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Richard Piatt reportingThis morning's earthquake attracted attention on Utah's Capitol Hill. Today, a House committee resurrected and passed a measure to study public schools for earthquake safety.
It was just a day ago that it looked like House Bill 162 would fail. But today, with the reality of an earthquake so close to Utah, it is getting more attention.
There are hundreds of Utah schools, where thousands of kids study, that were built before 1975.
They are not considered earthquake-safe. Earthquake safety drills and modern school construction standards don't address the older schools. That's why the morning of an earthquake in Nevada, Rep. Larry Wiley, R-Salt Lake City, resurrected a bill to find out which schools are safe and which aren't. "I think we're fortunate that it didn't happen on the Wasatch Front. We could easily have an earthquake of a magnitude 7.0 or higher. If that happens, you're going to have a lot of property damage. You're going to have a lot of loss of life," said Wiley.
At the Legislature, a big issue is the cost of assessing and then retrofitting schools.
Wiley's bill asks for $500,000 this year to start assessing schools. But the actual cost of earthquake retrofits for those schools could total millions of dollars or more.
But after the Wells, Nev., earthquake, a House committee looked more favorably on the bill. "It does bring to everyone's attention the need for not just new buildings but for retrofitting some of our older buildings in the state," said Kim Campbell of the Utah Education Association.
Earlier this week, one of dozens of school groups toured the Capitol, a building that has been retrofitted for earthquakes. A lot of parents are starting to think about whether it would be worth it to pay to do the same for schools, too. Myrl Burton said, "I would hope so cause our kids are important too. So that's what we need to do."
House Bill 162 now advances to the full House for debate.
But Wiley himself admits the cost may be enough to stop the bill, even after this morning's earthquake.
