South Salt Lake still hoping to buy Granite High property

SOUTH SALT LAKE — City officials face a July 31 deadline to purchase the old Granite High School property or lose the nearly $500,000 in taxpayer funds invested in the project.

South Salt Lake entered into a lease/purchase agreement with the Granite School District in April, with hopes that residents would authorize the purchase by supporting a bond measure in November.

City leaders proposed reusing the 105-year-old school and transforming its 28-acre campus into a civic center for arts, recreation and education, saying two years' worth of public input, studies and surveys showed that's what most residents wanted.

The Nov. 8 vote, however, told a different story. Following a pair of recounts, the $25 million bond proposal failed by just five votes — 1,006 to 1,001 — and put a crimp on the city's plans.

Since then, city leaders have been exploring other options for purchasing the former high school — including raising property taxes or proposing a scaled-back bond measure in June.

"The city is in a tough position of trying to make both sides of the issue happy and still do what's best for the city," said Sharen Hauri, the city's urban design director. "And (city leaders) still believe that keeping that property in public hands somehow is what's best for the city."

City leaders also aren't eager to walk away from the $460,000-plus committed to the project in the lease/purchase agreement with the school district.

The contract, signed April 19 by Mayor Cherie Wood and the city's attorney and recorder, included a $100,000 nonrefundable down payment and monthly rent payments of nearly $29,000 for 16 months. The city also has paid monthly utility bills on the property.

Opponents of the bond have said a civic center isn't in the city's best interest. A group of residents who organized as Citizens for a Responsible South Salt Lake to defeat the bond has advocated for allowing the property to be developed privately.

Residents will be able to weigh in on the issue during Wednesday's City Council meeting at City Hall, 220 E. Morris Ave. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. The city also has created an online forum where residents can post their opinions on the Granite High proposal through Jan. 31.

Bob LeMone, a South Salt Lake resident and bond opponent, said he believes city leaders are ignoring the will of the voters by continuing to try to find ways to purchase the property.