The Tooele County School District plans to break ground next spring to replace 54-year old Dugway High School.
The Department of Defense announced Wednesday that it has approved a $13.2 million grant to cover 83 percent of the cost to demolish and rebuild Dugway High School.
“This is great news,” said Col. Ronald F. Fizer, Commander, US Army Dugway Proving Ground. “The new school at Dugway Proving Ground shows the shared commitment that the Department of Defense and the Tooele County School District have to ensure that our students have the greatest opportunities to receive an outstanding education.”
He added, “This new facility will greatly improve the educational opportunities and enhance the learning environment for the students in our community and the surrounding areas.”
The district will be responsible for $2.6 million of the project to cover the remaining 17 percent of the building’s cost.
“To get this grant from the Department of Defense is a huge deal for Tooele County School District,” said Scott Rogers, Tooele County School District superintendent. “This is great for Dugway kids, staff, and families.”
The Dugway community is very excited about the new school, according to Robin Nielsen, principal of Dugway High School.
“This grant is significant to both students and the community,” she said. “Dugway school will be a 21st century facility, which will enhance the learning atmosphere for students preparing to enter a global marketplace. It will be a hub of school and community events and will support the mission of Dugway Proving Ground.”
The DOD grant is a result of a project that was started by the military three years ago with a survey of the condition of school buildings on military installations across the country. The project also prioritized future funding by DOD for school replacement.
Dugway High School, built in 1959, ranked No. 17 on the list. Dugway Elementary School, built in 1955, was ranked 44.
In January 2012 the district was informed by DOD that it had funding available for the DHS project and it would accept a grant application.
The district hired MHTN Architects in Salt Lake City to complete preliminary conceptual work for a new Dugway High School for the grant application.
The conceptual plan calls for replacing the 51,900-square-foot building with a 66,000-square-foot building at an estimated cost of $14 million.
The building concept included a cafetorium with a stage and kitchen, a commons area for students, offices for counselors, and rooms for special education.
The DOD picked up the tab to add a separate auditorium to the new building instead of a cafetorium to make the facility similar to other high schools and fill a community need. The addition of the auditorium raised the projected cost of the new school from $14 million to $15.8 million.
The new building will have a capacity of 300 students, the same as the current building, a requirement of the grant.
The district set aside $1.3 million for the DHS project in its 2012-2013 capital outlay budget.
District funds to help pay for the new construction will come from a combination of income restricted to capital expenses, in-kind contributions, the delay of other capital projects, new income from economic development projects, and expenses for the old Dugway building that were part of the current budget.
“The next step is the statement of interest and qualifications for architectural services and selection of the architect at the December board meeting,” Rogers said. “Stay tuned for more information on community meetings for input on design and for information on groundbreaking this spring.”