Dear Tribal Members, 

The purpose of this article is to provide notification of an upcoming construction project to demolish the Ute Vocational School/Head Start building located at 51 Capote Drive in Ignacio, Colo. It also informs you of relevant project considerations and the corresponding construction activities that will be taking place over the next few months. 

Following careful consideration of several aspects of this project, Tribal Council approved the demolition of the Ute Vocational School-Head Start building and correspondingly directed Construction and Project Management to carry out this work via Resolution No. 2023-138, passed on Sept. 5, 2023. Relevant considerations included, but not were not limited to, the historical nature of the building, estimated costs to rehabilitate and repurpose the building, completed abatement of regulated building materials, rough order of magnitude costs of demolition, as well as feedback from a broad spectrum of Tribal elders, Tribal members, the Cultural Preservation Department, and the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer. 

Recognizing its historical importance, several mitigating actions have been taken and planned. Mitigating actions taken include the preservation of the building and murals using lidar scans and special imaging systems for digital preservation and future recreation, as well as a ceremony conducted on April 16, 2024, by Tribal elders and Tribal members from Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the Navajo Nation for the former students and their families. 

Planned mitigating actions are being coordinated by the Tribe’s Cultural Preservation Department and include the following: the creation of a follow up video from the Southern Ute Indian Tribe to be sent to Colorado Preservation Inc., the establishment of an annual Day of Remembrance for all those who attended the Ute Vocational School, the creation of a physical memorial, the establishment of a funding source for research and education about the Ute Vocational School, as well as preservation of specific elements of the building for use in a memorial and/or future museum exhibit in remembrance of the building. 

Over the next several months, Construction & Project Management will be working to carry out the demolition and specific material preservation work as directed. 

We assure you that we are committed to minimizing disruptions during these construction activities. Specific efforts will be taken to limit the amount of disruption to surrounding facilities, traffic, and Tribal operations. We anticipate construction to run from Sept. 17 through early December. 

Should you have any questions regarding this project or ongoing work, please feel free to call our office at 970-563-4710. Additional information regarding this project is also listed on our website at: Ute Vocational School/Head Start Building Demolition – Southern Ute Indian Tribe (southernute- nsn.gov) A copy of the reference Resolution is available upon request.