Alternative Options for Timpview and Dixon

Let’s get this straight; although we don’t support this bond, we believe our kids should be educated in safe buildings. So what other options are there to bring Provo City School District’s buildings up to an acceptable level of safety if this bond proposal fails? Here are some of the options the school board was presented with. Because Timpview and Dixon are projected to be the most expensive items on the bond ($145m and $55m respectively), we will focus on those two schools.

Timpview

Option One: Seismic Retrofit

Summary: Helical piers are drilled underneath the building, anchoring the building foundation to the stable soils deep beneath (see this recommendation in final paragraph of CMT Engineering's report to PCSD); replacing and updating other systems as needed

Pros: Least expensive option (estimated at $20-25m) saving the $270k homeowner at least $150/year in taxes compared to full rebuild; could hold the building in place to extend its life; stabilizes land the same way the Thunderdome is currently; would be completed the fastest, addressing safety quickest

Cons: work might have to be redone if Timpview is rebuilt the future; would require another bond in a decade or so to address other problems at the school

Option Two: Phased Rebuild

Summary: “A phased approach for Timpview High School by rebuilding the academic wing, south gym, secured entrance improvements, adding a softball field to campus, completing soil remediation and piers for the southwest section of campus at an estimated cost of $65 million.” – Provo City School District Bond Survey; see this recommendation at the end of the Curtis Miner Architects report

Pros: Costs less up-front; saves $270k homeowner about $100 per year in taxes on first bond; addresses immediate needs and waits to rebuild sections that aren’t as threatened until earlier debts are paid off; excavates clay soils; completes seismic upgrades of unstable sections quicker

Cons: Costs more over time as it would require multiple bonds; multiple construction periods require flexibility in school programming

Option Three: Full Rebuild

Summary: “A full rebuild of Timpview High at an estimated cost of $145 million, that would allow for a full remediation of collapsible/clay soils and site drainage issues for the entire campus.” – Provo City School District Bond Survey

Pros: Excavates clay soils; completes construction in one big project

Cons: The most expensive option up front; rebuilds both Provo High and Timpview High at nearly the same time and may need to be replaced at the same time again in the future

Option Four: Off-site Creativity

Summary: The land Timpview is built on is known to have geological issues. It would be safer to move locations to somewhere without those issues. Although there is little vacant land around Timpview High School, the district could build somewhere else within its boundaries, shift the boundaries, or even purchase property. Since the cost to rebuild on-site is so high ($145m—Provo High was built in 2018 for $79m), another site could be cheaper.

Pros: More sound building site; potentially cheaper; opportunity to sell all or part of Timpview site to finance build; could save Bounous Park; current school could be used during construction

Cons: Takes high school out of a neighborhood that has appreciated it for over 45 years; potential for redrawing districts; potential of displacing families and businesses; school district may need to use eminent domain

Dixon

Option One: On-site Renovation and Rebuild

Summary: Restoration of the historic 1931 portion of Dixon Middle, demolition of additions, new construction additions for a total of 150,000 square feet of school with access to about 9 acres. Feasibility studies estimate a cost of $55m

Pros: Keeps school in low-income neighborhood that depends on its services; potentially quicker construction time due to known sewer and water capacity; restores and keeps historic 1931 Dixon in use; leaves option for third middle school at Footprinter Park site as west Provo grows

Cons: Phased construction with staging on fields would limit PE for 2-3 year construction period; 9-acre site limits which sports PE program can teach; little possibility for future additions (which is a good thing if you like smaller schools)

Option Two: Off-site New Build

Summary: New construction of 150,000 square-foot school on about 20 acres adjacent to Footprinter Park in west Provo. Cost estimate of $55m

Pros: Gives students access to larger fields for sports; option to build an even bigger school in the future; can be built without disrupting students

Cons: Removes school from low-income neighborhood; leaves historic 1931 building vulnerable; unsafe routes getting kids across railways, interstates, and streets without sidewalks; unclear whether it can be built anytime soon with Provo City plans to bring sewer pipe there around 2024; could end up costing Provo taxpayers more than the $55m planned due to additional west Provo infrastructure and maintenance/renovations of the historic Dixon school the current school board wants to hold on to

Conclusion

There are lots of options to consider and we hope that the school board will reconsider them—taking valuable public input—if this bond proposal fails. Vote NO on the 2019 school bond.