Board approves Opportunity Center renovation and parking, seeks donor support for full vision

The Ogden City School District board on a voice vote approved a renovation plan for the Opportunity Center that combines a grant-funded base scope with three alternates, including a new parking lot organizers called essential for partner access.

Superintendent Rasmussen and district operations staff told the board the project’s base construction cost and soft costs total approximately $2,734,543; adding a southwest parking lot would raise the construction cost to about $3,159,252 and put the full base+soft total at roughly $3,506,370, leaving an additional funding need of $356,370 beyond a $3.15 million grant from Intermountain Health. "We have partners who are interested," said Sarah Wondra, who oversees community partnerships, "but we cannot provide courses there without that parking lot upgrade."

Staff explained alternates were prioritized: Alternate 2 would create a secure preschool/daycare entrance and restrooms to support child care operations; Alternate 3 covers lighting improvements. Ken Crawford, presenting construction details, said the base bid addresses mandatory life-safety needs — a fire-alarm replacement, HVAC control upgrades and an auditorium roof section — and that alternate choices reflect both immediate needs and the larger vision for the center. "Two is more important than three," a district official said during discussion, referring to the secure entrance as a higher priority than lighting.

Board members and staff discussed fundraising prospects and timing. Sarah told the board the district could operate expanded adult-education and drop-in childcare hours if classroom alternates are funded; she estimated two added child-care classrooms would serve roughly 20 children each, enabling services for "a couple of hundred families" across staggered schedules. Paul (district staff) said the new parking lot capacity would be "just shy of a hundred" spaces.

The board moved and approved the motion to accept the remodel with alternates one, two and three. The transcript records three affirmative voice responses when the board voted. Staff said construction would be phased to limit disruption, that many partners already use the building, and that the project could begin mobilization as early as July if funding and contracts are finalized.

District staff said they will continue fundraising discussions with Ogden City and local donors and seek to apply any value-engineering savings from a related maintenance project to reduce the district’s exposure. The board’s approval authorizes staff to proceed with the renovation work and pursue the outside funding needed to fully realize the center’s expanded child-care and community-service vision.