HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter Little Red Schoolhouse Funding Request 082025
Town of Snowmass Village P.O. Box 5010, Snowmass Village, Colorado 81615 970.923.3777 www.tosv.com
August 20, 2025
Board of County Commissioners
Pitkin County
530 E. Main Street, Suite 302
Aspen, CO 81611
RE: Little Red Schoolhouse Funding
Dear Honorable Commissioners:
Thank you for partnering with us and sharing our commitment to finding childcare solutions for our
community. Through the grant writing services and generous $208,000 contribution, your support
has been instrumental in advancing the Little Red Schoolhouse expansion project. While we were
hopeful for federal assistance, the Senate appropriations bill unfortunately did not include funding for
LRSH, and our application for the Energy & Mineral Impact Assistance Fund Grant from DOLA was
also unsuccessful. On behalf of the Town Council of Snowmass Village, I respectfully request an
additional $500,000 from Pitkin County to help close the remaining funding gap and ensure we can
move forward with this critical community initiative to expand the Little Red Schoolhouse childcare
facility.
We’re proud that this project continues to move forward, even as other regional childcare efforts
have encountered delays. The design phase of this project is complete, and the Town now targets a
groundbreaking in 2026. That timeline reflects the realities of our entitlement process, contractor
bidding, and the shorter construction season in the upper valley.
While we appreciate the County’s ongoing investment in early childhood through educator wage
subsidies, we believe that a one-time capital investment in infrastructure will have long-lasting
benefits. As confirmed by our 2022 feasibility study, the need for additional childcare capacity
extends across jurisdictional lines - families live and work throughout Pitkin County, regardless of
town boundaries. Expanding capacity at the Little Red Schoolhouse will support this regional
workforce and improve access for local families.
The estimated cost of the project is now just over $8.5 million. Snowmass Village is actively working
to secure a combination of public and private funding, but we cannot bring the project to fruition
without key partners. An additional $500,000 contribution from Pitkin County would be a meaningful
step forward and signal a shared commitment to solving one of our region’s most pressing
challenges.
We would again be glad to provide more detail or present to the Board directly. Thank you for your
consideration and for your continued leadership in supporting working families and early childhood
education in Pitkin County.
Sincerely,
Alyssa Shenk, Mayor