Plans seen for new or remodeled facility

Whitefish could have the chance as early as next month to check out plans for a revamped high school.

The Whitefish High School futures committee and a team of architects and consultants have been hard at work for the last couple of months to come up with plans for a new or remodeled school.

They’ve estimated how large the school needs to be and discussed how to create a learning environment that will prepare students for life and work in the 21st century.

On Tuesday, the committee saw four plans that incorporated the previous weeks’ work into sketches that could depict Whitefish High’s future.

Committee members discussed those sketches’ merits, as well as what was lacking. Architects will use their feedback to create three plans that likely will be presented to the Whitefish community in August.

“We’d like to catch it before the farmers market is over,” explained Chris Kelsey of Steeplechase Development Advisors, the consulting firm guiding the Whitefish School District through the planning process.

In addition to an information booth at the Whitefish Farmers Market, the district hopes to give presentations about the plans to local civics groups and post information online.

But first, architects from Jackola Engineering & Architecture of Kalispell and DLR Group of Seattle will incorporate comments from Tuesday’s futures committee meeting to create three building plans.

The committee reviewed four plans on Tuesday. Each alternative incorporated numbers determined at previous committee meetings: Create a school for 500 to 600 students, based on current enrollment projections, and end up with a building of about 116,000 square feet with 38 “teaching spaces” of various sizes.

The plans ranged from an estimated $16.9 million to $19.5 million and involved various demolition plans.

The first alternative, with a $16.9 million to $17.9 million price tag, involved tearing down one wing and remodeling most of the rest of the existing building. The most expensive options called for demolishing everything but the gym.

Some ideas were popular at Tuesday’s meeting. One plan suggested putting in a fireplace in the school’s main entrance, to create an inviting “living room” feel. That proposal was “very well liked,” Kelsey said.

Creating informal spaces, including irregularly shaped hallways with nooks for tables, computers or student study areas, also were popular. Community members also supported the idea of creating a more obvious entry for the school, likely on the north side of the building, Kelsey said.

“They want to make sure it has a real front entry statement that’s about the kids, not about visitors and teachers,” he said.

Other suggestions were not so well received, Kelsey said. One plan called for building an outdoor performance center in an attempt to engage the outdoors. The area would include a stage and would be connected to music and theater departments, according to the plan.

“People thought it was a great idea but inappropriate for the climate,” Kelsey said.

Another concern the committee discussed Tuesday night was the number of phases necessary to build the plans presented. Committee members hoped to find a plan with minimal phasing — both to minimize student disruption and to keep costs as low as possible.

“If you can bring guys who do foundations one time, it’s much cheaper than bringing them in three times,” Kelsey said.

Community members will be encouraged to comment on the plans once they go before the public. Comments will help the district narrow its focus to one plan.

Eventually community members likely also will be asked to help pay for the plan, although Kelsey said at a previous year it will be at least a year before the district seeks bond approval.

There is still a chance the district might not need a bond election, Kelsey said in May. Steeplechase will explore alternative funding options to see if there’s a way to build without turning to taxpayers for help.

That exploration is necessitated by more than the current economy. Whitefish’s last high school bond election, a $21.5 million request, was rejected in 2008.

Additional information about the plans will be posted as soon as it is available on the project website, www.whitefishhighschoolfuture.com.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com