Bible College Showcases New Dorm Facilities

Charis’ Expansion Pursuit Aims at Filling Housing Shortage for Students

Trevor Phipps

 

As Woodland Park continues to grow and become a popular place to live, housing options have become scarcer.

Ever since the Charis Bible College opened its doors in 2014, the influx of many people coming to the city to attend classes at the world-wide ministry has put a strain on the region’s housing market, creating a big demand for affordable units.

 

In the last couple of years, hundreds of students wishing to attend the local bible college have been forced to turn down acceptance due to a lack of housing nearby. The college has planned for several years to do its part in filling the housing shortage gap by building their own dorm rooms to accommodate students who come from all over the country and world.  With Charis’ new housing venture, the dorm facilities could eventually house nearly 500 students.

 

In 2022, plans were approved by the Woodland Park City Council to break ground on the construction of a total of six buildings with dorm rooms. And now nearly two years later, two of the student housing buildings will be open and ready for students to move into by August, according to current plans.

 

The buildings are hidden in the woods on the Charis property where motorists driving on Hwy. 24 can’t even see them. In fact, nobody can see the new dorm buildings until they drive up to the campus and the roofs start to poke out through the trees.

On the outside, the buildings look very similar to the look of the campus’s other buildings. But on the inside, the amenities are top of the line and everything from the heating system to the cabinet doors feature a much better quality than what can be found in most newly constructed houses in the area.

 

The buildings are each three levels, and of the two opening this year, one will be for men and the other will house just women. Every level sports large indoor community areas with gas fireplaces and outdoor patios, where the students can get together to study and pray.

 

The dorm units consist of four rooms per unit, with a small kitchen area and a living room. There are then two rooms and a bathroom on each side of the common area.

 

Upon touring the building that is almost completed, it is evident that every detail was considered during the design phase. Even the kitchen cabinets in the dorm rooms are top-notch and shut gently so that people in kitchen will never disturb others who are asleep.

 

The building is also equipped with a circulating hot water system to ensure that everyone gets hot water when they need it. The building also has a state-of-the-art fire suppression system that will add to the safety of the students.

The buildings’ fire suppression systems are powered by $50,000 high pressure water pumps that can easily dump enough water to extinguish a blaze promptly.

“This building is built in a way that’s cutting-edge,” Christopher Browning, the superintendent with J.H. Reich Construction who is the projects general contractor said. “There is super insulation, and the building is built in pods. All of the doors to the corridor can be closed. Everything is solid hard wood doors. Every single bedroom and common area have at least one sprinkler head. So, there is no chance that any fire that starts in here is going to get into there and cause a problem.”

 

Construction Continues on Four More Housing Buildings

 

If plans proceed on schedule, two of the six student housing buildings will be finalized before classes start at Charis this fall. The ground has already been broken on the four other buildings, which are slated to be finished to start the 2025 school year.

 

All of the buildings are located in the same area of the campus property, and they will be built with the same amenities and all look mostly the same. There will also be a large green space area in between the sets of buildings.

 

Back in 2022, the plans were that each housing building would have the ability to house around 40 students. The projected cost two years ago was estimated at $6 million-plus per building.

 

But now two years later, the price has jumped to nearly $9 million per building. And according to the Eileen Quinn, the public relations manager for Charis Bible College, the plans call for most dorm-room units to house two students instead of one. In fact, each dorm building will now house nearly 80 students.

 

Officials from the Charis Bible College recently offered a sneak peek tour of the two new housing buildings that are almost finished.  This occurred following a ceremony to honor local veterans and to celebrate new signate for the Purple Heart Trail at the entrance to the property (see related story).

The college also shows their support for veterans every year when they put on their Independence Day-themed “In God We Trust” live performance. All of the public (especially local veterans) are invited to the free show for a showing at 3 p.m. on July 4 and 5 p.m. on July 5.