SF Indian School gets new access area
School also hopes for new traffic light for exiting campus
As part of an ongoing plan to renovate the Santa Fe Indian Schools grounds, the school is wrapping up a project aimed at improving pedestrian and vehicular access to the campus.
Access to the 115-acre campus on Cerrillos Road will be moved farther south, away from the busy Cerrillos/ St. Francis intersection, said Kimball Sekaquaptewa, school spokeswoman.
“When we have our large events, the traffic really backs up on campus,” she said. “To turn left onto our property causes quite a bit of delays on Cerrillos when that happens. So we did this in order to address the traffic flow, and safely exiting and entering the campus.”
The new access area also delivers students, staff and visitors directly into the heart of the campus, she said, particularly the Everett F. Chavez Pueblo Pavilion that was completed in 2011; it houses the basketball arena and is home to many ceremonies held at the
school.
“Everybody has to come in from the south and it comes in mid-property,” Sekaquaptewa said. “It really ties into the heart of the campus, so we’re happy about that.”
The work also includes the construction of a new security building to better protect students and staff, she said. The school serves 725 students in seventh through 12th grades from the 19 Pueblos, two Apache tribes and the Navajo Nation of New Mexico. Two-thirds of the students live on campus, with most of the remaining delivered via bus routes.
AnchorBuilt Construction started work on the design by Dekker Perich and Sabatini during the Christmas break. It is expected to be completed by the middle of August and paid for via $1,095,000 in a Severance Tax Bond and a $900,000 GO Bond, Sekaquaptewa said.
The school also has an ongoing traffic study in cooperation with the city of Santa Fe and the state Department of Transportation to add a new traffic signal on Cerrillos between Second Street and Baca, she said.
“Right now, if you exit campus, you can turn left, but, as a school, we do not let school buses or school vehicles to turn left,” Sekaquaptewa said. “With the new entrance, we’ve fallen short of our goal if this remains the case. We’ve been working with the city and DOT to determine if we can get a light. We’re doing due diligence with a traffic study. It’s happening now and we’re hoping for positive progress.”
The grounds also will see increased xeriscaping, she said, as well as a new marquee. And, eventually, the fencing surrounding the campus will be replaced.
“This is part of one phase of campus development and master planning,” Sekaquaptewa said. “We recently added an administration building and a distant learning facility. We continue to realize the master plan for the evolving educational needs of our students.”