“This is really about maximizing investment,” said Matt Jensen, the West Haven city manager. Call it public-public cooperation.

West Haven will have access to the gym facilities when school is out — on the weekends and after 5:30 p.m. each weekday — allowing it to meet the growing demand for recreational programming as the city’s population surges. The city will also cover the $3.19 million cost of expanding the gym beyond the original scope of the school design, much less than the estimated $10-12 million it could have cost West Haven to build its own standalone facility.

The school district, meanwhile, gets a larger gym area during school hours than anticipated in the original junior high school design. A second gym will be built atop the original, per the expanded plans, according to Jensen.

It’s a “true win-win” scenario, said Robert Peterson, director of business administration for the district.

Image supplied, Weber School District

The West Haven City Council approved the arrangement with the school district on Aug. 17 and the Weber school board OKed the plan last Wednesday.

Jon Ritchie, president of the Weber school board, said the deal helps solidify relations between the district and West Haven. “We want to (be) part of the community and this just helps (us) be part of that community,” he said.

Also last Wednesday, the school board settled on a new name for the new school — Mountain View Junior High School. Per the action, the school’s nickname will be the Mavericks and its colors will be teal and charcoal gray. A special committee of school and community officials helped come up with the name.

The new junior high school at 2700 W. 2100 South, to be finished in time for the 2024-2025 school year, is one of three new schools to be built thanks to voter approval of a $279 million bond issue in 2021. A new high school and new elementary school are also being built with the money while Roosevelt Elementary will be rebuilt.

The original estimated price tag for the new junior high school was $51 million, but that subsequently went up to $59 million and the expanded gym facilities boosted the price to around $62 million, according to Lane Findlay, school district spokesperson. Jensen said the city will get the $3.19 million to cover its share of gym costs from park impact fees assessed on new development.

Image supplied, Weber School District

The arrangement parallels a deal between the district and the city of South Ogden that allows it to use the gym facilities at South Ogden Junior High School.

Similarly, Harrisville provides some recreational offerings out of the gym facilities at Orion Junior High School, but space is limited, according to Michelle Tait, the city’s mayor. Orion is also part of WSD.

The Orion gym “is not very big, for one, and they use it a lot,” Tait said.

Accordingly, Harrisville city officials are putting a question to voters on the Nov. 8 general election ballot, proposing $6 million in bonding for a new recreational building as demand for rec offerings grows.