Aging Columbia Falls high school needs a new roof over classrooms

The Columbia Falls School District 6 Board recently voted to bring an emergency bond measure to fix the failing roof at the high school.

The estimated cost of the repair is about $2.5 million to replace the roof over the classroom wing of the 64-year-old school. A firmer number is expected in February.

The roof has been leaking through the rubber membrane and has rusted the steel corrugated panels underneath the membrane. The steel, noted engineer Shane Jackola, is original with the building. It has rusted through in some places.

He explained the roof is built like a sandwich. It has a membrane on top, then a thin layer of lightweight concrete on top of the steel, with trusses and insulation below.

The damage was found when contractor Swank Construction began work on the school’s ventilation system earlier this year. The school paid Swank about $432,000 from its building reserve funds for temporary fixes to the roof in order to get through winter.

Th ventilation work — about $5 million — is paid for through federal  Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding, which was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act passed by Congress during the pandemic.

But the roof needs to be fixed first in order to finish the ventilation work. The roof work only entails replacing it over the classroom wing, not the entire school, Jackola noted.

Why exactly the roof leaked isn’t clear. 

The board also considered, but rejected, an additional $2.5 million to further bolster the heating and ventilation systems at the school, but it opted to get the roof fixed first and then take a broader look at facility needs for the school later, superintendent Cory Dziowgo noted.

He noted that in addition to the emergency levy for the roof, the district is also considering a floating a roughly $700,000 operations bond to continue the district’s operations at its current level.

Both bonds, pending final approval from the school board, would appear on the ballot in May.

In addition to the levies, two seats on the board are up this year. Board Chair Jill Rocksund and boardmember Wayne Jacobsmeyer both have expiring terms. 

The deadline for candidates to file in the race is March 28. The school election is May 7.