School bond decision heads to voters

The future of Whitefish High School is on the line as voters decide over the next couple of weeks whether or not to support a $14 million bond request to rebuild and renovate the high school.

The total cost is pegged at $19 million, but the school district and project supporters have come up with about $5 million in alternative funding.

The project would add 72,300 square feet to the existing school. Forty percent of the existing building would be remodeled and 60 percent would be new construction.

If the bond passes, construction will be built around the current gymnasium and structurally sound B Wing. The A and C wings would be demolished.

Bayard Dominick and Christopher Kelsey of Steeplechase Development Advisors worked on the project for more than two and a half years, surveying the community and making revisions to remodeling options. Dominick said most of the money will be spent bringing the building up to code.

“Once you start to remodel, whatever you touch you have to bring up to code. If you touch the electrical system you have to bring the whole thing up to code,” he said.

According to a website posted by supporters of the project, the owner of a home valued at $200,000 would pay about $57.50 a year in added taxes.

The website, at http://voteyeswhitefishhighschoolbond.com, gives specific examples of estimated costs by neighborhood. For example, the owner of a home on Creek View Drive in Creekwood Estates valued at $435,000 could expect to pay about $135 a year.

Bridget Ekstrom, senior vice president of D.A. Davidson, said with the school district’s A+ credit rating and low interest rates, Whitefish School District residents can expect the interest rate of the 20-year general obligation bond to be locked in closer to, or below, 2.76 percent if the markets stay stable between now and when bonds are issued.

She expects the interest rate will be locked in around May. Ekstrom noted that the Marion School District, which recently approved a $500,000 20-year general obligation bond, locked in a 2.76 percent interest rate on Feb. 6.

From an administrative standpoint the high school, much of which was constructed in 1955, is simply too old to be cost-effectively refurbished.

The building has three wings, each built in a different era from the 1950s to the late 1970s. From leaks in the roof to electrical breaker boxes that serve as light switches, each wing has its own set of deficiencies. Supporters of the reconstruction proposal say merely renovating the existing school would cost more than it’s worth to fix a growing list of problems piece by piece.

Whitefish Superintendent Kate Orozco said the design of the physical spaces can enhance or hinder modern learning.

She said teaching methods have evolved from teaching to rows of students seated in desks into cooperative group learning. Proposed plans would provide flexible common areas where classes can break out into groups for team teaching and project-based learning.

“As we look to the future, we look to provide learning spaces to teach 21st century skills,” Orozco said.

When the Whitefish School Board voted on the bond proposal, trustee Charlie Abell was the lone opponent of the $14 million bond request recommendation. Abell said he hoped to represent “folks of modest means” by questioning the need for a large-scale renovation at the expense of taxpayers in a tough economy.

Abell agrees that repairs are needed but stands by the mantra: “Fix what needs fixing.” He supports a more modest $7 million plan to fix deficiencies without any new construction.

“Do you have to build a new school to fix the leak in the roof?” he asked.

Abell, who has been one of a few vocal opponents, is not one to judge a book by its cover.

“The building is not the most attractive, but it is certainly very functional,” he said. “It does the job just like our teachers have done their job. We do a good job teaching kids.”

Bond advocates include Joan Vetter Ehrenberg and Bob DePratu, who are jointly leading the “Vote Yes! Whitefish High School Bond” campaign. They believe the school is beyond repair and not conducive to 21st century learning needs. Vetter Ehrenberg said a renovated high school could serve as a community hub that residents also could take advantage of.

Supporters have put up signs, created a website and registered voters. Whitefish students also have spread the “Vote Yes!” message by going door to door and making phone calls.

Vetter Ehrenberg is mother to a Whitefish eighth-grader. She said the current condition of the high school will cause students to transfer to other area high schools.

“Every time we lose kids, we lose teachers, we lose jobs,” she said. “We don’t want to be just a resort and retirement community, we want to have families and have a diverse community,” she said.

For more information about the Whitefish High School project, go online to http://voteyeswhitefishhighschoolbond.com or www.whitefishhighschoolfuture.com.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.