From Deseret News archives:
West Jordan, district close to building new school
The Jordan School District owns a 20-acre vacant lot in the west side of the city at approximately 6100 W. 7000 South and wants to build an elementary school there to ease overcrowding problems at area schools, particularly Oakcrest Elementary.
The hang-up for the past year, however, has been the lack of infrastructure at the proposed site.
"The property the school district owns is raw land, completely undeveloped," said West Jordan City Councilwoman Melissa Johnson, "which means that utilities aren't just adjacent to their property and roads aren't built."
Putting in infrastructure — such as water and sewer lines, storm drains and roads or road improvements — can be costly, and that has been a concern to district officials.
Members of the West Jordan City Council and city employees met Monday with school district representatives in an effort to meet the city's infrastructure requirements while keeping costs to the district as low as possible, Johnson said.
On Tuesday night, the City Council held a special meeting at Sunset Ridge Middle School to bring city leaders and staff together with district officials and school board representatives to discuss possible solutions. West Jordan residents also were given an opportunity to express their concerns and weigh in on plans for the school.
The Jordan School District Board of Education met earlier Tuesday and finalized the proposal that will be voted on by the West Jordan City Council at its April 3 meeting.
The proposed agreement calls for the Kearns Improvement District to serve the new school's water and sewer needs, rather than the city of West Jordan, because it's more cost-effective. The nearest city water connection is about a mile away, said Tom Burdett, West Jordan's community development director, and the closest sewer connection is about a quarter-mile away.
The school district will make improvements on 7000 South to widen the road near the school and build a 1,400-foot half road on the east side of the school for vehicular access, with approval of the City Council.
Several of the 150-plus residents who attended Tuesday night's meeting expressed frustration over how long it has taken for the city and school district to reach an agreement for the new school, which parents in the area have been lobbying for since 2000.
"This has been frustrating as a parent to watch this go back and forth," said Mike Roach, a West Jordan resident. "This squabbling has been going on for a year. It's frustrating that it has come down to who's going to pay for the sewage."
