Highland has written a take-it-or-leave-it check to the Alpine School District in the latest dispute over construction at Mountain Ridge Junior High School.
In an Oct. 8 council meeting, the city agreed to foot the school district's bill for work on the school's parking lot. The district wanted to make the lot one-way, with traffic flowing south to north. Alpine School District Superintendent Steven Baugh said the city asked the district to extend the lot."Highland City asked us to extend the parking lot. They felt there was an additional need for parking for public activities," he said in an interview with the Deseret News.
But when the district presented Highland with a bill for $69,000, city officials flinched.
City Engineer Boyd Wilson haggled the price with the district and said the city would pay $41,000. That included money for the parking lot, curb and gutter, and water lines.
But the City Council disagreed with that price, noting the district had charged $18,000 for removing fill dirt.
Councilman Glen Thurgood questioned where the fill dirt had been used. If the dirt was used for other school projects, as Thurgood contended, then Highland shouldn't have to foot the bill, he said.
The City Council decided to write the district a check, minus the $18,000, and tell the district that was the city's offer - take it or leave it. The check totaled $23,358.
Jack McKelvy, business administrator for the school district, said the city has not notified him of their offer.
Any fill-dirt removal was "scraped out of there because of their (Highland's) request to lower the road," he said. McKelvy said he would have to check with the contractor to see where the dirt was hauled.
Any proposal from Highland will be reviewed by the district before it is accepted, McKelvy said.