City Council · 2019-01-16

 
Joint Orem City Council/Alpine School District Minutes – January 16, 2019 (p.1) 
 
 
A complete audio of the meeting can be requested by contacting jbates@orem.org 
 
OREM CITY COUNCIL/ALPINE SCHOOL DISTRICT 
SPECIAL JOINT MEETING 
56 North State, Orem, Utah 
January 16, 2019 
 
This meeting was for discussion purposes only. No official action was taken. 
 
CONDUCTING 
Councilman Tom Macdonald 
 
OREM ELECTED OFFICIALS 
Councilmembers Debby Lauret, Sam Lentz, Mark 
Seastrand, and Brent Sumner  
 
OREM STAFF 
Steven Downs, Deputy City Manager; Chief Gary 
Giles, Police Chief; Chris Tschirki, Public Works 
Director; and Jackie Lambert, Deputy City 
Recorder 
 
ALPINE BOARD OF EDUCATION 
Sarah Beeson, Amber Bonner, Scott Carlson, Mark 
Clement, Sara Hacken, Julie King, and Ada Wilson 
 
ALPINE SCHOOL DISTRICT ADMIN. 
Rob Smith, Assistant Superintendent 
 
EXCUSED 
Mayor Brunst and Councilman David Spencer, City 
Manager Jamie Davidson and Assistant City 
Manager Brenn Bybee; Superintendent Sam Jarman 
and Admin. of Operations Jess Christen  
 
 
Mr. Macdonald said he was asked by Mayor Brunst and Mayor Pro Tem David Spencer to 
conduct the meeting. He called the meeting to order at 12:00 p.m. and asked Mrs. Hacken to 
provide a blessing on the food. 
 
INTRODUCTIONS  
 
Mr. Macdonald invited those in attendance to introduce themselves, including four new members 
of the Alpine School District (ASD) Board. Mr. Smith said he was representing Alpine School 
District Administration, as Superintendent Jarman, Assistant Superintendent Patten, and Admin. 
of Operations Jess Christen were out of the country. 
 
The ASD Board members gave brief introductory information as well as which district or high 
school cluster they represented: 
 Amber Bonner – District 2 Lone Peak High School Cluster 
 Mark Clement – Board Vice President, District 4 Pleasant Grove High School Cluster 
 Julie King – District 1 Westlake High School Cluster 
 Sarah Beeson – District 3 American Fork High School Cluster 



 
Joint Orem City Council/Alpine School District Minutes – January 16, 2019 (p.2) 
 Scott Carlson – Board President, District 6 Lehi/Skyridge High School Clusters 
 Ada Wilson – District 5 Mountain View High School Cluster 
 Sara Hacken – District 7 Orem/Timpanogos High School Clusters 
 
Many ASD Board members related close ties to the City, including former residents, employees, 
and community volunteers in Orem. Orem councilmembers and staff gave brief introductions, 
and similarly related close ties to the Alpine School District including family members that had 
been teachers, principals and administrators, and school employees. 
 
UPDATE – Alpine School District Capital Projects 
 
Mr. Smith provided an update of ASD construction and other capital projects. He added that 
many schools would see safety and security updates. In Orem, the new consolidated school that 
would house students formerly at Scera Park and Hillcrest was in the process of construction. A 
principal had been named, and the process of naming the school and selecting colors, mascot, 
etc. would begin soon. The principal of the new school would be Shelly Schroeder, formerly 
principal of Snow Springs Elementary. 
 
Mrs. Lauret commented that the subject of new schools and school consolidation was often a 
tricky conversation with the public. She asked about the boundary discussion in Lehi that had 
caused some public commotion. Mr. Smith said parents had strong feelings about the schools, 
and they had received quite a lot of public feedback during their meetings. He felt there were 
options that many would like, though some may still not support them.  
 
Mr. Macdonald asked if there was still the same level of frustration that existed when they first 
announced the consolidation of Scera Park and Hillcrest, because it seemed to him that some of 
the frustration had subsided. Sissy Rasmussen, an Orem resident, commented that she had been 
in favor of the consolidation from the beginning. The atmosphere at the schools which had been 
antagonistic was now only slightly awkward. She said teachers and parents were stepping up and 
repairing relationships, and hoped to improve to a positive outlook by the time the school 
opened. Mr. Clement said having parents who loved their children’s school that much was a 
good problem to have.  
 
Mr. Seastrand asked how the increasing cost of construction had affected projects ASD had 
planned for in their most recent bond. Mr. Smith said between recent tariffs on building materials 
and the demand for construction in Utah, what with the construction of a new prison, a new 
airport, and Silicon Slopes, construction costs had gone up significantly – approximately 15% to 
30% higher. However, Mr. Smith assured that ASD had a great track record of keeping their 
promises on projects. They may have to extend the timeline on some projects, but they would 
find a way to complete them. 
 
Mr. Downs asked about the need for seismic updates in Orem schools. Mr. Smith said Geneva 
Elementary would need to be rebuilt, and there would be partial rebuilds of Sharon Elementary 
and Windsor Elementary in coming years. 
 
DISCUSSION – Public Safety 
 



 
Joint Orem City Council/Alpine School District Minutes – January 16, 2019 (p.3) 
 
 
A complete audio of the meeting can be requested by contacting jbates@orem.org 
 
At Mr. Macdonald’s request, Chief Giles shared information on the recent fatal shooting of 
Provo Officer Joseph Shinners in Orem on January 5, 2019. Chief Giles said Officer Shinners 
was part of a group of officers attempting to arrest a wanted fugitive who had made threats to the 
police. In an attempt to confront the fugitive, shots were fired from both the suspect and officers. 
Tragically, though Officer Shinners was wearing his bulletproof vest, he was fatally wounded 
and died before reaching the hospital. The suspect was also wounded and was currently in 
custody. Chief Giles said many Orem officers were involved in the incident, and had served with 
Officer Shinners on the SWAT team and officer training; it felt like the loss of one of Orem’s 
own. Master Officer Shinners was posthumously given the Medal of Valor for the first time in 
the City’s history. 
 
Mrs. Wilson said she appreciated seeing the outpouring of love and service for Officer Shinners 
and his family. She commented that she had watched the funeral service and was impressed with 
the brotherhood of police. Chief Giles said it was a brotherhood, but it was even more than that. 
It was a war that was constantly raging on, and this represented a battle lost. Society changed any 
time a police officer was killed; chaos escaped into our world and a bit of our peace was taken 
from us. Without those brave men and women who put their lives on the line to protect us, that 
chaos would reign. Mr. Macdonald thanked Chief Giles for sharing his thoughts. 
 
UPDATE – Orem Neighborhood Parks 
 
Mr. Macdonald said Orem recently had an open house regarding the rebuild of some recreational 
facilities near Bonneville Elementary. Mr. Downs said the park had had some issues, ranging 
from noise to loitering to graffiti to other crime. In the summer of 2018, they had built six 
pickleball courts with lighting that had cut the rate of crime; Chief Giles said it was cut by as 
much as 50%. Mr. Downs said they had received public input before building the pickleball 
courts and it had not all been favorable, but the reception has been excellent and neighbors are 
pleased with the improvement in the park.  
 
Mr. Downs said they were looking to make improvements to another neighborhood park located 
between Geneva and Suncrest Elementary schools. They were going to partner with the Real Salt 
Lake (RSL) Foundation to build outdoor futsal courts where existing dilapidated tennis courts 
stood. He said there were temporary futsal courts the neighbors had built, but these would be lit 
and permanent courts to help get better utilization of the park for the whole family. He added that 
they would be partnering with Intermountain Healthcare as well, who may include outdoor 
circuit equipment that could be used year-round. Mr. Downs assured that they would time the 
park improvements so as not to disrupt either of the surrounding schools or Mountainland Head 
Start. They would also be improving the parking. They had submitted grant applications two 
days before the federal government shutdown, so that project was on hold. 
 
Mrs. Hacken said they were talking about consolidating Geneva and Suncrest Elementary 
schools, perhaps including that in the next bond. 
 
DISCUSSION – Topics for Next Meeting 
 



 
Joint Orem City Council/Alpine School District Minutes – January 16, 2019 (p.4) 
Mr. Seastrand gave a history of how these joint meetings had come about. It began with 
discussions on Orem splitting away from the Alpine School District in 2006, which they had not 
done. It was recognized that opportunities to collaborate existed, especially with Orem parks 
neighboring ASD schools. Meeting every few months helped with communication and planning 
for areas of overlap and had had tremendous positive outcomes. He said it was a mutually 
beneficial relationship. 
 
Mr. Clement agreed, and said an area he hoped to continue working on with the City was the 
mental health of students, particularly in regards to depression, anxiety, and suicide. Mr. 
Macdonald suggested that they discuss that topic at the next joint meeting. Mrs. Wilson said she 
appreciated Mayor Brunst’s support for the Hope of Orem initiative.  
 
Mr. Tschirki requested that they discuss the need for Orem to build a 10 million gallon water 
tank at Community Park, where construction timelines and the possibility of land swapping 
could be reviewed. Mr. Macdonald also suggested discussing an update on the recently passed 
bond in Orem to upgrade the Orem Fitness Center and Library Hall. 
 
Set Date and Time for Next 
 
There was discussion about when and where to have the next joint meeting. It was suggested that 
the next joint meeting be at the location of the new school being built in the Scera Park/Hillcrest 
area. There was also discussion about the need to possibly shift the tentative meeting date sooner 
if the Legislative Session introduced joint issues. 
 
The next meeting was tentatively scheduled for April 10, 2019, at noon. 
 
Adjournment 
 
Mr. Lentz moved to adjourn the meeting. Mrs. Lauret seconded the motion. The motion passed. 
The meeting adjourned at 12:58 p.m. 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
JoD’Ann Bates, City Recorder 
 
Approved: February 12, 2019