Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

Members of the Alpine School District Board of Education approved a bond priorities list Tuesday for the $595 million bond that was authorized by the school board on Aug. 9.

According to the list, the bond would be used to construct six new schools throughout Saratoga Springs, Lehi and Eagle Mountain, complete 6 school rebuilds, and renovations, and fund three safety, security, and land acquisition projects.

“Those projects listed on our capitol plan were then prioritized by our team and then reviewed by our district leadership team as well,” said Kimberly Bird, director of internal relations and operations for Alpine School District. “The areas where we’re seeing extreme growth are Lehi, Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain.”

ASD is currently Utah’s largest school district with 83,999 enrolled students as of October 2021 and, according to a Bond Viability Study conducted by Y2 Analytics, the district will continue to see expansion. Alpine is projected to grow by more than 2,500 students by 2027.

The 2022 bond will be voted on as part of the Election Day ballot on Nov. 8, and has been a hot topic of discussion among Utah County residents.

James Roh, Daily Herald file photo

The Bond Viability Survey randomly sampled 1,641 likely voters within Alpine School District boundaries from May 15-31, 2022, and found that 61% of those surveyed would likely vote in favor of the bond.

“We’ve had lots of questions and discussions on ‘okay what’s going to be the priority, who’s going to get what,'” Bird said.

New builds:

• Elementary school — Lehi, Saratoga Springs, or Eagle Mountain (2023)
• Middle school — Eagle Mountain (2023)
• High school — Saratoga Springs (2023)
• Elementary school — Lehi, Saratoga Springs, or Eagle Mountain (2024)
• Elementary school — Lehi, Saratoga Springs, or Eagle Mountain (2025)
• Elementary school — undesignated high-growth area (2026)

Rebuilds and renovations:

• Lone Peak High School — multi-use facility (2023)
• Pleasant Grove High School — final phase of rebuild (2024)
• American Fork High School — final phase of rebuild (2025)
• Timpanogos High School — multi-use facility (2025)
• Orem High School — multi-use facility (2025)
• Elementary School — rebuild/merger (2026)

The school board has also prioritized installing interior classroom door locks in secondary schools, security camera completion for elementary schools, and land acquisition in 2023.

The last bond set by Alpine School District was for $387 million in 2016. That funding was used to complete 22 capital projects, including constructing Cedar Valley High School, two middle schools, and 7 elementary schools.

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