Encore Electric Teams Complete Transitional Housing and Recovery Campus at Sage Ridge Supportive Resident Community
May 13, 2026 – Watkins, CO — The recently remodeled, 560-acre Sage Ridge Supportive Resident Community campus will support Coloradans experiencing homelessness and seeking help for addiction recovery. For the transformation of this campus, Encore Electric electrical construction and Technology Solutions teams joined forces to complete all the electrical and low voltage work. Encore Electric partnered with Haselden Construction, the state of Colorado, and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless to successfully complete the Sage Ridge Supportive Resident Community campus.
The campus remodel covered 16 buildings, including a gymnasium, resource center, library, administrative center, substance withdrawal recovery facility, and seven housing units. Teams completed tasks related to lighting, branch power, new wiring, telecommunications cabling, fiber optic cabling, Wi-Fi, audio visual, and a new fire alarm and security system.
“The campus differs from a typical day shelter facility, where individuals experiencing homelessness are provided emergency accommodations on a first-come, first-served basis. This facility leans heavily into the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless’ mission to work collaboratively with individuals who are experiencing homelessness. Participants at Sage Ridge engage in a transitional housing recovery model of care that provides skills training, milestones and even a graduation ceremony,” said Technology Solutions Project Manager Brandon Fleury. “Recognition in the form of a graduation ceremony is really empowering and provides a tangible goal for participants.”
A homeless shelter typically provides the essentials like a bed and toilet, while the Sage Ridge Supportive Resident Community offers resources to address all aspects of recovery with its welcoming, non-institutional design. From vocational training to supporting extracurriculars – including access to tennis courts, basketball courts, and a running track – the state of Colorado invested in a host of activities targeted to better residents’ social, emotional, and physical health.
“Within the community, residents will have access to integrated healthcare, vocational training, case management, withdrawal management services, and peer-supported staffing that fosters autonomy and self-care,” states a press release by Haselden Construction. “At its full capacity, the Sage Ridge Supportive Residential Community will support 198 participants, with 27 detox beds on campus.”
“This entire campus is meant to be as de-institutionalized as possible,” Fleury said. “They have spaces where they can do a show-and-tell, so a Proctor can share something on their screen and people can follow along. This setup can be used to go over things like a job application or a housing application.”
Prior to this remodel, the Sage Ridge campus was occupied by Ridge View Academy, a reform school for boys, which opened in 2001. The academy abruptly closed in 2021, leaving behind classrooms filled with school supplies, furniture, and other instructional materials, effectively preserving the campus as a time capsule. The campus then sat vacant until the remodel began in 2024, at which time the buildings had suffered water damage.
The campus had not been updated since the doors originally opened in 2001, so one of the challenges the project team encountered was updating the old and outdated systems. Building codes and safety standards have evolved over the last 25 years, so the team took extra precautions when evaluating the electrical, communication, and security systems. Newer teammates to the trades were unfamiliar with the risks involved when updating older buildings like these, so mentorship, clear communication, and looking out for one another were essential to completing the project safely.
“The facility was built at a time when you could share neutrals with multiple circuits and fire alarm wire was just free aired inside of walls. For people that haven’t been in the trade very long, many of these items wouldn’t be on their radar because the facility was built at such a different time,” said Jason Becker, Encore Electric project manager. “It was a challenge to get everyone hyper aware of the potential risks.”
Another challenge the teams encountered was the vastness of the campus and the electrical systems that vary from building to building. The housing units share a similar system, while the other buildings each have a unique system and requirements, resulting in the team adapting to the various layouts. For the campus remodel, Encore Electric Technology Solutions team provided design-build services.
“The Technology Solutions team had to ‘prime the pump’ of the low-voltage design to meet early construction deadlines before our low-voltage engineer partner was onboarded. We had to lead the design throughout the project, often ahead of the ownership and operator team who was not fully engaged until well into the construction phase,” said Technology Solutions Preconstruction Manager Kevin Zolitor.
“Not only do we have cabling in the buildings, but we had to interconnect the buildings underground, so they are all tied together in one big system that feeds back to the Admin Building,” Fleury said.
To interconnect all the buildings and systems seamlessly, it required extensive coordination and design. At any one time, the Technology Solutions team had between five and seven technicians working on the Sage Ridge campus, but almost half of the department had gone out to the site to assist with construction at some point.
“Due to the late onboarding of the facility operator, Encore Technology Solutions had to step in to coordinate the wired and wireless network integration, usually undertaken by the owner’s IT department. The Encore team coordinated technical and operational requirements of multiple users, vendors, and operator representatives, and other stakeholders to deliver a functional communications system when the facility doors opened,” Zolitor said.
One of the installations completed by the Technology Solutions team was a 188-inch diagonal screen in the auditorium. Installing such a large screen presented logistical challenges as the team worked through how to lift it into place, secure it, and complete the wiring.
The Sage Ridge Supportive Resident Community campus was completed in three different phases. A challenge for both the electrical construction and Technology Solutions teams was the project schedule, because the state of Colorado had a strict deadline for when they wanted to populate the campus with staff and people seeking services. Further complicating the schedule, the project team encountered long lead times for key materials like light fixtures, which required them to pivot when materials were delayed.
The Encore Electric team consistently navigated challenges and crafted creative solutions to ensure this project was completed on time and met the modern standards and safety requirements. Now that Sage Ridge Supportive Resident Community is open, it will have a positive impact on many people experiencing homelessness in Colorado by providing essential resources to help them rebuild their lives.
“I think it gives the community an alternative means to get rehabilitated and possibly reenter society,” said Encore Electric Superintendent Paul Babcock. “The way they do that out at Sage Ridge is a little more unique than typical facilities.”
“Throughout my career, I have worked on numerous Colorado Coalition for the Homeless facilities. With a background in psychology, I have an elevated interest in behavioral health and have been impressed with their mission, philosophy, and clinical approach,” Fleury said.