Voters approve WHS bond; design process to begin soon

After previous attempts to pass a bond, a return to the drawing board and two years of planning, Whitefish voters have emphatically approved a $14 million bond request to construct a new high school.

Some 4,860 ballots were cast with 65.12 percent in support of the bond and 34.88 percent voting against. There was 55.10 percent voter turnout in the mail-in election which ended March 15.

“We’re very excited,” said district consultant Bayard Dominick. “It’s great to see the community get behind and support the school.”

The $14 million bond issue, combined with $5 million in other funding, will allow the school district to finance a $19 million renovation of the high school.

Architectural design and engineering is expected to begin soon. The school board will hire an architect to refine the design of the building with input from the faculty.

The project should go to bid by the end of summer and break ground in the fall.

The passage of the bond results in a tax increase. The owner of a home valued at $200,000 is expected to pay about $55 per year in additional taxes.

The current building has three wings, each built from the 1950s to late 1970s. According to the district, the school has become deteriorated and needs major upgrades.

The proposed plan includes 60 percent new construction and 40 percent remodeling of the building. The completed building will total 120,500 square feet.

In addition to the obvious upgrades and fixes to the building, the school would also be redesigned to integrate modern learning techniques. The design includes a library as the school’s technology hub, classrooms of varying sizes, dining facilities and a multipurpose assembly hall.

A tentative timeline puts renovation of the B wing beginning summer of 2013 followed by the completion of new construction in fall 2013.

Students could move into the new building in January 2014. At that time the A wing would be torn down. Spring 2014 the complete renovation of the B wing and removal of C wing would take place. Final landscaping would take place summer of 2014.