Having failed to stop the Granite School District from closing the historic Webster Elementary School, Salt Lake County officials are now offering to buy it.
"We're very interested, and the price seems reasonable," County Commission Chairman Brent Overson said, estimating the cost to the county at somewhere around $100,000. "Our goal is to see it remain in community service in one form or another."That could take the form of a new government center should Magna ever incorporate, a county government presence in Magna or simply a community center with open space, according to Commissioner Randy Horiuchi.
"I'm confident we can work out a deal with the district. The price is right and the district is as interested as we are in preserving it for the community," Horiuchi said.
Word of the possible sale to the county is expected to come as welcome news to Magna community leaders and area residents who feared the building and surrounding land would fall into the hands of a private developer.
Granite District spokesman Kent Gardner said although the building is on the open market, the district has an interest in selling it to someone with the community's interests at heart.
Opposition to the decision to close Webster has been growing, with residents, school patrons, county officials and others pleading with the district to reconsider its action. However, at their last meeting, members of the Granite Board of Education said no one had given them a good reason to change their minds.
The board voted unanimously April 18 to close Webster and transfer its students to nearby schools. The alternative would have been to spend as much as $1 million to remodel the 87-year-old, three-story sandstone structure.
Located at 9228 W. 2700 South, Webster is considered a community landmark in the old section of Magna. The land surrounding the building, including the playground and parking lot, is owned by Kennecott, which has been leasing it to the school district for $1 per year.
Company spokesman Louis J. Cononelos said if the school falls into private hands, the property would revert to Kennecott. However, he indicated the company would be willing to negotiate continued public use of the land if the county buys the school.
"If it serves a community purpose, we would be willing to sit down and work something out with the county," Cononelos said.
Horiuchi said if an agreement with the district isn't worked out, Webster likely will be sold to a private developer and possibly demolished. "That's why we've asked the district to hold off on selling it to anyone else until we can pursue this," Horiuchi said. "I think it's a good deal for everybody."
Meanwhile, the district has already begun vacating the building, Gardner said. Furniture and supplies have been moved or placed in storage and teachers and administrators have been reassigned to other schools.
Also, Gardner said most Webster students will be starting their new year-round schedules at Pleasant Green Elementary, 8201 W. 2700 South, on July 15. The move will require some Pleasant Green students to move over to Copper Hills Elementary, 7635 W. 3715 South.