For nearly a century, the campus of the school formerly known as Dixon Middle has served generations of students in Provo. But that soon will be no more.

Last Tuesday, the Provo City School District Board of Education held a public meeting to discuss possible options for the Dixon site with community members, followed by a trunk-or-treat event.

The school board has been grappling with what to do with the site since the decision was made three years ago to move its students to a new school.

Dixon Middle School closed in May and currently serves as a temporary location for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County.

Dixon students were welcomed into the brand-new Shoreline Middle School at the start of this school year.

Superintendent Wendy Dau and Business Manager Devyn Dayley outlined the three options that had been narrowed down by the board during last Tuesday’s discussion with community members:

• Option 1: Repurpose it as a center for career and technical education, or CTE.
• Option 2: Rebuild Timpanogos Elementary School at the Dixon location, while using current Timpanogos facility to house a CTE site.
• Option 3: Build an elementary school that would teach two of the four languages offered in the Dual Language Immersion, or DLI, program. If this option were chosen, another elementary school would be converted to teach the other two languages.

Two of the options also would include building new offices for the district, either at what would become the campus at the Dixon site or at Timpanogos Elementary.

The current office has safety issues and is becoming too small for their needs, according to board member Gina Hales.

“It is also so old that it isn’t very welcoming or comfortable for employees or staff. Heating has issues and many employees are very cold during the winter,” she told the Daily Herald in an email.

Each scenario was presented with a list of pros and cons.

For Option 1, the district said building a CTE center would expand learning resources in desirable job fields supporting around 500 students per year. Additionally, it would remove transportation barriers for students who struggle to get to career-ready courses at Utah Valley University or Mountainland Technical College. The board also says it could serve as a permanent home for East Bay Post High School, Adult and Community Education, as well as a day care and preschool for children of district employees and/or a community pantry, among other uses.

However, crowding at Timpanogos Elementary School reportedly would remain an issue unless boundaries were redrawn — and funds obtained for startup costs to get the CTE programs up and running. The board likely would have to seek out additional grants and other means of funding, officials said.

Construction would cost between $50 million and $75 million, depending what features were included.

In the case of Option 2, moving Timpanogos Elementary students off of 500 West is one benefit for safety reasons, the board described. The expanded space would allow for a bigger play area for students as well as added green space, and would make room for programs that currently are housed in temporary locations.

The elementary school is housed in a fairly new, less-than-two-decades-old building, which the board says could lead to frustration among community members. Costs also could be an issue since it would be more expensive to build a new elementary school and retrofit a current building.

The combined cost for this option would be around $75 million — between $45 million to $50 million to build the new school and another $25 million to retrofit the current Timpanogos Elementary campus.

Option 3, would remove segregation of students of those who are involved in DLI programs and those who are not, according to the school board. It also could help current language immersion programs run more efficiently.

Concerns from the board include fewer students using the DLI programs because they are not located at a neighboring school. Additional funds would be needed to retrofit other schools to provide permanent locations for other programs.

Construction cost would range between $45 million to $50 million to build a DLI elementary school.

“While the cost is less, we need to remember that it does not immediately address our other facility needs,” the board’s option description states.

Provo City School District likely would have to obtain a Municipal Building Authority bond to pay for the project or vote to put a general obligation bond on the ballot next year.

In the meantime, the board wants more community members to weigh in on the future of the site.

Hales said the board is listening and considering all feedback from the public.

“That doesn’t mean that everyone will get exactly what they want, but please know we are listening,” said Hales who encourages those who have ideas not to hesitate in reaching out with their thoughts.

District spokesperson Caleb Price said that, at this time, there is no set end date for providing feedback. Community members can do so on the district website.

“Individuals are always welcome to email the school board members or district leadership as well,” he said in an email.

Regardless which option is decided, the Dixon site ultimately will be demolished.

Main factors include that the aging structure is not up to current safety standards and is not suitable to use.

Those who already have offered feedback said they want the campus to remain a space for student and community use. They’ve also stressed not wanting it sold to a developer, nor do they want office space, even for district use.

“There has been a lot of discussion over the past few years about a remodel vs. a rebuild. For many reasons, including cost, it was determined that a remodel was not the best option,” Price said. “At the meeting, it was discussed that the district would be open to looking into whether aspects of the old Dixon building could be incorporated into the new design.”

An exact timeline for when any demolition would happen is unknown.

“We’d love to save the original building, but it costs millions of dollars more to get the old building up to code and safe than it is to tear down the building and start over,” Hales said.

Currently, the district is focused on restarting construction in renovation efforts at Timpview High School, which is set to get underway in the spring and will take four years to complete.

Design work for the new Dixon site could begin sometime in mid- to late 2025 but would all depend on the board’s final decision for the site and which funding mechanism the district pursues.