Weighing options: Provo City School District gives update on retaining wall repairs at Wasatch Elementary
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- Suspected water issues have led to the failure of a retaining wall on the south end of Wasatch Elementary School in Provo, as pictured Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
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- Suspected water issues have led to the failure of a retaining wall on the south end of Wasatch Elementary School in Provo, as pictured Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
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- The outside of the new Wasatch Elementary School building in Provo is shown Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2024.
Classes at Wasatch Elementary School may be out for the summer, but the Provo City School District continues to ponder how to deal with a glaring issue on campus.
As the Daily Herald reported in May, a retaining wall on the south side of the newly opened school has started to crumble due to mountain runoff water.
Educators, parents and community members began to notice asphalt cracking back in April, which the district said was the result of “unexpected water.”
Since then, the southwest section of the retaining wall essentially fell apart — prompting a closure of the adjacent parking lot.
Construction crews have been on-site, and the district has been cautious about how to proceed with repairs as they continue to investigate the exact cause of the failing wall.
On Monday, the school district sent out an update to parents and community members regarding the status of rebuilding the retaining wall.
“We are continuing to investigate and are working closely with a third-party firm to ensure a thorough and accurate assessment,” the update reads. “We want to ensure that the design and rebuild will permanently address the water issues we have encountered.”
During its April 29 study session, the Provo school board heard a lengthy presentation from lead contractor Hogan & Associates, who suggested several options to fix the issue.
The options suggested will be costly, and the board is still mulling over who will foot the bill for fixing the wall. It also also wants to make sure that any repairs executed will alleviate any risks of the problem happening again.
“We’ve had some preliminary discussions, but there’s still the conversation (about who) is responsible; (but) at this point we just need to get the wall up,” Business Manager Devyn Dayley said Tuesday during the board’s study session.
Costs could range anywhere from $600,000 to $1.3 million, according to Caleb Price, director of communication for the school district.
The board hired a third-party company to delve further into the issue and conduct an independent evaluation.
Their work is currently underway to drill borings in the ground at the site that will help engineers study the soil and groundwater.
“In all three borings, there will be a Piezometer inserted in the ground that will be used to measure water levels and saturation — this will be a measurement that we will be able to get at multiple times during the year,” the district’s update reads. “In two of the three borings there will also be an inclinometer casing installed to gather additional measurements in the soil.”
The information gathered from the collected data will help the board evaluate how to financially and effectively move forward with repairs.
“We will also be meeting after the borings are done to coordinate with all parties prior to preparing a detailed report to help guide next steps,” the update states.
The board hopes to provide another update for the community at their meeting June 24.
