Park City Day School to expand

The Park City Day School, the result of a merger of the former Park City Academy and The Colby School, received approval Tuesday night to build a 10,000 square foot addition.

The Snyderville Basin Planning Commission approved the project after hearing only positive public comments about the school and its mission to expand. Located southwest of the Interstate 80/Jeremy Ranch intersection, the school site formerly housed the Carden Academy which later became the Park City Academy.

Prior to the 2010 school year, Park City Academy and the Colby School combined to create the Park City Day School. According to Head of School Charles Sachs, the original plan was to place the lower grades in the former Colby School building on S.R. 224 and the upper grades in the old Park City Academy building. However, because the Colby property was deemed not financially sustainable and put up for sale, all grades were placed in the Park City Academy building.

“Our building is 20,000 square feet, which can only hold about 180 kids,” said Sachs. “Our first year as the Park City Day School, we had 170 students. This upcoming year we are expecting 185 students.”

With the increased space, Sachs wants enrollment to grow to 250 students and plans to group students by grade in the building.

“We were packed to the gills and it was energizing, but we wanted to be able to give the students elbow room,” said Sachs. “We had middle schoolers next door to toddlers. With the expansion, we are hoping to put the younger kids in one section and the older kids in another.”

Despite the opening of the Weilenmann School of Discovery, a charter school located less than two miles away, Park City Day School is continuing with its expansion plans.

“We had about 20 students leave last year to attend Weilenmann, however, about 90 percent of them were back by December,” added Sachs.

The school has begun a capital campaign to cover the estimated $2.5 million expansion. Sachs said student tuition will not be raised to cover the cost, instead, school administrators are hoping for grants and donations.