Ogden, Weber school districts move forward with new school construction
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- The exterior of the new Liberty Elementary School in Ogden, photographed Wednesday, July 6, 2022.
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- The new Weber School District junior high school taking shape in West Haven, photographed June 16, 2022.
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- The new Weber School District high school taking shape in the Taylor area, to be called West Field High School, is pictured June 16, 2022.
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- The exterior of the new Liberty Elementary School in Ogden, photographed Wednesday, July 6, 2022.
As kids bask in the warmth of summer, new school construction in the Ogden and Weber school districts marches forward.
Work has started on the new junior high school taking shape in West Haven within the Weber School District while construction is slated to begin in the fall on a new elementary school in the city.
In the Ogden School District, two new elementary schools, Liberty and Polk, are near completion with just “finish work” remaining. They are to open in time for the 2022-2023 school year, which starts Aug. 19.
Here are some of the details:
Weber School District: Work has started on a new $51 million junior high school at 2100 S. 2700 West in West Haven, according to Lane Findlay, the district spokesperson.
As part of the process, the Weber School Board last month approved formation of a committee to help come up with a name, mascot and colors for the new junior high. Recommendations are expected by September. “It will be a very similar process to the naming of the new high school,” Findlay said.
A new $157 million high school is taking shape in the Taylor area northwest of West Haven. A special committee helped come up with a name, mascot and colors for the school and district officials last April settled on West Field High School, the Longhorns and burnt orange and white.
Work is to start in the fall on a new $34 million elementary school at 5100 W. 3300 South in West Haven.
The new high school, junior high school and elementary school, meant to address growth in student numbers, are to be completed by the summer of 2024. Those projects plus the $37 million reconstruction of Roosevelt Elementary are to be funded by a $279 million bond approved by voters.
Ogden School District: Polk Elementary at 2615 Polk Ave. in Ogden is being rebuilt around the shell of the original school. Liberty Elementary at 3290 Monroe Blvd. is a new school replacing the former T.O. Smith Elementary, an aging structure that was torn down.
Work on the two Ogden School District schools is almost done, according to Jer Bates, the district spokesperson. “Most of the efforts are now related to finish work (e.g., cabinets, floor coverings, paint and trim) and site work (e.g., curb and gutter, landscaping),” Bates said in a message to the Standard-Examiner.
Both school are expected to ready in time for the first day of school, Aug. 19. Tentative ribbon-cutting events to mark their openings are Aug. 15 for Polk and Aug. 16 for Liberty. With the opening of Polk, closed during construction, Taylor Canyon Elementary will close.
The Polk, Liberty and other school projects are being funded by an $87 million bond approved by voters in 2018 and meant to cover the cost of replacing aging facilities.