LINDON, Utah — Community members in a growing Lindon neighborhood are butting heads with their new school district. As the Timpanogos School District forms out of what is currently Alpine, it needs to build out its own infrastructure.
That could mean a bus depot will back up into some people’s backyards.
“This used to be the farmland for Mr. Anderson - Ron Anderson - and so it’s now called Anderson Farms,” said Kayla Ditty, who’s lived in the area nearly five years now.
Much of that farm is now divided into homes like Ditty’s.
“Part of this area is still in development, so there are still houses being sold,” she added.
But they still tend to the land with an agricultural spirit.
“We’ve got strawberries, we got some squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes,” Ditty said.
They truly value the open space that does remain – but they know it’s set to disappear.
Alpine Schools originally bought the property beyond their fence line as a potential site for a future elementary school.
“We all kind of celebrated that,” said Ditty.
Fast forward a few years - and they’re now criticizing what may be done with it.
“We became aware that the Timpanogos School District was looking for a location for their bus depot and that this was on their list of considerations,” Ditty said.
District officials say this could be the central location for 70 to 80 school buses, which leaves neighbors to worry about the negative effects that could be brought on by all this hustle and bustle.
“The noise, the traffic,” Ditty said. “The number one thing for me is definitely the health risks.”
Ditty said she’s concerned with all the diesel exhaust and the impacts that may on her three children. So she started a petition that had gathered more than 500 signatures by Wednesday night, with several of their neighbors on the list.
“There’s got to be somewhere better for child safety, pollution, air quality,” said Brad Wilson, who also lives in the Anderson Farms community.
Tyler Vigue with the Timpanogos School District says the other fledgling districts, Aspen Peaks and Lake Mountain, inherited these facilities.
“Alpine School District currently has two of these - but neither of them are in our geographic footprint,” said Vigue, who serves as Timpanogos SD’s director of communications.
So Timpanogos needs to build one of its own. He emphasized that it is just one of several potential locations they’re looking at.
The district recently posted information about the process on its Facebook page.
“The district already owns this property,” So it’s an easy one for us to consider - to make it safe, to make it fit.”
But he says they are months away from any decisions and want to hear from their communities as the process moves forward.
“We’re not some separate entity,” said Vigue. “We are part of the community. We want the community involved and engaged.”
As far as these neighbors go, they don’t want to see more pavement cropping up in their community.
“Put yourself in our shoes,” Wilson said. “Consider that this was your home, that this was your fence. It’s not ideal.”
