A groundbreaking ceremony for Coal Ridge High School will be held at 6 p.m. tonight at 35947 Highway 6 & 24, between New Castle and Silt.The district is excited to begin its relationship with Gamma Construction, the apparent low bidder on the Coal Ridge High School project, whose bid came in $1 million under budget. This means the district can expect $2.1 million more in additional construction, according to superintendent Gary Pack. A few of the bid alternates added to Coal Ridge because of the competitive construction costs include an auxiliary gymnasium and locker rooms, a state-of-the-art art/tech wing, and a four-pipe heating/cooling system. The cost savings realized through the bidding process for Coal Ridge High School must be used for construction projects. State finance laws require bond funding only to be used for buildings, and not for salaries or programs.Contractors will start moving dirt in November, and construction is scheduled to start in March or April. The district is optimistic that Coal Ridge High School will be ready for students at the beginning of the 2005 school year. The location of the I Love to Read Awards Ceremony has been changed to the Literacy Outreach office, located in the basement of the Glenwood Springs Library, 413 9th St. in Glenwood. The ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. today. Winners should arrive 10 minutes early to pick up their essays. Nine independent judges read and discussed 500 essays from entrants ranging in age from kindergarten through adult on Sept. 18. Criteria created by the judges included whether the entrant answered the question “The most important thing I learned from reading is.” as well as clarity and originality. Many of the entrants showed remarkable insight into the importance of reading and helping others to read.Several Re-2 students took home impressive honors in the third annual essay contest, which is sponsored by the Garfield County Library System and Literacy Outreach. Emily Johnson from Riverside Middle School took second place in the middle school category. In the grade 4-5 category, all winners are from Roy Moore Elementary School. First place, Eliel Ruiz; second place, Cody Lyon; third place, Korbyn Brown; and runner-up, Hanna Johnson.All winners in the K-3 category are from Roy Moore Elementary School. First place, Jasmin Villezcas; second place, Kaleigh Mason; third place, Glenda Delgadillo; and runner-up, Kenneth Weinreis.The overall winner in the I Love to Read Essay Contest was Eliel Ruiz, a fifth grader from Roy Moore Elementary School. He impressed the judges with his essay about learning about friendship, and that skin color doesn’t make who you are, from the book, “Walk Two Moons,” by Sharon Creech. Congratulations to all winners and participants!Winners receive gift certificates to a bookstore, a certificate, and bragging rights. “We have been overwhelmed by the participation in this event,” said Literacy Outreach executive director Martha Fredendall. “We really appreciate all the essay participants and sharing their love of reading to help raise awareness for those who cannot.”-Congratulations to the Rifle High School varsity football team for their outstanding game and determination in the win against Palisade High School on Sept. 19. Go Bears!