OREM CITY COUNCIL/ALPINE SCHOOL DISTRICT
SPECIAL JOINT MEETING
56 North State, Orem, Utah
September 20, 2017
This meeting was for discussion purposes only. No official action was taken.
CONDUCTING Mayor Richard F. Brunst
OREM ELECTED OFFICIALS Councilmembers Debby Lauret, Sam Lentz, Tom Macdonald, Mark Seastrand, David Spencer, and Brent Sumner
OREM STAFF Jamie Davison, City Manager; Brenn Bybee, Assistant City Manager; Steven Downs, Assistant to the City Manager; Karl Hirst, Recreation Department Head; Gary Giles, Police Chief; and Donna Weaver, City Recorder
ALPINE BOARD OF EDUCATION John Burton, Mark Clement, Sarah Hacken, Paula Hill, and JoDee Sundberg
ALPINE SCHOOL DISTRICT ADMIN. Sam Jarman, Superintendent; Rob Smith, Assistant Superintendent; and Jess Christen, Assistant Superintendent; John Patten, Assistant Superintendent
INVOCATION Councilmember Spencer
Mayor Brunst called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m.
Mayor Brunst welcomed the public, noting that this was public meeting but not a public hearing, so no public comment would be accepted. He reviewed a number of public meetings the District would be hosting to discuss the proposed school closures.
Items of Common Interest
DISCUSSION
Superintendent Jarman expressed appreciation to the City for working so hard to complete the street construction around Orem Elementary before the start of school.
He then reviewed the history of the current discussion about the potential of consolidation/new construction/new boundaries for some Orem schools. He noted that during a period of time where the plan was being formulated for future discussion with the public some of the information was released publicly, before it was ready, so there is now a perception that it was a “done deal” and that public trust had been compromised, which was unfortunate.
Superintendent Jarman said they were at the point where they were ready to discuss the concept at community input meetings. A survey had been posted online and the input would be taken into consideration at the appropriate time. It would be open to the public until Thursday, September21, 2017, to give time for District staff to summarize the results before the next board meeting. The survey opened on Monday.
Mr. Christen reviewed a handout that detail Orem’s declining enrollment which had has triggered a need to evaluate leaving all schools open. Some schools needed to be either upgraded for seismic standards or to build new schools.
Superintendent Jarman said the older buildings had “unreinforced masonry.” They could do some things to improve the buildings but the masonry would still be unreinforced. In the event of a catastrophic earthquake, those buildings were the most likely to collapse.
Mr. Davidson noted that prior to the late 1970s there were no seismic standards.
Mrs. Hacken referenced the earthquake in Mexico and the images of dead children being pulled from collapsed buildings. She said that was the kind of thing that gave her nightmares. She had spoken recently with an earthquake specialist. The Wasatch Fault had five faults and any of them could shift independent of the others.
Mr. Spencer noted that Hillcrest had already been remodeled. Mr. Christen reviewed the things done to that school, noting that only a couple of the classrooms were impacted by the remodel.
The Council, Board, and staff touched on the following issues:
· Losing federal funding as a Title 1 because of how student population.
· Specialty programs, such as language immersion, included out-of-area students and student participation was dependent on interest. Sometimes participation in such program grew while other times they decreased.
· Orem could help with student population by revitalizing neighborhoods to encourage young families to move there.
· The District had invested a lot of money in improving Orem schools, including $4million to replace Timpanogos High School’s roof, redo the parking lot, redo the sound system and phone system, etc.
· Student population estimates were based upon a rolling five-year prediction, based upon current enrollment, census, building permits, etc.
· In spite of Orem’s increase in population, the birth rates in many areas in the district had declined significantly.
Mayor Brunst noted that his children had attended Northridge Elementary, and they were moved to Orchard Elementary. It was not an easy change, but they learned to love the new school.
Mr. Davidson said when they had talked last there had been some concern about Vineyard Elementary School crossing. There was a signal crossing. His hope was that they were not hearing from moms and dads worrying about pedestrian safety. Mr. Davidson said they were also looking at other opportunities to calm traffic in the area.
Mrs. Sundberg noted that the problem was not just at Vineyard Elementary but the entire way up 400 South because that was the was the outlet for Vineyard.
Mr. Davidson said they were having a conversation with Vineyard about that. Much of their development to the south congregated at 400 South. They were trying to create new outlets onto Geneva Road. One of the challenges was the railroad. They did not permit at-grade crossings.
Set Date and Time for Next
The next meeting was scheduled for November 15, 2017, at noon in the Orem City Council Chambers.
Adjournment
Mr. Spencer moved to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Lentz seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 12:53 p.m.
Donna R. Weaver, City Recorder
Approved: October 17, 2017
Joint Orem City Council/Alpine School District Minutes – September 20, 2017 (p.1)