Bond election enters final week
Whitefish residents have just a few days left to cast their votes in the high school bond election.
The Whitefish School District is asking voters to approve a $21.5 million bond request to update and remodel Whitefish High School. The existing building no longer meets the needs of teachers or the student body, officials say, which is creating safety and liability issues.
If voters approve the request, the bonds will pay for nearly 164,000 square feet of new construction, remodeling and improvements.
Ballots are due at the district office, 600 E. Second St., by 8 p.m. Thursday, March 27.
Polls will not be open that day; voters must use mail-in ballots. Ballots may be returned via mail or dropped off at the district office.
If voters haven't received their ballots, they should contact the district office right away, Clerk Danelle Reisch said.
The school district mailed 8,600 ballots March 6, she said.
About 1,500 have been marked undeliverable, which means the recipients are part-time residents or have moved. The U.S. Post Office will forward most mail, but by law, ballots cannot be forwarded.
As of Wednesday afternoon, 3,363 ballots have been returned, about a 39 percent turnout, according to Flathead County election officials.
In a typical bond election, Montana law requires a minimum 30 percent voter turnout. If turnout is less than that, the election automatically is rejected.
Elections by mail, however, have no minimum turnout requirements, which is why many school districts use them for bond requests.
If the ballot measure is approved, it will raise annual property taxes on a home with a taxable market value of $200,000 by about $240. Property owners can determine the exact impacts on their taxes by visiting http://gis.mt.gov and clicking on "parcel search."
Proposed changes to Whitefish High School include about 85,700 square feet of new construction. A new wing on the south and west ends of the building would include more than 20 new classrooms and an expanded library.
The school also would feature a new food court, cafeteria and commons area. Two new locker rooms, a weight room and a training room would be added next to the gym.
The building's existing C wing, which was completed in 1956, would be demolished.
The hall's heating system and restrooms are outdated, Superintendent Jerry House told the Inter Lake in December, and it has neither fire sprinklers nor light switches. Instead the wing uses obsolete breaker switches, which are expensive to replace.
The district hopes to use Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design strategies throughout the project, House said. LEED is a nationally recognized rating system for green building projects.
Classes would continue uninterrupted throughout the construction project, which would begin in spring 2009 and conclude in winter 2011.
More information about the bond issue is available at www.wfps.k12.mt.us/CARE/bond_information.htm or by calling the district office at 862-8640.
Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.