Which New Building is First?

Congratulations to Mr. Frank Houston on his recent election to the school board and my thanks to Mrs. Melaney Draper for her past years of dedicated service to the board.  I taught Melaney in high school and she is a great person with a giving heart.

Early last spring, Mr. Ben Dalton shared some information in school board meeting concerning the building of three new schools.  Additionally, news was circulated at the time of the last public hearing concerning a voted board tax levy centering on building new elementary schools.  With our elections complete, it is time we make available to the public what has transpired since last spring and bring everyone up to date of our new building status.

An assessment report dated April 29, 2016 from a team of three engineers and an architect evaluated the elementary schools of Bryce Valley, Escalante, and Panguitch.  Their directive was to first determine the current condition and then develop the costs associated with replacement versus renovation.  Additionally, they were instructed to develop an order of replacement based on findings.  The formula to judge the buildings was based on four criteria.  The weighted analyses were as follows: 50% health and safety, 30% energy efficiency, 10% accessibility, and the final 10% on instruction.

Of a possible 10 points with 1 being in need of replacement, our elementary schools scored as follows:  Escalante 5.4 of 10, Panguitch 3.8 of 10, with the school needing the most immediate action being Bryce Valley scoring 1.87 of 10.  Costs for renovation were:  Bryce Valley $4.4 million, Panguitch $3.9 million, and Escalante at $1.2 million.  The estimated cost for replacement:  Panguitch $5.5 million, Bryce Valley $4.2 million, and Escalante finished at $3.8 million.  Please note it will cost more to renovate BV Elementary than to rebuild.

Based on the Facility Assessment Executive Summary, Bryce Valley Elementary is in urgent need of attention.  The group also mentioned that with the exception of the new Panguitch Elementary building, the remaining campus is nearly as bad as the Bryce Valley campus.  This report is available for your review at the Garfield School District Office during regular business hours, should you wish to review the entire study.

Tracy Davis, Superintendent

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