BESD- Board Work Session - May 7, 2026 - Special Session

Box Elder School District Board of Education · Box Elder County School District, UT · · More Box Elder County School District, UT meetings · More Utah meetings

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[0:00] Yes.
[0:01] >> Yeah. So, essentially this is Robert's
[0:04] purchases and Cory's maintenance and
[0:06] purchases as well. It makes up that $13
[0:08] million.
[0:10] Um, so next slide, Adam is proposed
[0:14] elementary school debt payments. We need
[0:16] a loan to build these schools. We don't
[0:17] have $55 million in reserve to build the
[0:19] schools. We need a loan. So, I'll talk
[0:22] about the detail of that later. $4.4
[0:25] million.
[0:27] In my conversations with lenders, it's a possibility they want us to put
[0:31] essentially a reserve fund in case of
[0:33] non-payment and they want us to
[0:35] potentially have about a $4.5 million
[0:37] reserve fund established.
[0:40] It's kind of like when, for example,
[0:41] when I built my house, that construction
[0:43] loan, the bank asked me to put a large
[0:46] sum of money, $30, $40,000 into their
[0:49] bank that they held that I couldn't
[0:50] access until my loan was paid off. Same
[0:53] concept. It's our money. they can't use
[0:56] it, but they want to hold in reserve in
[0:57] case we non-perform our loan. Not going
[0:59] to happen, but that's part of the
[1:00] unwritten process at the bank. I'm
[1:03] working with them on that to hopefully
[1:05] not have that, and I think I made
[1:06] progress on that, but this is worst case
[1:09] scenario.
[1:17] I was asking a question about um can you
[1:20] tell me again what loan we're talking
[1:22] about for the
[1:24] >> for the Discovery Elementary and West
[1:26] Tremont elementary school builds
[1:28] >> total amount of that
[1:30] >> about $55 million.
[1:33] I'll have a slide on that. I'll go into
[1:34] that detail at a later point here.
[1:39] uh secure vestables. So HB84 back in
[1:42] 2003 required
[1:45] uh school districts in any school really
[1:47] to secure their front entrances called a
[1:49] secure vestible, a place where they can
[1:51] contain visitors that can't get into the
[1:52] main part of the building without
[1:54] verifying their identity uh and be
[1:57] basically a secure area. Uh we have some
[1:59] schools that are challenging to to
[2:02] construct those that require significant
[2:03] capital investments. We're forecasting
[2:05] about $2.6 million. We haven't designed
[2:08] those yet. That's just our best guess
[2:10] based on what we know might need to
[2:11] happen.
[2:13] Um, security sewer preventive
[2:15] maintenance. Right now, we're working
[2:17] with our construction managers to
[2:19] inspect all our sewer lines with a
[2:21] camera, determine where they might be
[2:23] failure points. And this is to fix those
[2:26] failure points so later on during school
[2:29] hours or in the future we don't have
[2:31] broken lines. This is preventing the
[2:33] maintenance. kind of like taking your
[2:34] car to the mechanic and have them do a
[2:36] once over and check everything that
[2:38] needs to be lubed or replaced, tires,
[2:41] oil, uh, washer fluid, all those things.
[2:43] That's what we're doing for our sewer
[2:44] system to prevent that. Yes.
[2:46] >> Does that amount does that amount
[2:50] include um just finding out or does that
[2:53] include the maintenance?
[2:55] >> This is the repair. So, the finding out
[2:56] we're doing right now in this fiscal
[2:57] year with existing budgets.
[2:59] >> Okay. Thanks.
[3:02] Um then next we have air conditioning
[3:04] installation. Now I have detail on these
[3:06] line items in different slides, but this
[3:08] is an overview. Um $5.1 million to air
[3:11] condition the remaining parts of our
[3:12] school district. So every building has
[3:14] air conditioning. We know that was a a
[3:16] um priority for the public in our
[3:18] surveys. So we're putting forward
[3:19] existing capital funds to do that.
[3:22] Uh school bus purchases. So we refresh
[3:25] our school bus fleet as buses age out.
[3:27] Currently, we're doing about a million3
[3:30] to a million5 per year. So, this is that line item for that those purchases.
[3:35] Then, we take the older buses, we go
[3:36] sell them at auction. A lot of times we
[3:39] get 8 $10,000 for a school bus. Not a
[3:42] lot. We use them till they till their
[3:44] maintenance costs more to operate than
[3:46] it is for us to buy a new school bus.
[3:49] A biggest thing on school buses, the
[3:51] problem is emissions items. So, they're
[3:54] all diesel vehicles. So, the diesel
[3:56] particulate filters and the diesel
[3:58] exhaust fluid uh system are very costly
[4:00] to replace. So, when we get to that
[4:02] point where we're looking at a 40 or
[4:04] $50,000 repair in parts, it's that time
[4:06] to replace that bus.
[4:10] Um, district vehicle purchases.
[4:11] Currently, we don't have a plan for
[4:13] purchasing district vehicles as they age
[4:15] out. And this is for what we call our
[4:17] white fleet suburbans, vans, cars that
[4:20] are used around our district to
[4:21] transport students and staff for their
[4:24] different responsibilities. Um, as I
[4:26] mentioned earlier, we have some
[4:27] suburbans that are 200,000 miles. That's
[4:29] pretty that's pretty high for a vehicle
[4:31] that depends on to transport students
[4:33] around the state. So, as these age out,
[4:36] we will buy new vehicles, sell the old
[4:38] ones at auction, but this is a line item
[4:40] to to purchase those as we need
[4:42] throughout the year.
[4:46] Um, Bay River High School improvements.
[4:50] >> Oh, you have a question?
[4:54] » I was just curious if that was the same
[4:55] budget for the driver's ed cars or
[4:58] >> It could be.
[4:59] >> Oh, yeah.
[5:00] >> Yeah. So, we can um move driver's ed
[5:03] cars into the fleet and buy new driver's
[5:05] ed cars. We try and use these vehicles
[5:08] as much as we can till they start
[5:09] costing us money extra for maintenance
[5:12] or we feel like they're unsafe. So, we
[5:14] try and for our larger vehicles are
[5:16] trucks that are in CTE or maintenance
[5:19] vehicles, they're about 150,000 miles
[5:21] that we start to move them on. Other
[5:23] vehicles, the sweet spots right about
[5:25] 100,000 miles where they still have
[5:26] decent amount of value, but they're not
[5:29] starting to fall apart so much need
[5:30] maintenance.
[5:32] >> Just a question or an answer about
[5:34] driver's ed cars. We used to have a a
[5:36] state uh grant that brought about
[5:39] $60,000
[5:40] uh annually and that grant was
[5:42] eliminated. And so we would buy about
[5:46] two cars and kind of replace the oldest
[5:50] two. And so that would be kind of the
[5:52] rotation. So now that that's gone, then
[5:54] we're going to have to find a way to run
[5:57] them, sell them, and use some general
[6:00] funds to kind of help that.
[6:04] 12
[6:08] 13.
[6:09] We're at 13.
[6:12] >> Another thing about driver's ed vehicles
[6:14] that they have some special equipment
[6:15] inside them that about 10 to $15,000
[6:18] extra for the passenger side brake and
[6:20] things like that. There's other things
[6:21] that go into those vehicles.
[6:25] >> I mean, I I learned to drive without the
[6:27] passenger side brake, but I'm sure most
[6:29] today they appreciate it.
[6:32] All right. Um, playground budget again,
[6:35] 4,000 five $500,000
[6:38] total expenditures and most these are
[6:39] onetime expenditures are $39 million.
[6:46] » So, the high school,
[6:57] >> we'll get to that. I have a slide for
[6:58] that.
[7:02] This is this is a we've not voted.
[7:06] >> No, this is a proposal for us to
[7:08] discuss.
[7:10] >> Right.
[7:10] >> Yes.
[7:17] » I think when I met with you the Bear
[7:19] Ridge High School improvements haven't
[7:20] been fleshed out yet, so that wasn't on
[7:21] there. That probably is new for you.
[7:23] >> And that's the same for all of us.
[7:26] >> Yeah.
[7:29] So budgeted fund balances question mark
[7:30] because we don't have a budget yet. When
[7:32] we pass that budget in June, we'll have
[7:34] a number there. Um estimated funding
[7:36] balance based on this work here is $14
[7:39] million. Remember we have $4.5 million
[7:42] set aside for debt reserve. So really it
[7:44] will be about $18 million.
[7:47] Um I'm I'm pretty sure that's what we'll
[7:48] end up at. I don't think we'll have to
[7:50] have that debt reserve.
[7:54] So, our fund balance history in 2020, I
[7:57] went back to there. $23.8 million is
[8:00] what our fund balance was there. In 21
[8:03] went to $31 million. What happened in
[8:05] 21?
[8:06] We got a loan for Golden Spike. So, the
[8:09] money got got deposited there. Um, so
[8:13] that went up, but it's earmarked for
[8:14] construction only. Then we built Golden
[8:17] Spike and it went down to $17.5 million.
[8:20] Golden Spike was a $15 million loan. The
[8:24] $25 million build when you factor in all
[8:26] what we call FFN fixtures, furnishings,
[8:28] and equipment that goes inside the
[8:30] building. All your school lunch stuff,
[8:32] all your desk, your chairs, computers,
[8:34] um furniture in the office, all that.
[8:37] And that total bill was $25 million.
[8:40] So, we did about $10 million out of our
[8:43] regular fund balance and 15 from alone.
[8:48] » Any other questions?
[8:58] uh West Treemont, we're we'll be about
[9:00] nine years later by the time we start
[9:01] construction.
[9:03] So, great question. So, that cost to
[9:05] build that school um as designed in 2017
[9:10] was $17 million. No, it's 20 2021 when
[9:18] >> Well, I'm okay. I
[9:21] >> Yeah, I'm trying to compare Westmont to
[9:22] Westmont then. Same building footprint,
[9:25] $17 million. Today, same building
[9:27] footprint, $ 35 to $40 million. We're
[9:30] not done with engineering yet because
[9:32] engineering standards change. So, it's a
[9:33] little that's a wild card we have to
[9:35] deal with there.
[9:37] Any questions?
[9:40] Okay.
[9:42] So our low point was 2022 17.5. Then we
[9:45] started building fund balance as we go
[9:47] through. Um
[9:49] one of our bigger jumps right here was
[9:53] due to there's a tax increase that was
[9:55] passed by the board in 2023. So we have
[9:58] a jump here about $4 million. There's a
[10:01] bigger jump here. Um this mostly due to
[10:05] construction projects that we that
[10:06] didn't materialize and additional uh tax
[10:10] funds mostly from our fee and loo and
[10:12] other taxing our flat taxes that we get
[10:14] that aren't part of the property tax
[10:16] calculation.
[10:19] So then we're going to end up
[10:20] potentially
[10:22] in end of this year end next year about
[10:24] $14 million if we do all these projects.
[10:28] really 18 million when you factor in the
[10:30] debt service reserve, but I'm
[10:32] forecasting for worst case scenario
[10:33] here. You have any questions on this?
[10:40] » Is there an amount we're supposed to
[10:42] have recommended amount?
[10:44] >> There's not.
[10:45] And that's been a question
[10:46] amongst business administrators across
[10:47] the state asking what is your
[10:50] recommended policy? What is there a
[10:51] policy on your board for how much
[10:53] percentage of cost you have in here? And
[10:56] there's not because
[10:58] districts are usually doing construction
[11:01] or maintenance projects across the year
[11:04] and their maintenance schedule or
[11:05] construction schedule may vary. So when
[11:07] you sell a bond or you borrow money, it
[11:10] goes into this fund. So it may look like
[11:12] a huge balance like we had in 21 $31
[11:14] million, but half of that was earmarked
[11:17] for construction.
[11:19] So it's it's hard to have a recommended
[11:21] ongoing fund balance in this fund
[11:23] because of that. We could break out to a
[11:25] different fund and sure we could have a
[11:27] board target but there really isn't a
[11:29] standard across the state for that
[11:31] target because this all depends on your
[11:33] facility and maintenance needs.
[11:36] >> Yes. Clarification talk about the need
[11:38] for
[11:39] the 5%.
[11:41] >> Oh yes
[11:42] >> I don't know if that's part of it. Um
[11:45] yeah so the general fund balance so
[11:47] operational fund that's basically that's
[11:49] what our mission is to teach kids all
[11:52] the funds that support that called
[11:53] operation or fund 10 fund 10
[11:57] the targeted balance by the various
[12:00] organizations that I belong to
[12:02] government finance office association uh
[12:05] gazsby government accounting standards
[12:06] board and various Utah public treasures
[12:09] association 25% of operational cost
[12:12] should be saved in the reserve
[12:14] That's essentially three months
[12:15] operational cost. Yeah. So three months,
[12:18] one quarter.
[12:20] Uh that is consistent of what people
[12:22] preach in personal finance. Have three
[12:24] months of expenses saved. Uh for us
[12:27] that's about $32 million.
[12:30] Uh we ended last year in the general
[12:32] fund, not listed here, but in the
[12:33] general fund about $28 million. Pretty
[12:36] close to that target. Of that $28
[12:38] million, some is earmarked for various
[12:41] things. For example, we have $3.9
[12:44] million and we call uh it's a a reserve
[12:48] account the board selects and and funds
[12:52] $3.9 million. The limit of that is 5% of
[12:56] your expenditures. We have about 3.9% in
[13:00] there. This year, if we want to as a
[13:02] board, we can dedicate additional funds
[13:04] to get to that max 5% in the operations
[13:07] fund. Other things in there that are
[13:10] earmarked are uh funds for we call
[13:13] retirement liabilities about $4.5
[13:16] million. There's additional funds for
[13:18] other other dedicated projects such as
[13:20] curriculum adoptions. We have dedicated
[13:23] funds for personal uh development in
[13:25] there. So we have various dedications,
[13:28] but we have about $12 million in there
[13:30] that's not earmarked for future
[13:31] spending. That is just capital savings
[13:34] for sorry operational savings for when
[13:36] we have those needs because we know what
[13:39] our state funding is going to be every
[13:41] year. Our local funding kind of es and
[13:44] flows
[13:46] depending on the payment rate of taxes
[13:48] in our county. Our county has about a
[13:50] 94% payment rate that's been coming down
[13:54] in recent years as high as 96. So that
[13:56] affects how much local money we have
[13:58] coming in. Also uh all our flat fees in L those up e and flow with the
[14:04] economy we have a recession and we have
[14:07] consumers not buying vehicles and
[14:09] trailers and all those things that's
[14:10] going to go down. So we have a fund
[14:13] balance to take care of those
[14:15] uncertainty in local tax flows. Also our
[14:18] federal government at times cuts funding
[14:20] or redistributes funding or we have
[14:23] funding decline for different reasons.
[14:25] For example, in title one, it's based on
[14:28] poverty rates in our county. Those rates
[14:31] are declining. The 2020 census, our
[14:34] poverty rate was 9% in our county. The
[14:37] most recent census data came out on for
[14:38] 2024 year was 6%. So, we had 3% decline
[14:42] in poverty rates in our county. That
[14:45] equated to a $250,000 cut in Title One
[14:48] funds. So we have these local savings to
[14:52] account for those uncertainties that
[14:53] happened throughout the over the years.
[14:57] Uh questions.
[15:00] Okay.
[15:02] Uh questions on fund balance history.
[15:07] Okay.
[15:10] Uh let's talk about our proposed
[15:11] purchases. So we talked about district
[15:13] vehicles. We're going to replace older
[15:14] vehicles to reduce maintenance costs. Uh
[15:17] school buses. Again, we're going to
[15:18] replace 18 vehicles on a perox schedule.
[15:21] Um, buses are a long lead item. We have
[15:24] some buses that we ordered in 2024
[15:27] that have not been delivered yet.
[15:30] We're still waiting on them.
[15:33] So, that's why we have maintained this
[15:34] budget here to periodically order buses
[15:36] so we know when they come in, they're
[15:37] available for use because they're not a common item. They're not like F-150s
[15:41] that you build millions a year. They're
[15:43] but not quite custom order, but it takes
[15:44] a while. is only a few manufacturers,
[15:46] mostly Bluebird and International make
[15:49] buses and so there's only two
[15:51] manufacturers and it's it's a longer
[15:54] time to get these buses
[15:58] um secure vestable. So here's the detail
[16:00] on that. Uh with Corey uh and DWA, our
[16:04] construction manager, we estimated what
[16:06] we're going to have to do, what we need
[16:08] to So we need about uh 100,000 for Bay
[16:11] River High School. We need about uh
[16:15] $500,000 for Box Elder High School and
[16:18] Box Elder Middle School. It's about $2
[16:21] million because right now the office is
[16:23] way down the hall. So to move that and
[16:26] pro and create additional space for
[16:27] secure vestables in front will take some
[16:29] funds. Um Corey is here to talk about
[16:34] this if we have questions on that for
[16:35] Corey.
[16:44] Uh not for this state is the state
[16:47] funding helping because they're
[16:49] mandating.
[16:49] >> No.
[16:58] » And how long are we thinking that will
[17:00] take? We well this if we approve these
[17:03] projects that depends on the capacity of
[17:06] local contractors we would have to go
[17:08] through especially for the middle school
[17:10] design process architects be involved
[17:13] and go through that process. It's a
[17:14] smaller design process but we still have
[17:15] to go through that process. The deadline
[17:17] for having these in place is 2034.
[17:20] They gave us a long lead time notifying
[17:22] hey we're not going to help you with
[17:24] these construction costs. So please plan
[17:26] on them. And so that's again part of our
[17:29] capital balance is a plan for these
[17:30] long-term construction projects.
[17:35] » We would like to do it sooner than
[17:36] later.
[17:37] >> Yes. Yes. Yes. There are some safety
[17:40] concerns that we like to address so not
[17:42] everybody can just walk in the building
[17:44] and not be noticed.
[17:53] » Yes. Yes. But it is a
[17:57] >> it is.
[18:00] And this is uh I'm not sure what year
[18:02] this building was designed to melt, but
[18:04] I know it was decades ago that this was
[18:06] not even a consideration.
[18:08] My my son goes to Weber High and they
[18:11] have the same problem. They you walk
[18:13] into that school, they have a secure
[18:14] vestible, but the office is way far away
[18:16] and you walk into a giant courtyard that
[18:18] spoken hub. So for them to secure it in
[18:21] a meaningful way would be difficult as
[18:22] well. So, we're not unique to the
[18:24] problem that to comply with the law,
[18:26] it's going to take significant amounts
[18:28] of money.
[18:32] Uh, oh, I can go back to this one here.
[18:35] Sewer maintenance. Those are our
[18:37] estimates. We don't based on a
[18:40] historical cost and expenditures, for
[18:42] example, the fix the lake view problems
[18:44] about $120,000 this year. We don't know
[18:47] what we're going to find. These are just
[18:49] ballparks of what we think we might need
[18:51] and we'll know better about that um
[18:54] probably closer to July. Cory,
[18:56] >> hopefully it's just
[18:59] >> okay.
[19:01] Well, that's basically July.
[19:04] >> Okay. July.
[19:08] » Questions on the maintenance?
[19:10] Yes.
[19:11] >> Just that
[19:14] >> is that like you in addition to what we
[19:15] are expend.
[19:17] >> Yes. So, we fixed the what was broken,
[19:19] but we didn't fix what could break in
[19:21] the future.
[19:24] » Uh, air conditioning of the $5.1
[19:27] million. Here's our breakdown.
[19:30] Um, you can see Bear River High School
[19:32] is the biggest cost. We have the
[19:34] equipment. Um, I'm not We bought it
[19:37] during the pandemic, but we didn't have
[19:40] funds or or I wasn't here. I don't know
[19:43] why we didn't install, but I know that
[19:44] funding was an issue back then. And so
[19:47] that's an estimate there and know we
[19:50] haven't gotten very far on that one. So
[19:51] we're estimating about $5.1 million for
[19:53] all these projects. Caveat is we don't
[19:56] have to dedicate all these funds in this
[19:57] year. We have we can have some timeline
[20:00] to do that, but that would be a priority
[20:02] the board establishes.
[20:04] >> This year we already
[20:08] the current one we're in. We decide we
[20:10] dedicated 1.5. This is in addition to
[20:11] that 1.5.
[20:15] So really that 1.5 will roll over to
[20:17] this year because we're not going to get
[20:18] it done this year. So that 1.5 will come
[20:20] back into the fund balance.
[20:23] It's not part of this.
[20:24] >> And when we approve that, we just
[20:26] decided we take a chunk that line item
[20:29] when we approve that
[20:32] one or two.
[20:33] >> Yep. Yep.
[20:35] >> The 1.5 was only for the middle school
[20:37] at the time for this year. These are
[20:40] additions to those.
[20:44] Yes, this but this is a need here that
[20:46] we're going to earmark for those things
[20:47] and we'll keep on rolling that forward
[20:49] according to the board priorities of
[20:50] when which schools to prioritize and
[20:52] when to do those schools.
[20:57] Uh playground upgrades $500,000. Here's
[21:00] a rationale. Replace older playgrounds
[21:02] that pose a safety hazard. Time to time
[21:05] students get injured when a playground
[21:06] fails. Um broken bones sometimes we want
[21:10] to prevent that. They're very old in
[21:12] some places. They're not big enough.
[21:13] They're antic spaces. We know we have an
[21:16] overcrowding issue in a lot of
[21:18] elementary schools. And contributing to
[21:20] that is our playgrounds don't have
[21:22] enough space for kids to spread out and
[21:23] it creates behavior and other incidences
[21:25] where if we expand our playground spaces
[21:28] and put newer, more modern playgrounds
[21:30] in there that hopefully will alleviate
[21:31] some of those issues. But with the new
[21:34] playgrounds, do we just on wood chips or
[21:38] are we getting like the
[21:40] >> pour in place?
[21:41] >> Does that mean the rubber thingy?
[21:43] >> Yes.
[21:44] That is this new standard for
[21:46] schools.
[21:47] >> Heidi, do you have something to add to
[21:48] that?
[21:51] Did a really great job of summarizing
[21:52] it.
[22:00] Okay, we do have 250,000.
[22:02] >> Is your mic on? I think your mic's off.
[22:06] >> think we have 250,000 in the budget
[22:09] annually for ADA playgrounds. So, we are
[22:11] working through that. Really good news
[22:13] to hear. There's 500,000 for this summer
[22:16] to get started on projects because there
[22:18] is a major discrepancy between the
[22:20] playground spaces that we have available
[22:23] um the year and the quality and just the
[22:25] availability of space to play at North
[22:27] Park and McKinley when you compare it to
[22:29] Sentry or Discovery or Hton Spike or
[22:31] Garland. Many of our elementary schools
[22:34] have a separate play space for our our
[22:37] younger elementary students and our
[22:38] upper elementary students. And in
[22:40] addition to that, some of our
[22:41] playgrounds also have a kindergarten
[22:43] preschool playground and an ADA
[22:45] playground. At both McKinley and North
[22:47] Park, there's genuinely one little
[22:50] playground that's smaller than the
[22:52] center of this space that all 650 kids
[22:55] get on at one time. And those are really
[22:58] outdated and old. So that's the initial
[23:00] intent here is to begin with those two
[23:03] playgrounds and update and expand
[23:06] increase so that we have less of those
[23:07] safety hazards to repair some of the
[23:10] broken stuff. Um make it so that they
[23:12] have a space to separate the K2 and 35
[23:15] students. That's something we've heard
[23:17] many many concerns about and
[23:20] frustrations from our school community
[23:22] councils and parent communities in both
[23:24] of those areas over the last three to
[23:25] four years. So, I think that it's
[23:28] something that they've really been
[23:29] pushing for and promoting. This next
[23:31] year, the ADA playground is being
[23:34] allocated to um Century Elementary
[23:38] um because they hold ESY there and they
[23:41] have functional skills. We've been
[23:42] alternating north and south end. We're
[23:45] considering the next one going in that
[23:48] you learn based off of me.
[23:54] » They'll be started this summer. It
[23:56] sounds like they won't be able to be
[23:57] done, right?
[24:02] » For the ADA of 500 or in addition to
[24:06] 500.
[24:06] >> Neil's saying in addition,
[24:07] >> in addition, we wrote a new line item. I
[24:09] want to say in March or February, I
[24:11] can't remember which month. We have too
[24:13] much fun together.
[24:14] >> When we do 250,000, if we split up
[24:16] between the two playgrounds and then the
[24:18] board in place itself is about 60,000,
[24:21] that would leave like 60,000 worth of
[24:24] equipment. And that is not very much.
[24:27] It's like one climb on object without
[24:30] slides or space. So 250 between the two
[24:34] schools just would not provide them with
[24:35] very much. Yeah. I just wanted like the
[24:37] context for me. I was like, "Oh,
[24:38] $250,000 state-of-the-art playground."
[24:41] But it's it's really not. And when you
[24:43] split it between two schools and the
[24:44] pour in place is really an upfront
[24:47] expense for the safety.
[24:49] I think for context, the Discovery the
[24:52] new playground at Discovery Elementary
[24:55] ADA compliant is about $165,000.
[24:59] They're expensive. They're needed and we
[25:02] need to make them safe and have adequate
[25:03] space for all our students because
[25:05] recess is a really important part of the
[25:06] elementary experience.
[25:15] an explanation.
[25:23] » So the poor in place, we have a member
[25:27] on his way and I want to let him know
[25:28] that he can still come. It's clay is on
[25:31] his way. The poor in place is a risk
[25:34] issue. It prevents a lot of injuries,
[25:37] serious injuries from falls. The wood
[25:39] chips in the winter time they freeze and
[25:42] they're hard as rock and they fall and
[25:43] they hurt people. They often maintained
[25:46] uh on a regular basis. Astro turf or the
[25:49] turf artificial turf it sometimes gets
[25:52] wear patterns and wears out fast and has
[25:54] to be reconditioned. Pour in place
[25:56] really is the most cost effective at
[25:57] reducing um uh injuries and being
[26:01] longlasting.
[26:12] other questions on playgrounds.
[26:16] Okay.
[26:20] Uh Boxeller High School.
[26:24] Um actually, let's skip this for now cuz
[26:27] Clay Tus, vice principal of Box High, is
[26:30] on his way.
[26:31] >> Sorry, Bear River High. I'm sorry. Uh so
[26:34] let's skip these right here. Let's go to
[26:36] the elementary.
[26:39] All right. So, construction plans
[26:43] discover expansion 12 classrooms,
[26:46] eight are general ed classrooms. These
[26:48] will eliminate the two portables that we
[26:49] already have there. Um, we have a
[26:52] preschool and we have special space as
[26:54] well. Is that accurate, Cory?
[26:59] » Okay.
[27:03] » Oh, sorry. Net eight, but net of eight
[27:05] when we take in the portables.
[27:06] >> Yes.
[27:07] >> Okay. So, 10 general classrooms,
[27:09] preschool classrooms, special ed
[27:11] classrooms. We're going to take some of
[27:12] our special ed students from other
[27:14] locations that are have a high burden
[27:16] for special ed, move them over to the
[27:19] Discovery Elementary to spread out that
[27:21] population and allow students to attend
[27:24] closer to the neighborhood schools where
[27:25] possible.
[27:27] Um, we're going to add additional gym
[27:28] space because you can't have eat lunch
[27:32] and have gym at the same time. And so we
[27:34] don't have enough space for that. And so
[27:36] we're adding additional gym space for
[27:37] that purpose. So we can separate our
[27:39] lunchtime from our PE time at and have
[27:42] them run at the same time.
[27:44] Um additional playground area as well.
[27:46] We're going to have a playground area go
[27:48] to the north into the field right there.
[27:51] Not the whole field, but a portion of
[27:52] Davis Park will become play space for
[27:54] these students. again with our our um
[27:58] our aim to increase play spaces, have
[28:00] adequate spaces for students and
[28:01] adequate playground uh equipment ADA
[28:04] compliant for those students that need
[28:06] that. Um this will add between 180 to
[28:09] 200,000 students. Sorry, not thousand
[28:11] 200 students 180 to 200 students
[28:16] um total capacity questions on
[28:18] discovery.
[28:21] Uh not listed here is we're air
[28:23] conditioning the building. So, as part
[28:25] of this project, the old part of the
[28:26] building will receive air conditioning
[28:27] as long as well as the new part.
[28:31] Um, cost is about $15 million total
[28:34] cost. Yes,
[28:36] >> I remember being in there with like the
[28:44] questions about um updating the
[28:48] >> controls,
[28:50] >> fire alarm. Yes. Fire, fire and air
[28:53] conditioner controls. Yes.
[28:56] >> Yeah.
[28:57] Uh, one thing we didn't see coming when
[28:59] we designed this building, um, this
[29:02] building doesn't have fire sprinklers in
[29:03] it. It wasn't required in 1994 when it
[29:06] was built, now required. So, we're going
[29:08] to have to have fire protection in the
[29:10] new building and the old building. So,
[29:12] we're going to have to sprinkle the
[29:12] whole building. So, that's additional
[29:14] cost that we weren't con considering
[29:16] when we started the design process and
[29:17] RFP process.
[29:20] So we'll bring the whole thing up to
[29:21] standards including secure vegetables as
[29:23] well.
[29:25] Uh West Traymon I think we're about 30
[29:27] classrooms. Cory is that
[29:40] » compare?
[29:42] So, Golden Spike Elementary is 104,000
[29:46] square ft
[29:48] and this Fremont Elementary would be
[29:51] 85,000 square ft. So, it's about 20,000
[29:54] square ft smaller. Um, we are about 34
[29:59] classrooms.
[30:01] Um, it's one story.
[30:04] We we have done modifications to the
[30:07] 2017 design so that it is more suitable
[30:12] for
[30:13] um some of our populations that need
[30:17] special accommodations
[30:19] and as I think I mentioned before also
[30:22] additional office spaces for admin and
[30:25] counseling.
[30:28] Garland is approximately
[30:31] 73,000
[30:33] square feet, I think. So, it's about
[30:35] 10,000 square feet bigger. And back to
[30:38] Discovery,
[30:40] that addition is 28,000 square ft. The
[30:44] current building is 53,000 ft. So, it's
[30:47] going to put Discovery square footage
[30:49] somewhere between
[30:52] the um Garland North
[30:57] about 85,000.
[30:59] >> Where's our math teachers?
[31:03] » Somewhere around 80,000.
[31:21] the middle core or the middle common
[31:24] areas that they use for
[31:26] support staff that is not counted as a
[31:29] classroom.
[31:30] >> So in these 34 classrooms there's also
[31:33] support space uh there's conference room
[31:36] space there's instructional training
[31:38] space. So, we're just talking about
[31:40] actual student instructional spaces in
[31:43] that 34 number.
[31:45] >> Um, one of the things too I just want to
[31:47] point out with Golden Spike versus
[31:48] Tmont. Golden Spike will have more
[31:51] seating for students in the cafeteria.
[31:53] We'll have more gym seating. So, Golden
[31:55] Spike is 259 students per cafeteria.
[31:58] Tmont is 281. The dining or the gym is
[32:02] 490 seats at Golden Spike, but at Tmont
[32:05] it will be 624. And then the medium shel
[32:08] is bigger because we just realized that doesn't work for the number of
[32:13] students. So those common areas are
[32:16] going to be bigger to accommodate the
[32:18] size of the school.
[32:21] And if you've been in Golden Spike
[32:23] Elementary
[32:25] and you've been in the Garland Fielding
[32:28] through Mount Creek Design,
[32:31] this West Tmont Elementary really is a
[32:34] blend of those two as far as the
[32:37] classroom wings are, how they function,
[32:39] and where the gym cafeteria
[32:43] is kind of connected. It's kind of a
[32:46] blend of those two designs.
[32:50] Other questions on West Trmont on the
[32:53] building design timeline, anything like
[32:55] that?
[32:58] Okay,
[33:04] let's talk about the the construction
[33:06] loan here. So, we have three uh banks
[33:10] that are helping us out here and we have
[33:12] three because we need separation of
[33:13] duties.
[33:15] So, Zans is our municipal adviser. Uh we
[33:18] have a contract with them for them to
[33:19] advise us on these types of scenarios,
[33:22] borrowings, uh loans, financing. uh they
[33:26] provide the financing detail every year
[33:29] for our loans. They're actually the
[33:32] trustee on our loan for Golden Spike and
[33:35] also our uh general obligation loan as
[33:38] well because they are advisor. They
[33:41] can't be that's new in the past two
[33:43] years. We signed a contract with them.
[33:45] So when they loaned us funds for Golden
[33:48] Spike, they are not our adviser. So they
[33:50] cannot issue us a loan because that'll
[33:52] be a conflict of interest as an adviser.
[33:54] So they're advising us on this. Bank of
[33:58] America is our underwriter. In an
[34:00] advisory capacity, Zans um put out a
[34:03] solicitation
[34:05] to various underwriters, other banks for
[34:09] this project. Um there were three that
[34:11] responded. Um
[34:15] Bank of America gave us the best terms
[34:18] between the underwriting, the bond
[34:19] council fees, and we call the spread. So
[34:23] spread is the distance between the a the
[34:26] average market rates called MMD,
[34:29] municipal market data and that is
[34:32] calculated every day on every loan out
[34:34] on government debt. Uh mostly state and
[34:38] local government debt.
[34:40] And so their number of basis points they
[34:43] wanted to cover the cost of this loan.
[34:45] Underwriting legal fees was the lowest
[34:49] amongst the three people who responded,
[34:50] three banks who responded to this loan.
[34:52] So they are the winner on basis of a
[34:54] cost. The Zans Bank also analyzed uh
[34:59] past performance experience with um
[35:02] school financing uh deals in the past
[35:05] and determined that Bank of America in
[35:07] addition to the cost was the most
[35:09] experienced and provide us the best
[35:11] experience for securing this loan.
[35:14] uh US Bank will be our trustee
[35:17] because uh Zans can't be the trustee and
[35:20] when you borrow usually have a third
[35:21] party that's not the same party doing
[35:23] the lending as the trustee to receive
[35:24] the funds and distribute the funds. So
[35:27] they'll be our trustee on this deal
[35:33] uh the underwriting and the trustee
[35:34] part.
[35:37] >> Okay. So the underwriter
[35:41] » separation of duties, separation of
[35:44] conflict of interest.
[35:47] » Okay. So Z is our adviser.
[35:50] >> So they're like our I I'll compare us to
[35:53] a mortgage loan. They're our loan our
[35:55] mortgage officer. Now, when you go get a
[35:57] mortgage, you generally they have,
[36:00] unless you buy from a in-house bank like
[36:03] Wells Fargo, Right Mortgages, but you go
[36:06] to an independent mortgage officer, they
[36:07] get mortgages from various different um
[36:11] banks. And so, Bank of America is our
[36:14] mortgage officer. They're going to look
[36:16] at our financials. They're going to look
[36:17] at our credit rating. They're going to
[36:19] assess our creditworthiness. They're
[36:21] going to say, "Based on this, here's
[36:22] your risk and here's what we can get you
[36:24] in the market." So they're going to
[36:25] guarantee us a certain amount of yield
[36:29] or proceeds from this loan.
[36:32] If and so that's that's where they're
[36:35] coming from. US Bank is a trustee. So
[36:38] back to mortgages,
[36:40] generally the person the bank that you
[36:42] borrow your mortgage from is not who you
[36:44] pay your mortgage to. The third party
[36:46] serer. So US Bank is the third party
[36:49] serer. They'll collect the funds and
[36:51] distribute the funds and ensure
[36:53] compliance with the loan requirements
[36:55] and also with any federal or state
[36:57] reporting requirements as well.
[36:59] Currently, Zans acts as the trustee for
[37:02] our golden spike loan and also for our
[37:05] general obligation bond loan.
[37:09] >> Which one?
[37:11] >> Bank of America.
[37:15] » And we chose them based on experience
[37:17] and on total cost.
[37:23] Yes, Stephanie.
[37:29] » Um, I just curious the 4.44%
[37:33] interest,
[37:34] >> correct?
[37:34] >> That's that's the rate we're getting for
[37:36] this loan.
[37:38] >> Well, this is quoted on April 1 or about
[37:40] April 1st.
[37:41] >> The quoted amount. How how does that
[37:43] compare to the loan that we could have
[37:46] had had it not been
[37:49] Great question.
[37:50] >> It's probably about the same because the
[37:53] middle of February is when that process
[37:55] stopped. We still had a series of
[37:58] meetings to hold legally before we could
[38:00] have went out for the loan. We would
[38:02] have been seeking the same that dollar
[38:04] amount at this same time right now.
[38:06] Probably probably in the month of May is
[38:08] when we would have sold bonds and we
[38:09] probably would have been at the same
[38:10] cost. So it it's not the interest rate
[38:13] that we would have had this time would
[38:15] not have any different because the time
[38:17] we started that process in December, we
[38:20] had zero idea there's going to be a war
[38:21] in the Middle East. And that's what's
[38:23] driving interest rates up right now is
[38:26] the war in the Middle East.
[38:33] » So we have these three banks. Yes.
[38:37] Involved banks. uh this right here this
[38:41] interest cost is total interest cost
[38:43] incurred. So what they they do in
[38:46] accounting terms they amateurize or
[38:48] spread off the the cost of issuing the
[38:50] this loan legal fees uh underwriting
[38:53] fees credit check fees
[38:56] across the whole loan term and so the
[38:58] fees are included in here. All three
[39:01] banks are included.
[39:04] >> Correct.
[39:08] » All three are included in the 4.4
[39:10] interest and in the 4.4 million annual
[39:13] payment.
[39:13] >> Correct.
[39:16] >> Is there a way to break them out so we
[39:19] know?
[39:19] >> Yes. I didn't display that here, but the
[39:21] total the cost of issuing this loan are
[39:24] about uh $170,000.
[39:28] legal costs, underwriting costs, credit
[39:30] check costs, cost of going to of of
[39:33] doing all the research. That's what
[39:35] those costs are. And those are spread
[39:37] across the life of the loan. We call
[39:38] them amortized costs. So, we issue a
[39:41] certain amount to each period of the
[39:43] loan in each year. So, they get their
[39:46] money up front, but we pay it back
[39:48] overtime.
[39:49] And that's the that's the requirement of
[39:51] the underwriter. The underwriter pays
[39:53] all those fees up front for us, and they
[39:54] get their money overtime back. Other
[39:59] questions on this process?
[40:03] >> So, how does this differ from what we
[40:06] were looking at?
[40:10] » Uh, it's not a bond and bond rates have
[40:14] better slightly better interest rates.
[40:15] It used to be between a general
[40:17] obligation bond and this type of loan,
[40:20] there would have been a half percentage
[40:22] point difference or 50 basis points.
[40:25] that is narrowed to 25 to 30. So the the incentive to seek a general
[40:31] obligation bond and all that process
[40:32] goes with it is kind of out the window
[40:35] because a lot more compliance costs and
[40:37] timeline to get this type get a general
[40:39] obligation loan. where this right here
[40:42] can be done much quicker and the
[40:44] additional cost for the risk the banks
[40:45] incur is much less because a general
[40:49] obligation is a guaranteed amount
[40:51] secured by property taxes earmarked only
[40:54] to repayment of that loan through the
[40:56] collection of property taxes
[40:58] underwriters and banks see that as the
[41:00] most secure form of government debt
[41:03] because earmark for that and can only be
[41:05] used for that purpose. This is being
[41:08] funded by general property tax receipts.
[41:11] There's not a specific area earmark for
[41:13] that. So they view that as more risky.
[41:16] Essentially, if we wanted to, we could
[41:18] not pay this back and keep our money.
[41:21] And so that's why they have a higher
[41:23] interest rate to account for that risk.
[41:26] It's kind of like getting a home equity
[41:27] loan versus a first mortgage. Your first
[41:31] mortgage is always first repayment and
[41:33] has a lower interest rate than a home
[41:34] equity loan.
[41:39] So the general obligation fund is that
[41:41] the same as the lease revenue fund? No.
[41:44] So how is this different from the least
[41:46] revenue fund?
[41:48] >> Uh this is a direct lending product to
[41:50] us. Uh doesn't go through the lease
[41:51] revenue process. It doesn't have the
[41:54] same resolutions. It's not a separate
[41:56] legal entity. In this case, the building
[41:58] authority for lease revenue bond that
[42:00] takes it out. So this is a a direct loan
[42:02] product.
[42:03] So really the difference in the is in
[42:06] the legal details of how it's secured
[42:08] and what is allowed
[42:18] as far as how it affects us. There's not
[42:21] much difference. I mean there might be a
[42:24] talking basis points. So each basis
[42:25] point is 01%.
[42:28] So there might be five to seven basis
[42:30] points difference between this and a
[42:32] lease revenue bond. Again, a lease
[42:34] revenue bond doesn't have a dedicated
[42:35] funding stream because it's not
[42:37] generally not voted and approved by the
[42:39] taxpayers for a separate myab on your
[42:40] taxes. It's funded out of existing tax
[42:43] receipts.
[42:46] » So with this route, who actually owns
[42:49] the buildings? It will there will be we
[42:53] essentially it will be like a lease
[42:54] revenue where there's a entitlement to
[42:58] the underwriter Bank of America that we
[43:02] lease back from them till the loans paid
[43:04] off. It's the same thing with Golden
[43:05] Spike. Golden Spike is a is a ground
[43:07] lease from Zans and that the we make
[43:11] lease payments to Zans. They hold title
[43:13] to it. No different than when you buy a
[43:16] car dealership with a loan. the
[43:18] dealership has a lean on that title. You
[43:20] can't sell that that car until your lean
[43:23] or your loan is satisfied. So, this is
[43:26] no different that we already operate.
[43:29] >> How many buildings the past 10 years
[43:33] have built using this finance option?
[43:36] >> Um,
[43:38] Golden Spike and
[43:42] >> Fielding are the two ones that I'm that
[43:44] I know right now that we have
[43:46] outstanding. Those are two outstanding
[43:48] debt right now. So, general obligation
[43:50] bond, which is we used to expand high
[43:52] schools back in 2008, is one of our
[43:54] loans, and that was a 30-year loan. Um,
[43:56] Fielding was also, I think, a 20-year
[43:58] loan. We're going to pay that off this
[43:59] year. Last payment is this year. And
[44:01] then Golden Spike as well.
[44:04] >> Like, elementary, Sunrise High School,
[44:08] >> those were all fun with existing build
[44:09] uh capital reserves.
[44:11] >> The difference between that is the cost
[44:13] of building was much less than it is
[44:15] today. Other
[44:19] questions?
[44:23] » Um, I guess my question is this.
[44:27] When we
[44:29] um received a petition um of 8,000
[44:32] people asking us not to go out and do
[44:36] this kind of a loan.
[44:38] To me it looks like that this is
[44:42] the same kind of kind of a finance
[44:44] vehicle kind of like a horse of a
[44:47] different color. So what are we
[44:49] interpreting that the people ask us with
[44:52] that petition?
[44:55] >> I would say from my perspective as the
[44:58] business administrator and financial
[45:00] adviser of the board if you will the
[45:02] difference here is the amount and the
[45:05] projects.
[45:06] Um leader I would say the district
[45:09] leadership feels that these elementary
[45:11] projects are a must need now given the
[45:14] growth we've seen from our demographer
[45:16] that's forecasted given the building uh
[45:19] developments we know are coming and
[45:21] given the overcrowding we have in our
[45:23] current buildings right now don't feel
[45:25] like we are at a luxury of waiting an
[45:29] additional 18 months or more to secure
[45:31] financing by putting on the ballot begin
[45:33] construction we feel this is a need that
[45:35] we must address now, not in 18 months.
[45:40] So that's I say that's the rationale for
[45:41] proposing this and going forward with
[45:44] this.
[45:45] >> I see that the rationale and and I'm not
[45:47] saying I disagree. I'm asking
[45:49] specifically the financing vehicle part
[45:52] of it.
[45:55] Oh, it looks like we're we're going out
[45:59] to get financing, which I think the
[46:01] petition was asking us not to encumber
[46:04] the residents with that kind of a
[46:06] long-term debt.
[46:08] We're going out with another horse of a
[46:11] different color to encumber the
[46:13] residents. Again, we're not encumbering
[46:16] the residents for any additional funds
[46:19] that aren't already secured by local
[46:20] property taxes. This is within our local
[46:22] property tax budget. I understand that
[46:24] there's a public uh opposition to our
[46:27] financing. I feel that we have that what
[46:30] we were seeking before actually not have
[46:32] almost a third 55 million versus 140
[46:35] million and red restricted it to
[46:37] elementary projects only which has been
[46:39] a concern of the residents that has
[46:43] expressed to us through the different
[46:45] surveys we did and community feedback.
[46:48] So yes, it's a different financing
[46:50] different different color, but it's it's
[46:52] done to address the needs we have right
[46:55] now.
[46:57] So, would it be possible to um again go
[47:02] back to the residents and ask them in a
[47:09] voted question, I guess, if they would
[47:12] support these projects and do it with a
[47:16] general obligation bond, which puts the
[47:19] power back in the residents rather than
[47:22] us going forward with these. I'm not
[47:24] saying that the projects aren't needed.
[47:26] My question is only the funding
[47:28] mechanism.
[47:29] Um I I just feel like that although we
[47:34] feel that they're needed, um
[47:38] we are I think legally required to
[47:42] represent the residents and I think
[47:46] they've told us in a couple of different
[47:48] ways that they don't want this kind of
[47:50] obligation. So I'm just wondering if we
[47:52] might be
[47:54] stepping over a line that we are
[47:56] supposed to represent them first.
[47:59] >> So I will answer it in a few different
[48:00] ways. First of all,
[48:02] >> the first question is could we go to a
[48:06] voted question on these projects and
[48:08] this amount and a and a geo bond
[48:13] government bond is possible by the vote
[48:15] of the board in by August to approve a
[48:19] ballot question for the financing of
[48:21] these projects. That is an option the
[48:23] board has. By doing so, the soonest that
[48:26] we would have the go-ahad from the
[48:29] voters would be in November. And then
[48:32] we' go through that process again if
[48:34] it's through a lease revenue process to
[48:39] start the resolutions again. We have our
[48:41] we really have like close to 90 days of
[48:43] legal requirements to be able to start
[48:46] that lease revenue bond process again.
[48:48] So that puts us into February before we
[48:51] can even go out for the loan and go
[48:53] through the underwriting process. We
[48:55] probably wouldn't have funds until this
[48:57] time next year going through that
[48:59] process.
[49:02] » General obligation bond will be an
[49:04] additional not
[49:08] >> Yeah, that's what I wanted to say was
[49:09] you said general obligation bond. So, in
[49:12] order to pay for that, it would have to
[49:14] be an additional tax
[49:17] um a lease revenue bond, which was um
[49:22] which failed or you know, they had the
[49:23] signature stop that. And so, anyway,
[49:28] >> yeah, I'm sorry. I should have said in
[49:29] that formula that we could roll back the
[49:32] taxes, roll back the taxes.
[49:36] You know, we've heard you a couple of
[49:37] different times that this isn't what you
[49:40] wanted. We feel like that this is what
[49:43] we've heard that you do want because you
[49:45] mentioned the surveys as
[49:48] this something that you would support
[49:50] financially. This is what we think that
[49:52] we heard you different but this is would
[49:56] you support a geo bond financial
[49:58] mechanism? So in addition to what I just
[50:02] go ahead
[50:06] » I think everybody understands that yes
[50:09] that could happen that that question of
[50:12] course it could it would just it would
[50:13] take the board to vote to do that right.
[50:17] So if it was a clarifying I mean we all
[50:19] know that of course that is an option
[50:22] but it would take the board to vote to
[50:23] do that.
[50:26] >> I might just go I I might add a couple
[50:28] things. So when we start talking about
[50:31] and I agree if we want to do a a survey
[50:34] about that question certainly if the
[50:36] board wants to do that uh I think one
[50:39] thing that we need to note is that you
[50:43] know there's a lot of things from the uh
[50:46] 2024 bond that changed. Uh there's a lot
[50:50] of things that based on that feedback we
[50:54] changed for the lease revenue bond
[50:57] option and what we're hearing and I hope
[50:59] that as you saw the presentation we're
[51:02] investing in Lake View North Park
[51:07] Middle.
[51:09] We have to extend the life of these
[51:11] buildings. You can also see the grades 6
[51:14] through 8 92 is off the table. Now
[51:19] whether it ever goes back on the table,
[51:20] I do believe that that would be a vote
[51:22] of the people through a survey to say,
[51:25] is that something you want to pursue?
[51:28] But the immediate need uh as we're all
[51:32] hearing and as you look at the
[51:34] elementary
[51:36] uh portables that keep coming
[51:39] um there is a need there and all other
[51:43] things have been put to the to the
[51:47] wayside for now and whenever that
[51:50] happens whenever there's an appetite I
[51:52] think we look at that but having a
[51:56] secure vestable at our three largest
[51:58] schools is a priority. Uh having AC in
[52:02] Bear River Middle a priority. Some may
[52:04] say, well, why are you putting AC in a
[52:05] building? Well, because right now
[52:08] there's not a mechanism
[52:10] to secure a loan. But to Karen's point,
[52:14] if there needed to be a situation where
[52:16] we said, you know, we're going to roll
[52:19] back and we're going to go for a
[52:21] geobond, are you okay with, you know,
[52:25] these two projects that influence
[52:28] roughly a population of 600 students and
[52:33] 800 students? Um, so not a significant
[52:36] amount of our students are going to be
[52:38] affected by these two projects. if we go
[52:42] out to a general obligation bond. So,
[52:44] that would be interesting to see if the
[52:47] people would vote for that if it didn't
[52:49] affect Bear River Middle, Boxiller
[52:52] Middle, Lake View, uh, North Park. So,
[52:55] those are just some thoughts, but I hope
[52:57] that if anybody's watching or listening
[53:00] that you hear that the plans that we've
[53:02] had have changed.
[53:05] It's very significant that they have
[53:07] changed. They're not the same. we've
[53:09] pulled back and I think that means we
[53:11] have listened. We have listened and if
[53:15] the people don't want us to go forward
[53:18] uh with any of these projects, I guess
[53:21] that's something we'll have to deal with
[53:24] as well. So, that could be the question
[53:26] uh that you might ask. So, anyway, that
[53:29] was just a a thought. Um, but I hope
[53:32] that we do know that we're not going to
[53:34] put the initiative on the ballot for a
[53:37] lease revenue bond in November based on
[53:40] the signatures that were gathered.
[53:43] That's not going to happen. At least I I
[53:45] got zero sense from the board that that
[53:47] would be something where we're headed.
[53:48] So, those are just some insights and
[53:51] thoughts, but I would love to hear the
[53:53] rest. Um, I guess my thoughts on this
[53:56] are
[53:59] I'm hearing from my constituents now I
[54:02] know that we all represent different
[54:03] people that they are actually in support
[54:06] of the school district building these
[54:08] buildings and moving forward and
[54:10] understand the financing is necessary
[54:13] and realize that we do not have
[54:17] a year to 18 months to put this off. And
[54:19] I think that um
[54:22] I think the longer we hold off, the more
[54:24] it's going to cost us and the greater
[54:26] the needs are going to be. And just with
[54:29] this lake view situation, it's become
[54:30] really more apparent to me because when
[54:34] you have a school with the sewer and the
[54:36] restrooms and it was an inconvenience
[54:38] for most students and they could
[54:40] survive, but there were some that was
[54:42] actually uh inhibited their learning in
[54:46] a very significant way. And if we say we
[54:49] are here to educate all students and we
[54:51] do not provide facilities that are
[54:53] appropriate for those students to be
[54:54] educated in, then we are not doing our
[54:56] jobs. And if that's going to cost us
[54:58] some money and I think we're with this
[55:01] plan, we've shown we're putting sewer.
[55:04] We we realize we don't have the money to
[55:06] build all the buildings that we need.
[55:08] It's just a fact. But if we can use the
[55:10] buildings that we have and make them
[55:12] more usable for longer and prevent some
[55:14] of those issues, then we are serving the
[55:16] needs of all of our students and not
[55:18] just
[55:20] and even if it's only 2% of the students
[55:23] that we're not serving because of these
[55:25] needs, that's 2% of our students. And
[55:28] there are and I would argue it's far
[55:30] more than that because of the we don't
[55:32] know the situations or the circumstances
[55:34] that every child is coming from. And so
[55:37] we have to have safe schools as we're
[55:39] those secure best schools. We need to
[55:42] have functional schools and if we have
[55:44] to put in money and if and air
[55:46] conditioning has been a a big push and
[55:50] people that I've talked to are like my
[55:51] kids their elementary like we why don't
[55:53] we have uh air conditioning in Lake View
[55:56] and you know because in the past we're
[55:57] like well we're going to replace Lake
[55:58] View. Do we want to put that much money
[55:59] into it? Well we're at the point where
[56:01] yeah we're going to have to keep using
[56:02] Lake View. So, we've got to put money
[56:03] into those things. But the from what I'm
[56:06] seeing from cities and the growth that
[56:09] we're experiencing or potentially
[56:11] experiencing, we have got to be prepared
[56:13] and do everything we can to make our
[56:15] buildings last longer and then do what
[56:18] we can now and not put it off
[56:21] until later. And so, I know that they
[56:23] gathered signatures. I know there are
[56:24] people that are very adamantly opposed
[56:27] to our plans. the from the people that
[56:29] I've talked to, they are actually
[56:32] supportive of moving forward and they
[56:34] want us to do something. They want us to
[56:36] invest in our schools and our
[56:37] infrastructure.
[56:50] » Again, I'm not opposed to projects. I'm
[56:53] just wondering with I think the way that
[56:56] the that we're legally supposed to move
[56:58] forward is based off of the we're
[57:01] supposed to represent the repres the
[57:04] residents. So I'm just wondering have we
[57:06] looked at other funding mechanisms? Have
[57:08] we looked at any grants or other options
[57:12] for getting money?
[57:14] >> Um
[57:15] >> there are no grants available to build
[57:17] schools,
[57:21] » you know. Um,
[57:24] Julie was saying that the people she's
[57:27] listening to want it and I some of the
[57:29] people I've heard want the elementary
[57:31] schools. That's why I think that they
[57:33] would actually pass a bond. Um, but I
[57:38] think that we've got to go back and and Keith mentioned, you know, we've
[57:43] heard that from the the bond that didn't
[57:45] pass the people didn't want that. We've
[57:47] heard from the signatures they didn't
[57:49] want that. What mechanism do the people
[57:52] have to tell us they don't want this?
[57:54] How do we how do we know that we're
[57:56] doing what we're supposed to legally do
[58:00] and that's represent residents because I
[58:03] don't know that they have a mechanism to
[58:04] come back and tell us don't want this.
[58:07] >> I want to say one thing here. What we're
[58:10] doing is legal. We've run it through our
[58:12] bond council at Chapman and Cutler.
[58:14] They've done the research. We are
[58:16] allowed to do this. School districts
[58:18] have needs they have to address on a
[58:19] regular basis. I'll give you an example.
[58:22] Earthquake in 2020 in Magna damaged a
[58:25] school in Grant School District they
[58:27] were unable to inhabit. They would not
[58:29] have been able to fix that school for
[58:31] the following school year if they were
[58:33] not allowed to get a loan right then and
[58:35] there. That was an immediate need they
[58:37] had. They could not have the luxury of
[58:40] going out to the voters in a bond
[58:43] election to ask for the permission to
[58:46] get a loan. They had to address it then
[58:48] because they had a a school that would
[58:49] not be functional for a significant
[58:51] amount of time if they did not.
[58:54] >> Yes. I just would add
[58:58] I just I in the tree mountain end I just
[59:01] see
[59:03] how crowded they are and we also serve
[59:06] these kids to make sure that they have a
[59:08] good place to learn which I I mean we
[59:13] talk about the portables how they're
[59:15] nice because they have the air
[59:16] conditioning but we're also running down
[59:18] our buildings that we have currently
[59:20] because they're being over
[59:23] overused a good I don't know. But the
[59:25] restrooms and just putting that added
[59:28] pressure onto those buildings that
[59:32] I just I see
[59:35] that putting it out to
[59:38] um the uh ballot would be really uh
[59:43] what's the word like they supportive. Um
[59:47] somebody like said that they want that
[59:50] validating. can't be very validating for
[59:52] the community to be able to say yes to,
[59:54] but in the back of my mind, well, what
[59:57] happens if they say no? And then what
[1:00:01] about all these kids that are also now
[1:00:03] moving in? And and as we continue to
[1:00:05] grow, like I just feel like we're doing
[1:00:06] such a disservice
[1:00:08] to the students that are there that this
[1:00:10] is impacting a lot. Um, you know, the
[1:00:12] new school comes in, Garland students
[1:00:15] that are going to fielding can now come
[1:00:17] back to Garland. Kids that are getting
[1:00:19] bus from Thatcher can now go to the
[1:00:21] closer school and now Garland kids can
[1:00:23] go to Garland and McKinley can fit in
[1:00:25] their school. It just doesn't seem like
[1:00:27] this is a a a want. It really does seem
[1:00:32] like a need and I just think we have an
[1:00:36] obligation to these students to um make
[1:00:40] decisions that are in our purview to
[1:00:44] make sure that that happens. I don't
[1:00:46] know.
[1:00:48] >> That's I guess how I feel. I would add
[1:00:50] that we did a democratic study. The
[1:00:52] study came back and said over the next 5
[1:00:54] years over 5,000 households are planned
[1:00:58] in new construction
[1:01:00] for our county. So if we were to go to
[1:01:04] the voters and wait till next year start
[1:01:05] this process, this new school probably
[1:01:08] would be functional, have students in it
[1:01:11] for 3 years. We're in the middle of a
[1:01:13] thick and grow cycle in 3 years. I feel
[1:01:17] like that if we wait that time, we're
[1:01:20] going to have 15 more portables in the
[1:01:23] north end than we have right now.
[1:01:26] One consideration in our calculus to put
[1:01:29] this plan forward.
[1:01:34] » Um, if I remember right, the uh
[1:01:38] the survey that came back from the
[1:01:43] what's the paper again? demographer
[1:01:46] >> demographer I think we are up 190
[1:01:49] students in five years which if you
[1:01:52] spread that out it's like one student
[1:01:54] per classroom so we do have growth but I
[1:01:57] don't know that it's overwhelming growth
[1:01:59] per the demographer not the per the
[1:02:01] demographer so the other thing I'm um
[1:02:05] again stressing is that I I don't know
[1:02:09] that anybody would say that these
[1:02:11] projects don't need to be done just
[1:02:13] saying that the financing mechanism
[1:02:16] looks a lot like we're just trying to go
[1:02:19] around, but they us not to. I don't know
[1:02:22] if that's crossing any lines that maybe
[1:02:25] we wanted to consider. Um, I've had a
[1:02:28] lot of phone calls since the newspaper
[1:02:31] article came out a couple weeks ago. I
[1:02:33] don't take the newspaper, but I've had a
[1:02:35] lot of phone calls saying that in an
[1:02:37] interview with Keith um that he
[1:02:40] acknowledged that we need to build
[1:02:42] trust. Like again, I haven't read the
[1:02:44] article, just what people have been
[1:02:46] telling me. So, if we want to do that,
[1:02:50] I'm just wondering, is this the best way
[1:02:52] to do that or is it it might be better
[1:02:55] in the long run to build trust for
[1:02:58] future projects to go back and get their
[1:03:01] um input and help them to feel like that
[1:03:04] they're a vested part of this.
[1:03:07] >> I would say that's um a board discussion
[1:03:10] item. Us as leadership are putting forth
[1:03:12] a plan that we think addresses our needs
[1:03:14] educationally. we feel this is the best
[1:03:16] way to address them in the near term.
[1:03:20] >> So speaking to that Karen because I
[1:03:21] thought about that a lot. I thought are
[1:03:22] we going against the will of the voters?
[1:03:24] Is this number one it's not illegal. I
[1:03:26] don't think we are doing anything that's
[1:03:28] out of line out of step in any way shape
[1:03:30] or form. I think what we have is an
[1:03:32] obligation to to our students and to our
[1:03:35] residents and to go forward in the best
[1:03:37] way we can. So I don't think it's a
[1:03:39] legal matter at all. But secondly,
[1:03:43] one of the things that I consider as a
[1:03:45] board member is I am a representative of
[1:03:48] the people, but that doesn't mean I
[1:03:51] listen to the loudest or that I I have
[1:03:54] to, you know, like there they did gather
[1:03:56] signatures, but that was still not the
[1:03:59] full percentage of the county. We know
[1:04:00] the bond failed at a significant rate.
[1:04:02] Yes. So, we went and reworked it. But as
[1:04:04] a representative,
[1:04:06] I feel like they're putting trust in us
[1:04:08] to look at the data, look at the
[1:04:10] solutions, look at what we need to do,
[1:04:12] and make the best decision possible. I
[1:04:14] see Tom's here, Tom Peterson. He's my
[1:04:16] representative in the state legislature,
[1:04:19] and I don't necessarily
[1:04:21] know all the decisions that they make
[1:04:23] and what they're doing, but I know he's
[1:04:25] representing a large group of people and
[1:04:27] he has to, but I also trust that he's
[1:04:30] doing his homework. like when he goes to
[1:04:32] vote on something, he's looked at it and
[1:04:33] said, "Is this what is best for the
[1:04:35] majority of the people for the purpose
[1:04:37] that it is?" And I think that's our role
[1:04:39] as board members. I don't think our role
[1:04:40] is to go out and take a poll every time
[1:04:42] somebody we're going to do something and
[1:04:44] say, "Are you okay with spending this
[1:04:45] money this way? Are you okay with us
[1:04:47] spending money that way?" I think ours
[1:04:49] we take the feedback and they say, "Yes,
[1:04:50] we support these projects and we say,
[1:04:52] okay, this is how we have ability to do
[1:04:55] that." And then we move forward in that
[1:04:56] way. And so one of the things that I
[1:04:59] think that when we talk to the public
[1:05:00] about this, I think we need to be really
[1:05:02] clear that it's not that we're not
[1:05:04] listening to you, it's that we are
[1:05:06] trying to do what you want us to because
[1:05:08] I've heard people say we want the
[1:05:09] elementarymentaries, we want those
[1:05:11] things, but hold off until we approve it
[1:05:13] in a certain way. And I just think
[1:05:15] that's actually costing us more money
[1:05:17] and actually
[1:05:20] depleting trust with the rest of the
[1:05:22] community that the people that, like I
[1:05:24] said, the people that I've talked to,
[1:05:25] they're just like, "My kids are
[1:05:26] suffering. How come my
[1:05:29] for example like Golden Spike new school
[1:05:31] and they had something there and they
[1:05:33] had like different dance team like I
[1:05:34] think it was literacy night and they had
[1:05:37] different dance companies or different
[1:05:39] performance groups come and perform and
[1:05:41] her kids go to Lake View and they went
[1:05:43] and performed there. just like
[1:05:46] how is that fair that my kids have to go
[1:05:48] to this school without even enough
[1:05:50] bathrooms and then other kids have to go
[1:05:52] here and at the same thing how come my
[1:05:54] kids are all crowded into this space
[1:05:56] where this school has plenty of of space
[1:05:58] and room available and we're trying and
[1:06:01] I think we have to consider the whole we
[1:06:03] need the space we're trying to make
[1:06:06] things right for us and obviously we
[1:06:09] have older buildings and we can't just
[1:06:10] build everything new but I think the
[1:06:12] public is asking us to do what is best
[1:06:15] with the money that we have in the way
[1:06:17] the best we can. And this is our this is
[1:06:19] our option. We don't have a huge
[1:06:21] business coming in. In fact, any
[1:06:22] business that does come in, we don't get
[1:06:24] the taxes for a long time. You know, we
[1:06:27] don't have we have a different
[1:06:28] demographic. We know that. But we are a
[1:06:31] community and we are trying to do what's
[1:06:33] right as a community to benefit
[1:06:37] our students and our community in the
[1:06:40] best way we know how. And so when I look
[1:06:42] at it this way, I don't think we're
[1:06:44] going behind anybody's backs. We're
[1:06:45] being very open and saying we need this
[1:06:48] done. This is the option we have and we
[1:06:50] need to move forward because any weight
[1:06:52] is actually costing us more. And I was
[1:06:56] sending I don't know if they pass it
[1:06:58] with just that particular thing on the
[1:06:59] bond because it's only affecting small
[1:07:01] groups of people and and maybe the Lake
[1:07:04] View parents are like, well, I'm getting
[1:07:06] nothing out of this. like they could be
[1:07:08] upset and and so I don't know I said too
[1:07:13] much but that's what I'm thinking.
[1:07:15] >> I guess that's where my my biggest
[1:07:17] question lately has been is like if
[1:07:19] we're going to take everything to the
[1:07:20] ballot then what am I doing here? Like
[1:07:22] why am I sitting why am I doing all this
[1:07:24] homework to figure out if this is a good
[1:07:25] idea if we should just put it on the
[1:07:28] ballot? I I guess that's just been my I
[1:07:32] don't understand.
[1:07:37] So just the political culture, the
[1:07:41] climate that we've been in for the past
[1:07:44] years, I just think over and over again
[1:07:47] that we live in a representative
[1:07:50] republic, not
[1:07:53] people vote for representatives, not
[1:07:56] only
[1:07:57] we don't go by popular opinion. We don't run by
[1:08:02] we don't sway and make decisions based
[1:08:05] on popularity in the moment. We we study
[1:08:08] things out and we we are elected to
[1:08:10] choose to do what is best. I think we
[1:08:13] say we've said this a lot but this board
[1:08:15] has said we want to get the biggest bang
[1:08:17] for the buck. We're trying to spread out
[1:08:20] the funds that we have that we receive
[1:08:24] in the best way possible to affect the
[1:08:26] most students possible. and teachers and
[1:08:32] that just keeps coming back to me. Um to
[1:08:34] run a poll and to run
[1:08:38] a questionnaire whatever every single
[1:08:40] for all these decisions
[1:08:43] isn't what our
[1:08:46] that's not how our government runs. I
[1:08:49] have just I have not had someone talk to
[1:08:52] me and say I want you to give my taxes
[1:08:54] back. I have had a lot of people say to
[1:08:57] me, "What are you going to do with it?
[1:09:00] You've got it. What are you going to do
[1:09:01] with it?" And some of those names were
[1:09:04] on the petition. I'm just And I've also
[1:09:08] had people say, "I signed that petition
[1:09:10] because they told me you were raising my
[1:09:12] taxes again." So, the petition bears
[1:09:15] weight with me. It's important. I
[1:09:17] listen. I'm listening. I but there were
[1:09:21] people on that that signed that petition
[1:09:23] for all different reasons. Not just
[1:09:25] saying I think I would dare say that
[1:09:28] it's the vast minority that signed that
[1:09:30] petition to say we don't like the
[1:09:32] funding mechanism you're using. I know
[1:09:34] some did. I know some did. But people
[1:09:37] signed that petition for all different
[1:09:39] reasons. For spite a huge amount for
[1:09:43] spite because they were angry about
[1:09:44] their taxes. that what I'm hearing now,
[1:09:47] even from that email that I forwarded to I think all of you from the the Tree
[1:09:52] Mountain groups that represent four
[1:09:54] quarters of Tree Mountain, they don't
[1:09:56] want to know if they're getting their
[1:09:57] taxes back. They want to know, are you
[1:09:59] looking for growth? What are you doing
[1:10:01] with our money now that you've got it?
[1:10:02] What is your plan? And so, personally,
[1:10:06] I'm not willing, and this isn't a vote.
[1:10:08] We're not taking a vote tonight. This is
[1:10:10] a discussion. I'm not willing to say
[1:10:12] let's give the taxes back because it
[1:10:15] wastes time. It wastes money and we have
[1:10:17] we're rethinking and we're reusing and I
[1:10:20] think we're trying to use this money
[1:10:23] to get the biggest bang for our buck for
[1:10:24] the most people. So
[1:10:28] that's
[1:10:32] um I'm not suggesting that we take a
[1:10:34] poll on everything. Um, I think that 95%
[1:10:38] probably 98% of our decisions we make
[1:10:41] and we do the best we can to represent
[1:10:43] the people. Um, I'm just saying that
[1:10:46] we've had this
[1:10:49] kind of a question with the bond with
[1:10:52] the petition on this question. I think
[1:10:55] that it might be worth going back to the
[1:10:58] people on that. I'm not saying that the
[1:11:00] projects aren't good projects. I'm just
[1:11:02] saying that I think that the people have
[1:11:04] kind of said, "Okay, on this one we want
[1:11:06] to be able to have some input." That's all I'm saying. Um I know that um
[1:11:14] we've heard that some people are getting
[1:11:16] phone calls saying that they support
[1:11:18] this and like I said, I've had some that
[1:11:20] say, "I would definitely support
[1:11:21] elementary schools and you know, the
[1:11:23] security issues." So that's why I'm a
[1:11:26] believer that if we rolled back the
[1:11:29] taxes, give the public the opportunity
[1:11:32] to be invested in it, I think we have a
[1:11:35] very good public, I think that they
[1:11:37] would see that these are needs and I
[1:11:39] think that they would actually vote for
[1:11:40] that geo bond, which um I think would be
[1:11:43] the right way to do it. But just a side
[1:11:46] note, I have also had a member of my
[1:11:50] community come and tell me that their
[1:11:53] neighbor is now selling her blood twice
[1:11:55] a month, be able to pay for increased
[1:11:58] taxes. So, I don't know what everybody
[1:12:01] out there's doing, but I know that this
[1:12:03] is hurting some people. And so, I'm just
[1:12:05] wondering if there's a better way.
[1:12:13] » Thank you. Thank you for that.
[1:12:18] Danielle, did you have anything you want
[1:12:19] to add to any of this?
[1:12:22] All right. Is there any other
[1:12:24] discussion? Directors, do you have
[1:12:26] anything for us?
[1:12:29] Wisdom, director, superintendent, you'd
[1:12:32] like to share?
[1:12:34] >> Oh, yeah.
[1:12:36] >> No, I I think we've had this
[1:12:38] >> this discussion.
[1:12:39] >> Yeah, we've had it several times and I
[1:12:41] appreciate it. It's so important for us
[1:12:43] to really understand try to understand
[1:12:47] I appreciate this time. Does anyone feel
[1:12:49] like we need to keep
[1:12:52] >> here? Yeah, I'll hand
[1:12:56] » um I just wanted to say after I don't
[1:12:59] remember which meeting it was, but we
[1:13:00] did have a lot of the members that were
[1:13:02] really pushing the petition um and
[1:13:05] really advocating to get that signed. A
[1:13:08] member from the community up north that
[1:13:10] lives kind of by me. I don't know this
[1:13:11] individual very well, but after one of
[1:13:13] the board meetings where they came to
[1:13:15] listen about what we were doing, um this
[1:13:18] individual, she stopped and stayed at
[1:13:20] the end when the board went into close
[1:13:22] session and she spoke very strongly and
[1:13:25] adamantly about the fact that as she was
[1:13:28] gathering those votes, she felt like the
[1:13:30] people really wanted to see West
[1:13:32] Traymont and built that that that area
[1:13:34] really strongly feels that it needs
[1:13:36] done. And I I just wanted to speak
[1:13:38] because to that because as you said, I
[1:13:41] do think that a lot of people signed the
[1:13:43] petition for a lot of different reasons
[1:13:45] and we can't really speak to what that
[1:13:47] reason was, but I just thought it was
[1:13:49] worth noting that that individual who
[1:13:51] was listening to a lot of people and
[1:13:53] really pushing that petition felt like
[1:13:55] we really do need to move forward with
[1:13:57] Traymont. And I I've gone back and forth
[1:14:00] on this a lot. And I just don't know how
[1:14:03] to meet the needs of the students in
[1:14:05] elementary school without doing
[1:14:07] something. It's it's not fair what we're
[1:14:10] doing in our title one schools to those
[1:14:12] kids. And it is our three title one
[1:14:14] schools that are seeing the most amount
[1:14:15] of impact. They're the ones with less
[1:14:18] playground space. They're the schools
[1:14:20] with less flexible space in their
[1:14:23] classrooms. We we don't have those same
[1:14:26] problems at ThreeMile Creek. And it it's a big difference for those kids in
[1:14:32] our most impacted schools that that see
[1:14:34] the hardest things day in day out. And
[1:14:38] this has been a problem that we've had
[1:14:40] for four years since I've been in my
[1:14:43] position. A big fear about the building
[1:14:45] and construction that's going in in
[1:14:47] Tmont and how that's going to impact the
[1:14:49] schools. and we've been limping along
[1:14:51] for a really long time doing all that we
[1:14:54] can to make do and do without and
[1:14:56] support the kids. And I I do genuinely
[1:14:59] believe that the majority of the
[1:15:02] community does understand that something
[1:15:04] has to be done for elementary schools.
[1:15:06] And that's just what I wanted to add as
[1:15:08] the elementary assistant superintendent
[1:15:10] since that's what we're discussing.
[1:15:14] Ultimately all this information as we
[1:15:16] think about the different that are shown
[1:15:18] to us tonight ultimately so as we have
[1:15:22] action items
[1:15:24] to approve contract
[1:15:28] I know the help me here the construction
[1:15:33] what is the name of that construction
[1:15:35] management
[1:15:37] the action item on Wednesday right
[1:15:39] that's that's a vote so we just if you
[1:15:43] at that meeting decide no this is not
[1:15:45] the way I want to move forward then
[1:15:48] that's when you go right um and then we
[1:15:52] reate things
[1:15:53] >> can we propose a brief restroom break
[1:15:56] for a few minutes here before our next
[1:15:57] topic
[1:16:01] » 8:30
[1:16:03] reconvene that's that's good
[1:16:19] Oh no.
[1:23:34] I didn't get to ask what you thought
[1:23:36] about.
[1:23:39] » I should have asked
[1:23:42] >> the facilities.
[1:23:52] » Oh, before we go to facil
[1:23:53] >> Clay, would you join us up here?
[1:23:57] >> We're next to Cory. He doesn't bite.
[1:24:00] >> And Mr. Gilmore, I think you were up
[1:24:01] here, too.
[1:24:06] » Now, I just I want to clarify the
[1:24:08] facilities
[1:24:11] committee was shown this two months ago.
[1:24:15] >> About that. Yeah,
[1:24:16] >> about two months ago. Part of it. I
[1:24:17] don't even think all of it. And and this
[1:24:20] is just a way to There's a problem.
[1:24:24] >> Yes,
[1:24:24] >> there's a big problem.
[1:24:30] » Um, so we need a solution. This is one
[1:24:33] solution, correct?
[1:24:34] >> That's correct. It's a proposal from the
[1:24:37] facilities leadership of how we can fix
[1:24:39] some problems we see.
[1:24:40] >> All right. And this solution wasn't
[1:24:42] built by the facilities board members
[1:24:44] committee, right?
[1:24:45] >> Correct.
[1:24:46] >> But but we were shown it months ago.
[1:24:49] >> Yeah.
[1:24:55] » And I'll lean on Corey here to correct
[1:24:59] me on size if they're wrong. Is this the
[1:25:00] right size of Boxelder High?
[1:25:02] >> 51. I'm close.
[1:25:05] >> All right. This is the size of Boxelder
[1:25:07] High. As we can see by the text here,
[1:25:10] it's actually 51 acres.
[1:25:13] Look how spread out it is. We have the
[1:25:16] Let's see if this doesn't work here.
[1:25:20] Um, here we go. We have the NAT right
[1:25:23] here. We have the baseball and softball
[1:25:26] up here. Then we have the uh football
[1:25:29] field. We have the CT area, the main
[1:25:32] part of the building. Then we have
[1:25:34] parking back here, additional practice
[1:25:36] fields, uh down here at tennis courts.
[1:25:39] We're pretty well spread out.
[1:25:42] Now, when we get to Bear River,
[1:25:45] we're at 29 acres. Is that accurate,
[1:25:47] Cory?
[1:25:49] And
[1:25:51] see if this is going to work here. We
[1:25:53] have softball next to baseball. We don't
[1:25:56] have a lot of parking. And those sports
[1:25:58] happen in the same season. Here we have
[1:26:01] the track and lacrosse actually lacrosse
[1:26:04] happens in the springtime. All four of
[1:26:06] those sports happen the same time and
[1:26:07] sometimes we have home events for all
[1:26:09] four sports. There's not a lot of
[1:26:11] parking and space back here.
[1:26:13] We have a practice field up here that
[1:26:15] also doubles as a parking lot during
[1:26:17] spring for our different athletic
[1:26:19] events. Um seminary building we don't
[1:26:22] quite own yet, but we don't have parking
[1:26:24] up there. And then I go across the
[1:26:27] street. We have parking over here. And
[1:26:29] then we have the NAT over here and more
[1:26:31] parking. But what happens is, and we
[1:26:34] can't really see this on my picture
[1:26:35] here, I apologize. Along these roads up
[1:26:38] here on 14 north, students park on both
[1:26:41] sides of the roads because we have
[1:26:43] adequate parking. Down here in between
[1:26:47] the Bear Center and the CTE building and
[1:26:49] the main building, we have buses running
[1:26:51] back here to pick up students. We have
[1:26:53] buses running in front here to pick up
[1:26:56] students. And over here we have student
[1:26:59] parking over here that students cross
[1:27:01] right here and create a massive traffic
[1:27:03] jam on Main Street. Same thing up here.
[1:27:06] They cross over here. We have a parking
[1:27:09] problem. We have a space problem.
[1:27:12] >> Going to be built.
[1:27:14] >> Okay. Um I'll get to that.
[1:27:15] >> Okay. It's not anywhere there.
[1:27:17] >> Uh it it is it is. But I I think my
[1:27:19] visual better illustrates it. Well, our
[1:27:22] parking problem creates a student safety
[1:27:23] problem. Now to the north here, we own
[1:27:26] land across the street, but it's not
[1:27:28] really safe to have kids crossing that
[1:27:30] main road on a regular basis for
[1:27:32] parking. Um, it also requires
[1:27:35] significant
[1:27:36] um amount of construction to get it
[1:27:38] there.
[1:27:41] So, here's our bus loading zones behind.
[1:27:44] We load uh some special ed students, but
[1:27:47] we also load in front as well. And this
[1:27:49] is morning and afternoon that happens.
[1:27:52] There's about 35 buses that come to this
[1:27:54] area on a daily basis each morning, each
[1:27:56] afternoon. It's a lot of bus traffic and
[1:27:58] a lot of student traffic mixed with
[1:28:00] buses. A lot of traffic on Main Street
[1:28:02] that gets backed up for students
[1:28:03] crossing back and forth and buses. We
[1:28:07] really think that we need to alleviate
[1:28:08] this in some form or fashion.
[1:28:14] So, we went through a design phase as
[1:28:16] part of the RFP authorized about this
[1:28:18] time last year to redesign this campus
[1:28:21] to the intent was to allow 9th graders
[1:28:24] to come up with the high school. So,
[1:28:26] this is what the redesign looked like.
[1:28:29] Let's see if I can get this to work
[1:28:30] better here. So, proposal is to purchase
[1:28:34] a seminary building, which we are going
[1:28:36] to be doing, and we would extend have
[1:28:38] extended this building up through here.
[1:28:40] Now, that we're no longer building this.
[1:28:42] For the time being, this would area
[1:28:43] right here, the semary building become a
[1:28:45] parking lot next year in August of 27.
[1:28:48] Probably be available for us to
[1:28:49] construct a parking lot.
[1:28:51] Here's a new seminary building right
[1:28:52] here, right across the street. We traded
[1:28:54] land size for land size for them to have
[1:28:57] this building over here.
[1:29:00] And so we need to create a parking
[1:29:03] entrance right here for parking to come
[1:29:05] in the back side of the auditorium
[1:29:07] because Main Street is a UD do road. UD
[1:29:10] do will not authorize another curb cut
[1:29:12] to allow traffic in from this side over
[1:29:13] here. So, we're going to have to come in
[1:29:15] down through here to put parking in
[1:29:18] here.
[1:29:20] And then here's a potential moving of
[1:29:23] the base of the softball field because
[1:29:27] we want to create the practice field,
[1:29:29] make that a so a parking lot for
[1:29:31] students and for buses. buses would come
[1:29:34] in around the perimeter of the field of
[1:29:36] the of the parking lot, but line up for
[1:29:39] um students to board them. That removes
[1:29:41] them from behind here
[1:29:45] and in front of the school where we have
[1:29:47] lots of traffic already. And in the
[1:29:49] center would be student parking during
[1:29:51] school time and event parking for
[1:29:53] different events we have at the high
[1:29:55] school. Doing that, we need a practice
[1:29:58] space. So the softball field will become
[1:30:02] a practice field and then the softball
[1:30:04] field move over here. In doing so, that
[1:30:07] alleviates spring sports congestion back
[1:30:10] here and people trying to get out on
[1:30:12] Main Street from behind the school. It
[1:30:14] would be moved over here. They could
[1:30:16] park in an auditorium parking right here
[1:30:17] and exit out that way. They could park
[1:30:20] over here and exit this way or down Main
[1:30:22] Street easier and wouldn't create so
[1:30:24] much traffic behind the school during
[1:30:26] events.
[1:30:30] So this is what it looks like.
[1:30:32] Add parking remove and it also removes
[1:30:34] all the student parking from the roads.
[1:30:36] We wouldn't allow any student parking on
[1:30:38] the roads anymore. Creates a safety
[1:30:40] issue. The speed limit on that road up
[1:30:42] there 14 or north is pretty quick and we
[1:30:45] we'd hate to see an accident like that
[1:30:47] involving a vehicle. Either students
[1:30:49] backing out because they pull in or
[1:30:51] students trying to cross the road or get
[1:30:52] in their vehicle. It's just a a risk
[1:30:54] that we think we need to address um
[1:30:57] sooner than later.
[1:31:00] So, natory parking lot changes. Samurray
[1:31:03] is going to start construction this
[1:31:04] summer, probably August or September. Um
[1:31:07] and then we need to access drive the go
[1:31:09] here to the back parking lot and extend
[1:31:12] potential expanded parking lot on the
[1:31:13] new softball field if we choose to do
[1:31:15] that. But we do need to create this
[1:31:17] parking access drive uh this summer to
[1:31:21] bring in there. It can be it can be a
[1:31:22] temporary drive not be permanent but
[1:31:24] this is part of this plan to be allowed
[1:31:27] to gain access back off of 1400 north
[1:31:29] into the natoran parking
[1:31:33] >> yes
[1:31:33] >> this was the slide for that
[1:31:37] >> yes
[1:31:42] » north of the
[1:31:45] » any other questions so far
[1:31:49] >> what what are they right
[1:31:54] What are they using that area right
[1:31:56] there?
[1:31:59] » Right now that's a practice field or
[1:32:02] >> middle school.
[1:32:13] » they have adequate PE space north of the
[1:32:16] building and even north of this there's
[1:32:18] still a fairly good chunk
[1:32:20] >> right that grass area is not used for
[1:32:22] medical middle school anything right now
[1:32:25] right
[1:32:26] >> rarely it's not needed for PE space
[1:32:34] uh practice field changes. So the
[1:32:36] current softball field will become the
[1:32:38] practice field next to tennis courts. Um
[1:32:42] eventually we would if we use the
[1:32:45] current design we've invested in for
[1:32:46] this high school. We would take down the
[1:32:48] CTE building
[1:32:51] uh right here and build a new space here
[1:32:54] and this will all become parking. And I
[1:32:56] forgot to mention we also have tennis
[1:32:58] back here. So tennis is another spring
[1:32:59] sport. So we have five spring sports
[1:33:02] potentially that are occurring on this
[1:33:04] 29 acres that most high schools have
[1:33:06] double the space.
[1:33:09] >> Neil about that CT
[1:33:13] >> that CT is that CT building and changes
[1:33:17] down the road
[1:33:18] >> down the way. Yes. Yeah. We're using
[1:33:21] existing design that we worked on for
[1:33:24] the expansion as a basis of how we can
[1:33:26] improve access and parking at the build
[1:33:29] at this campus.
[1:33:34] Uh those are those slides. Um this is a
[1:33:37] brief overview. If you go back to the
[1:33:39] remember the initial slides um we're
[1:33:42] proposing
[1:33:44] let me see I think it's four or
[1:33:54] yeah I I don't want to misspeak uh $4
[1:33:56] million for improvements.
[1:34:00] >> Yes,
[1:34:02] that's just estimate from architects
[1:34:04] what it may cost. We don't have any
[1:34:06] bids. This isn't even designed yet. This
[1:34:07] is a rough stage one design of this
[1:34:10] campus. We haven't gone through
[1:34:11] engineering on this campus yet. And so
[1:34:13] the engineering and design work uh civil
[1:34:17] work has not been completed yet. We
[1:34:19] haven't even gone down that route yet.
[1:34:20] We haven't invested in that. But this is
[1:34:22] where we're at so far with the uh high
[1:34:24] school plans.
[1:34:27] >> Yes, Stephanie.
[1:34:29] >> Are you
[1:34:33] » Yeah, this is No, this is your time now.
[1:34:34] I'm done with the presentation about the
[1:34:36] but we can go back to the pictures.
[1:34:38] >> I I don't know if this is a you question
[1:34:40] or you question but we just approved
[1:34:42] doing the turf for
[1:34:45] the
[1:34:45] >> baseball We'll also be doing it we'll
[1:34:48] be doing it for the softball as well. So
[1:34:51] this is a really good time to make that
[1:34:52] decision so that we're not undoing what
[1:34:55] we just do. So making that plan
[1:34:59] and so that would does does the money
[1:35:01] that we approved is that part of the 4
[1:35:03] million or is that
[1:35:04] >> no money? So that we approved a
[1:35:07] receiving a donation for the purposes of
[1:35:11] re of renovating the baseball field. We
[1:35:14] haven't approved that project yet.
[1:35:18] » Yes.
[1:35:21] >> The match funds are not included in
[1:35:23] this. No, it actually if we include the
[1:35:26] match funds that would be a $3.5
[1:35:28] million, but that match is not part of
[1:35:30] the budget that we're doing right now.
[1:35:36] » As we've looked through these options
[1:35:39] and I've talked with Neil, we want to be
[1:35:42] clear that
[1:35:44] the issues we are trying to solve are
[1:35:48] traffic, parking, and busing.
[1:35:51] And in the process of this and doing the shuffling of things around to make a
[1:35:58] better setup, there are some benefits
[1:36:01] that extracurricular activities will
[1:36:04] gain, but they are not the reason that
[1:36:06] this is happening.
[1:36:10] It is a crazy cramped
[1:36:14] campus that they are doing all they can
[1:36:19] to make it work. and it's just a
[1:36:22] struggle all the time. I don't know if
[1:36:24] you want to say anything else on that.
[1:36:27] >> Yeah, I mean I agree. We're we're we're
[1:36:29] basically doing everything we can do. Um
[1:36:32] we probably have 35% of our students
[1:36:35] right now that don't park in any parking
[1:36:38] lot. They park on streets. They park
[1:36:39] across from where the practice football
[1:36:41] field is on both sides all the way down
[1:36:43] the block all the way to the almost
[1:36:45] railroad tracks. We have people that
[1:36:47] park there. We have people that park um
[1:36:50] between the niatorum and the parking lot
[1:36:52] on the street all the way that way and
[1:36:54] then on the north side all the way down
[1:36:56] on that that piece every day come in the
[1:36:58] winter time when there's a few uh snow
[1:37:01] piles makes it even worse. Um the bus
[1:37:04] thing behind the school is a huge issue.
[1:37:07] We have we have I think we have eight
[1:37:10] buses that go behind the school um
[1:37:12] including our our um sped buses that
[1:37:14] have um the kids that that have to have
[1:37:17] like wheelchairs and things. that's
[1:37:18] where they drop kids off. Um, we have no
[1:37:22] choice but we have kids that have to
[1:37:24] walk past in between those buses all the
[1:37:26] time. There's they have to because of
[1:37:28] where their school their classes are.
[1:37:30] So, like Corey said, the real the real
[1:37:35] problem is the parking and the access to
[1:37:37] the school. In order to fix that, you're
[1:37:39] going to have to do some other things to
[1:37:42] make sure that there's other that those
[1:37:44] get moved to a certain place. It's a lot
[1:37:45] like what happened with the baseball and
[1:37:47] softball field at Bosel. In order to be
[1:37:49] able to build those buildings there, you
[1:37:51] had to relocate and in order to do that
[1:37:53] sometimes you have to So yeah, I don't
[1:37:56] know if there's any questions on on the
[1:37:58] parking or just the congestion. Neil's
[1:38:00] not wrong. Um we actually have six
[1:38:02] sports that would would be there. You
[1:38:04] got baseball, softball, track, both
[1:38:07] lacrosse, tennis, and then we have boys
[1:38:09] uh uh soccer. We have generally
[1:38:12] baseball, softball, you know, a game on
[1:38:15] the turf, tennis, a game in the gym all
[1:38:18] in the same night. And and we have I
[1:38:20] mean, we we've had a couple of instances
[1:38:23] where, you know, we have some older
[1:38:24] people that like to come to games. They
[1:38:26] have they literally have to walk from
[1:38:28] all the way over here by the by the
[1:38:30] junior high school all the way to the
[1:38:31] back of the building because they have
[1:38:32] nowhere else to walk.
[1:38:34] >> Yeah. And I would say if you're um
[1:38:38] wheelchair bound or have difficulty with
[1:38:40] mobility, trying to get to the back of
[1:38:42] the softball field, the bleachers down
[1:38:44] that gravel or cobblestone you call it
[1:38:46] path is difficult.
[1:38:49] >> I was just going to say I was at we've
[1:38:51] only been in one game this year was a
[1:38:54] softball game and I watched a woman in a
[1:38:56] motorized wheelchair try to get from
[1:38:59] where the stadium seats are behind the
[1:39:01] softball field around to go to the
[1:39:03] restroom.
[1:39:05] I was really It was uncomfortable. It's
[1:39:08] hard.
[1:39:09] >> Yeah.
[1:39:12] I just wonder
[1:39:17] for people to park
[1:39:20] » in the in the black areas but not
[1:39:22] actually but yes in the parking area
[1:39:26] highlight
[1:39:32] » just go to the tennis courts
[1:39:34] >> tennis courts
[1:39:35] >> yeah so yes there areapost
[1:39:52] Maybe grandparents would say
[1:39:57] that's where I'm at.
[1:40:02] » Do we have any questions about this
[1:40:04] proposal idea?
[1:40:08] uh this will be from existing capital
[1:40:10] funds. So if and I don't mean to make
[1:40:13] anybody sick here, but if we go back
[1:40:14] here to the proposed budget,
[1:40:18] it's within our existing capital funds
[1:40:20] that we'd be using this for. We would
[1:40:22] not be raising any additional funds to
[1:40:24] make this happen.
[1:40:27] Is that one of the line items or is that
[1:40:29] >> Yeah, down here river improvements $4
[1:40:33] million
[1:40:35] >> and the vote is that is right.
[1:40:39] >> So yeah, the process will be uh process
[1:40:42] that superintendent works with me to
[1:40:44] develop a budget. He tells me what the
[1:40:46] priorities are. We put the numbers
[1:40:48] together in the budget book to publish
[1:40:50] for the public to consume and all wells
[1:40:52] the board and then in June we will have
[1:40:56] a vote on what is going to be the
[1:40:58] proposed budget.
[1:41:01] So I the plan is to include that in the
[1:41:04] budget for for the board to consider in
[1:41:06] June.
[1:41:08] >> Yes.
[1:41:13] then we essentially have permission from
[1:41:14] the board to start the construction
[1:41:16] planning process to go through
[1:41:18] engineering design and go get bids. I
[1:41:20] wouldn't anticipate that happening being
[1:41:23] starting construction before the fall,
[1:41:25] possibly next spring on many parts of
[1:41:28] this. There's some parts we can do.
[1:41:29] Parking lot's easy to do, but uh the
[1:41:32] field moves and the other parts of it
[1:41:34] would take more time.
[1:41:37] So, an immediate need would be access to
[1:41:42] the Niatoran parking lot because right
[1:41:44] now we have one access. It's on the
[1:41:47] north and it's right where the new
[1:41:50] seminary building would be built. So,
[1:41:53] before next school year starts, there's
[1:41:56] a non-negotiable that we have to have
[1:41:58] access into that parking lot. Even if
[1:42:01] it's just a roadbased road, those can be
[1:42:05] difficult to push snow off of. And that
[1:42:09] field between the Natorium and Bear
[1:42:12] River Middle School is currently flood
[1:42:15] irrigated.
[1:42:17] So, there are some considerations that
[1:42:18] we do need to deal with before students
[1:42:21] are back in school next fall or
[1:42:23] immediately because as soon as the
[1:42:25] seminary as soon as the LDS church takes
[1:42:28] over that area, we lose our access. So,
[1:42:32] we're going to have to do that in
[1:42:34] conjunction with them fencing off that
[1:42:36] section.
[1:42:37] >> I would add that's probably the least
[1:42:38] costly part of this project. It's the
[1:42:41] easiest to uh to do.
[1:42:46] That's also going to take over 100
[1:42:48] parking spaces
[1:42:54] building.
[1:42:54] >> Yeah, that where they're putting the
[1:42:56] seminary building that we have a ton of
[1:42:58] parking right there that will take
[1:42:59] almost all of that um because of the way
[1:43:02] that they access that and the way that
[1:43:03] they'll park on it. So, so again, we're
[1:43:06] going from not very much to even less.
[1:43:10] How many current per parking spaces do
[1:43:13] we have right now versus how many will
[1:43:15] we have if this is put through?
[1:43:18] >> Are we talking about the seminary
[1:43:20] portion or the whole project?
[1:43:23] >> Um I don't have an estimate on that, but
[1:43:25] that parking lot is a pretty large
[1:43:27] parking lot. Let me see if I can read
[1:43:28] that what it says. Uh 225 by 49.
[1:43:34] So that's a large 200. It's a nearly a
[1:43:37] football field long.
[1:43:39] >> It's actually a little bit bigger. I
[1:43:40] mean, as far as the whole thing, um
[1:43:43] right now there's about 240 spaces in
[1:43:46] the parking lot south of the natiatorum.
[1:43:48] Um that goes all the way over towards
[1:43:50] the um the middle school, that little L
[1:43:53] space right there. Um we have about
[1:43:57] 180 spaces on the north side of the
[1:44:00] natitorium. Um which that will take
[1:44:04] roughly a 100 spots. Um, so then you're
[1:44:07] looking at it, but I think it'll
[1:44:08] actually take a little bit more than
[1:44:09] that because of how you're going to put
[1:44:11] the the access points in. I think
[1:44:13] that'll actually take more parking await
[1:44:15] as well. I'm pretty sure you're going to
[1:44:18] get at least that much and most likely
[1:44:20] more over here on the practice football
[1:44:23] field. It's a bigger space than either
[1:44:24] one of those two are. So,
[1:44:28] >> yeah, you will lose Yeah. Yeah. Because
[1:44:29] you will have the bus lanes that go
[1:44:31] around.
[1:44:35] Yes.
[1:44:37] >> But also next to the tennis courts and
[1:44:40] Oh, we get those.
[1:44:42] >> Not yet.
[1:44:45] >> It's just where like your
[1:44:48] >> So we're looking at here some here. When
[1:44:52] the seminary comes down, the seminary
[1:44:53] will we will raise that and we will make
[1:44:56] it a parking lot. So that's
[1:44:59] >> Yes. 12 months out. Well, we haven't
[1:45:01] decided students or staff, but we will
[1:45:03] have parking.
[1:45:07] » My preference is in designing this is
[1:45:09] that staff park behind the school only
[1:45:12] and students park up here at the top
[1:45:16] and across the road and over here.
[1:45:20] >> So, if I remember right, you said that
[1:45:22] this plan would have all parking
[1:45:25] students and staff in a parking lot, not
[1:45:27] on the street.
[1:45:28] >> That's correct.
[1:45:32] goal. I mean, it all depends on how many
[1:45:34] kids drive to school, but that that
[1:45:37] would that would go a long way.
[1:45:39] >> Well, we we feel like current drivers
[1:45:42] would all fit in this current system
[1:45:44] right now.
[1:45:46] >> Current drivers would fit in.
[1:45:48] >> Yes. I mean, if we have three 400 more
[1:45:51] students in the future, that's another
[1:45:53] conversation.
[1:45:56] Well, if you listen to the Tree Mountain
[1:45:59] City Planner minutes, they're looking
[1:46:00] for big developments on Radio Hill. So,
[1:46:02] I think it's more closer to reality than
[1:46:04] we wanted to believe.
[1:46:08] Any other questions on this or anything
[1:46:10] we've talked about tonight?
[1:46:15] » I think I'd turn it back over to board
[1:46:16] president.
[1:46:21] » All right. I think we have reached the
[1:46:23] end of our agenda. Anyone else?
[1:46:34] » Thanks everybody.
[1:46:35] >> Reminder 6 o'clock next Wednesday at
[1:46:37] Young Intermediate for the uh reception
[1:46:40] for the retirees and then starts
[1:46:44] >> young intermediate
[1:46:48] » the reception.
[1:46:49] Is that what we call that? The reception
[1:46:51] open house.
[1:46:56] That's what it says. Is it?