District reports progress on West High rebuild, Glendale fields and Wasatch tunnel; community questions remain on lights and fundraising

Salt Lake City School District staff told the school board Sept. 16 that construction is underway for temporary athletic fields tied to the West High rebuild and that the Wasatch tunnel project is roughly 90% complete, while board members pushed for clearer timelines, fundraising totals and community notification about field lighting.

District staff member Isaac said the district and partners have started work on temporary fields for West High and have advanced the Glendale track-and-field and partnership work for baseball and softball fields. "We actually worked with SLAF to reach out to the community. We had a community meeting a couple of weeks ago to show them the plans and get their input," Isaac said.

Board members said they appreciated the details but sought more specifics about lighting, costs and how the district will notify neighbors. Board member Charlotte Fife Jefferson asked whether the field lights proposed for Glendale would be dimmable; Isaac replied: "It it's not as simple as that, but they're they are directional LEDs, and there is a way to,…