LONGMONT - The Twin Peaks Charter Academy has purchased a new building and land to move its school in Longmont.

The public charter school purchased the 150,000-square-foot warehouse building at 345 S. Francis St. and the nine-acre property next door for $8.25 million, according to Boulder County public records.

The building and land will be retrofitted for a new school and playground, said Twin Peaks Charter Academy Board President Peter Wanninger. The project is expected to be complete by June 15, 2009, ahead of the 2009-2010 school year.

A $14 million bond issued through the Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority will help fund the acquisition and redevelopment, Wanninger said.

Twin Pears Charter Academy currently operates at 820 Main St. in the old Longmont High School building. It serves about 588 students in from kindergarten through eighth grade.

Wanninger said the new building will provide more room for the school, which expects to have 720 students by 2012. The new school will include classroom space, a gym and auditorium and outdoor grass playgrounds.

BOULDER - Thistle Community Housing has opened a temporary office nearby its Fairways Apartment complex at 5620 Arapahoe Ave., after one of the four apartment buildings burned down on Nov. 15.

The nonprofit organization signed a lease for 1,665 square feet of space at 5600 Arapahoe Ave. The office will be used oversee the demolition and rebuilding of the burnt down building next door.

It will also temporarily replace Thistle's Fairways administrative office, which was also burned in the fire.

Scott Leakas of Acquire Inc. helped broker the real estate deal.

BOULDER - University of Colorado at Boulder Law School received a $5 million endowment to enhance its on-the-job clinical programs.

The endowment, donated by the Schaden Family Fund, will enhance Colorado Law's, externships, appellate and moot-court competitions and voluntary pro bono work. It will enable the hiring of a senior professor to oversee the school's experiential education programs and allow more students to participate.

"We will establish and staff an Experiential Education Program that builds linkages with faculty involved in experiential education and those doing traditional classroom teaching," said David Getches, dean of Colorado Law, in a statement.

BOULDER - The 8th Continent Aerospace Business Incubator, which is managed by the Boulder Innovation Center, signed its first tenant, the incubator announced Thursday.

The tenant, Australian-based flaik, which has a Boulder office located at 4450 Arapahoe Ave., Suite 100, designs technology to help skiers record vertical performance and resorts track ski school students.

The BIC, working with Golden-based 8th Continent, which helps promote space technology and resources into the economy in collaboration with the Colorado School of Mines, will help connect flaik with mentors, coaches, legal counsel and more in order to help the company succeed.

"They've come here to establish customer, partner and employee relationships within Colorado's technology, work force, venture capital ad ski industry communities - a perfect fit for the services BIC brings to the table," Tim Bour, the center's director, said in a statement.

As part of the BIC's involvement, Bour said he plans to hire a program manager to help flaik integrate into the Colorado community.

So far flaik has signed contracts with Steamboat and Copper Mountain ski resorts.

BOULDER - The Smart Energy Alliance based in Lakewood, Xcel Energy and the city of Boulder has chosen Jenny and Mark Maybee as winners of the 2008 Home Energy Makeover contest.

The Maybee's 1,500-square-foot house uses 16,000 kilowatt hours of electricity and 1,396 therms - a measurement of heat energy - of natural gas per year, compared to Colorado averages of 7,000 kilowatt hours and 1,000 therms per year. The house experiences drastic temperature changes from room to room and is extremely cold during winter months. Many of the windows at the residence are inoperable, creating excessive heat gain during summer months.

Up to $25,000 in energy upgrades will be installed in the home by early 2009. Participating Denver metro industry sponsors will donate the equipment and labor required for a complete home energy makeover. The Maybees were selected from among 625 Boulder applicants.

Boulder Digital Arts hosts Storytelling with Photography from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5 at 2510 47th St., Suite 202 in Boulder. This class will teach you how to think about, shoot and edit a picture story for maximum impact. Cost: $50 members, $70 guests. Contact: Kira Woodmansee, 703-867-9725 or events@boulderdigitalarts.com.

The University of Colorado at Boulder hosts the Engineering Design Expo from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6 at the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory, Regent Drive and Colorado Avenue. More than 80 student inventions from more than 400 students will be showcased at this annual event. Cost: Free and open to the public. Contact: 303-492-7222.