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Spring Groundbreaking Anticipated For New Alta View Elementary

Jan 26, 2016 03:47PM ● By Julie Slama

By Julie Slama | [email protected]

Sandy - By fall 2017, Alta View students won’t be in a school building that was dedicated in 1963. The new school, which will have a spring groundbreaking, will open on the same campus, 10333 Crocus St., White City.

No official groundbreaking has been announced for the 80,000-square-foot new school, but a spring date is expected. The design plans are still awaiting approval from the Canyons School District’s Board of Education, district spokesperson Jeff Haney said.

While the new $16.5 million Alta View remains in the design process, early plans show that the two-story, air-conditioned school will have 25 classrooms as well as two Brain Booster classrooms for music and technology, one intervention classroom and a special education suite.  

All the rooms will have natural lighting as ample windows are in the design plan, principal Karen Medlin said.

The design plans show the library on the second floor and will have a “cove” for students to read in, use as a small gathering, or possibly, put up a green screen for filming use, she said.

There will be dedicated computer labs with laptop computers, but at the same time, Medlin said that the school will continue to provide mobile units that can be used in the classrooms.

“What’s really neat is that we’ll have two large activity rooms so we can use them for grade-level presentations or science fair or a number of different uses,” she said.

There also will be increased security with a security door from the main entrance into the rest of the school building, and a door that separates the multi-use auditorium from the rest of the school.

“Board (of Education) member Steve Wrigley really wanted us to be able to extend our auditorium for the community and by having this secure door in place, we’ll be able to do so,” Medlin said.

The design is meant for 700 students, up from the current enrollment of 600.

Medlin said that the board of education has worked alongside Naylor Wentworth Lund architectural firm since spring 2015. They hosted two open houses for neighbors, current student families and faculty and staff, and the designs were presented at a board meeting in September.

“Everyone had a chance to be heard. Many teachers wanted storage space and capability for more technology. There were concerns for parking and bus safety,” she said.

The new school plans to have a dedicated bus lane on the south side of the school while 130 parking stalls will be on the north. 

A row of trees and shrubs will be planted around the school’s perimeter to give neighbors privacy and an electronic message board will highlight upcoming activities and events at the school, Medlin said.

While construction of the new school will be built at an angle on the current playground, students will remain in classes at the current school. A playground fence has been added to the front of the school so once ground is broken this spring, students will shift their recess away from construction.

With the new school’s playground design, Medlin said that Playworks was included in the conversation so fields, courts and even a wall dedicated for play will be included in the design plan.

The construction of the new Alta View school was approved by voters with the $250 million bond in June 2010. Medlin said the White City Council encouraged the board of education to select Alta View as the White City school to be rebuild after considering Bell View and Edgemont elementaries in the area. In October 2014, the board voted it was where the biggest need was, Medlin said.

“This school was built with all electrical heat, so our utility bills will improve with this new school,” she said