South Salt Lake not seeking to buy Granite High

Granite High patrons, rest easy: South Salt Lake says it isn't actively seeking to buy your school and turn it into a community center after all.

Mayor Robert Gray, in a letter that Granite District's boss says was hand-delivered to him Wednesday, said the city is just reaffirming its right to buy the school should the school district decide it's for sale.

"I feel that my previous letter in regards to the city's interest in the Granite High property may have been misinterpreted due to its wording. Unfortunately, this has created some misunderstandings, which I apologize for," Gray's letter states. "Our desire for Granite High School has always been one of providing a traditional high school for our community."

"I still think it's something for us to look at, should all the cards fall into place," said South Salt Lake Councilman Shane Siwik. "But I agree with everybody else, that Granite is a high school and I think that's what it should be. I just hope the district is committed to fulfilling that. ... The city is likely not going to go out of its way to ask the district to sell it to us without them declaring it as surplus first."

Granite Superintendent Steve Ronnenkamp was surprised by what he called backpedaling by the city.

"If the city's request to purchase that property is now rescinded, then that's fine. The city always has the right of first refusal; they certainly don't have to put anything in writing to do that," he said. "Never had we talked to our board about selling that property," which just received a $1 million upgrade. "As far as we're concerned, the school is open."

Granite High in 2005 was revamped to include the alternative Central High, young parents program and a newcomers program for immigrants, plus it offers academies for careers and performing arts. Since, enrollment — students have to opt in to the school or go to Cottonwood High — has nose-dived from about 900 to 300, to the dismay of South Salt Lake. Hard feelings have ensued.

In a July meeting, two South Salt Lake City councilmen mentioned the possibility of buying the property for use as a city community center. After the meeting, which Gray did not attend, Ronnenkamp told Gray to send a formal letter if he really wanted the board to discuss the property.

In an Aug. 7 letter to Ronnenkamp, Gray confirmed the city's interest in "acquiring from Granite School District the Granite High School campus" for city and open space uses, asked if Ronnenkamp would discuss the matter with the board and "let me know at your earliest convenience if the district is amenable to a sale of the property to the city."