School District 6 looks to upgrade heating and cooling at high school
An aerial view of the high school taken earlier this year. The gym, at right, has several skylights.
Hungry Horse News
School District 6 is looking to make the Columbia Falls High School a more comfortable place.
Completed in 1960, the school needs upgrades to its windows, as well as its heating and cooling systems.
It has about $5 million in federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding, which became available during the pandemic.
The funding has to be used by 2024.
The funding isn’t quite enough, however, to completely finish the scope of the project, so the district may have to dip into reserves or possibly ask voters for a bond measure.
While the district has completely rebuilt its elementary and junior high schools over the past 20-plus years, the high school has seen little in upgrades, save for a steam heating system that was installed about 10 years ago.
For example, the windows in the high school are single pane and not energy efficient. In order to cool down the school classrooms, the windows have to be opened.
At a meeting earlier this month, the district entered into a $454,000 contract with Jackola Engineering and Architecture of Kalispell to further examine and design a heating and cooling system for the school.
Jackola’s analysis and preliminary design should be completed this fall.