Canyon View High School gets state-of-the-art weight room as part of $11M expansion project

CEDAR CITY — Students at Canyon View High School in Cedar City can now enjoy a state-of-the-art weight room as part of an expansion that included nine additional classrooms.

"Not only is this a functional facility, but it's also beautiful," said Iron County School District Superintendent Lance Hatch. "I believe that we have in this building the nicest weight room that I have ever seen in a high school. I can say the same for the wrestling room."

The total project, which also includes the nine classrooms, cost approximately $11 million, according to district representative Shauna Lund. The funds to cover the project were initially projected to come through a $75.5 million bond proposal in 2023 that failed by 24 votes. With the imminent need for an expansion at Canyon View High School, the district came through with a lease revenue bond that was approved in July of 2024.

A lease revenue bond is a type of municipal bond issued by a government or public agency to finance the construction or acquisition of public facilities. Hatch said that he is "pretty proud" of the board for allowing the use of this bond.

"Our school board voted to allow us to use the lease revenue bond, and because of our very conservative approach to finances here in the district, we had the funds to be able to make that payment without increasing taxes, which we're pretty proud of," he said.

Hatch explained that the idea for the project to expand the weights and wrestling facilities specifically first started five years ago when head wrestling coach Dallas Lowry expressed some concerns.

"We had a lot of issues with this space," Hatch said. "This was the original weight room, but it was only one-fourth of the size of what you see here — or less. Trying to get a full class of high school students in here to do something was awful. They were spilling out into the hallway outside just to find enough room to do what they needed to do."

Hatch went on to explain that the wrestling mats were often being moved into the dance room and cafeteria space, adding that it "just wasn't adequate for the programs."

A ribbon cutting for the facility was held Monday, and Hatch said that he's been "all over the state," adding that this is "absolutely the best weight room (he's) seen in a high school."

"We express (our) appreciation to our students who also advocated for this," Hatch said. "Their influence was great as they showed up to board meetings and advocated for the need for this facility. It made a difference, and it just goes to show you that our students, our families, our parents and our teachers can make a difference and see the results of their efforts."

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