Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP0 -- A survey of buildings in nearly half of Utah's school districts finds that hundreds of public schools would be unsafe in a major earthquake.
And bringing all state schools up to seismic safety codes could cost billions of dollars, the state report suggests.
School building safety is largely a local school district matter. But the State Board of Education worries about the potential for injury and loss of life in the event of "the big one" in geological fault-heavy Utah. So the board is talking about a way to get more involved in building safety.
"The worst thing we could do is somehow try and put off (action) in this area and then have an earthquake," board member Randall Mackey said at a meeting Friday. "I'd like to see this be one of our top priorities."
The probability of a large earthquake along the Wasatch Front is 16 percent in the next 50 years, the U.S. Geological Survey has reported. Assuming quakes occur regularly, the probability of a major earthquake in Salt Lake City may be as high as 57 percent in 100 years.
Many buildings are unprepared because seismic considerations didn't become part of building codes until after the 1971 San Fernando earthquake in California.
The state Division of Emergency Services has estimated about half Utah's 800-plus schools had sections built before 1975.
Efforts to address the problem vary by district.
In the 1990s, Salt Lake City's district sought $200 million in bonds to replace or retrofit every school. That project is nearly complete, according to the state report.
In St. George, about 28 of 36 buildings in the growing Washington School District meet state codes, as do nearly two-thirds of schools in American Fork's Alpine district.
But in Brigham City's Box Elder district, 24 of 29 schools are not up to code. And Blanding's San Juan district would need $100 million to ensure that 11 of it's 12 buildings meet safety standards.
Taking the lead from Salt Lake City, this summer the Provo School District will seek a $35 million bond from taxpayers to build and improve schools, while the Davis School District will ask voters for a $230 million bond for upgrades to 37 schools in cities from Bountiful to Sunset.
The State Office of Education recently purchased asset management software for schools to help address the issue.
------
Information from: The Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
