in the organization that we try and support…”
He motioned toward the half dozen people seated in the mostly empty audience.
“I want to note that I’m joined by both Build Pagosa and the Pagosa Springs Community Development Corporation…”
These are both local nonprofit organizations with an interest in seeing a vibrant workforce in Pagosa Springs. Build Pagosa has spent much of its energy, over the past eight years, raising money with the goal of eventually building a “Regional Workforce Center” where high school students and young adults can receive training in various trades and careers. PSCDC has been instrumental in running an “internship” program that subsidizes employers, when the employers take on young apprentices for training purposes.
We’ll discuss the general subject of “nonprofit corporations” later. I’ve served on various nonprofit boards over the years, and feel qualified to share some accurate information, in a general way.
Mr. Ridlehoover shared a number of PowerPoint slides, giving an overview of the ongoing cooperation between ASD and Build Pagosa to create a popular Careers and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum at Pagosa Springs High School, which is currently unable to meet student demand for training classes, with waiting lists as the result.
This was mostly information, with which the School Board was presumably familiar. The other aspect of Build Pagosa’s goals — a training center that also serves adults — is still off in the future.
But possibly… not too far off?
Mr. Ridlehoover:
“So there’s an opportunity for growth. You know that we’ve been supporting the teachers, and also dreaming about facilities for the CTE programs. So with you guys, hand in hand, we’ve been fundraising and generating the support needed for the additional space — the dedicated building trades and workshop facilities — purposefully built but still flexible and the ability to greatly expand the existing CTE classrooms…”
A few examples of functional classroom spaces were presented. By moving the building trades programs into a new facility, Mr. Ridlehoover explained, space would be freed up for other CTE courses that lack sufficient space.
“Mr. Urban [CTE teacher] is currently pushing a cart around the high school, and moving from classroom to classroom for the Health Sciences class. He’s making that work; he’s an excellent teacher. But we could give him the space that a Health Sciences class really needs, like sinks and suction and other kinds of simple but important things that he needs. And also, a teacher who gets to be in one classroom instead of three or four.”
We’ll pause here to consider the state of employment in Archuleta County, For the past five years or so, employers of all types have been struggling to find well-trained, willing employees. This includes businesses, governments, schools, health care organizations, and nonprofits.
The numerous reasons for Archuleta County’s employee shortage? Lack of affordable housing. Low wages. A school system focused on producing college-ready graduates rather than a mix of college-ready and career-ready graduates. A national employment landscape that promotes, ever more heavily, tech jobs. An aging population weighed towards retirees who desire a range of services but who, themselves, no longer wish to be employed.
Numerous reasons.
Can a new Regional Workforce Center help to address this situation?
Mr. Ridlehoover shared a rough sketch of a building, to be located adjacent to the High School parking lot.
Probable cost? Maybe $6 million. Or more?
Then we arrived at the key information that may be new to the School Board. The available money.
Mr. Ridlehoover:
“So what money do we have for this? We have raised over $4 million now for this, which has been an extraordinary effort from many different people over years of work. About $2.5 million of that is from generous community members and grants from local foundations and philanthropies. That’s a remarkable showing of support from the community, over years, that we have been building momentum with. There are a few individuals who have given really big sums; there are hundreds of individuals who have given smaller sums, over the last few years.
“You may already know, Senators Hickenlooper and Bennet earmarked $1 million from the Senate, and the Town of Pagosa Springs secured $600,000 through a Community Development Block Grant.
“We’re thinking this is going to need another $1 million or so, and we are out there doing our darnedest to dredge that up…”
It would appear that Build Pagosa actually needs closer to $2 million more, to reach the $6 million mark.
But the organization does appear to be more than halfway to the finish line, in terms of fundraising.
So, is the School District ready to kick in?
That’s the next question.