Site plan proposed for new elementary

Kalispell Public Schools has narrowed down proposed layouts for a new south elementary school on Airport Road to one generalized floor plan and site concept.

At a planning meeting Monday, architects with L'Heureux Page Werner presented the concept which shows the vicinity of where classrooms, offices, commons, library, kitchen and gym will be located. Specifics will be refined over the coming months.

“We're still at a very conceptual phase,” said Dani Grebe, project architect with L'Heureux Page Werner. “We're not thinking doors, we're not thinking windows, we're not thinking hallways, but we're thinking this group of departments this group of departments, adjacencies of things, access — so we're still keeping it a pretty big picture,”

In the proposed layout, grade levels would be separated in two wings and grouped together using a pod concept. Pods would feature centralized, multipurpose areas that encourage shared, collaborative learning, which is the idea of a 21st-century learning environment. Pods may have around eight classrooms in addition to multipurpose, planning and conference rooms.

Kindergarten through first grade would be located in a single story pod with direct access to a playground. Grades second and third would be located in another pod with grades fourth and fifth on a second-story pod. Grades second through fifth would share a second playground.

Also in the proposed layout, a commons would be a central hub of the building in which all students would pass through at some point during the day to access areas such as the media room and library, kitchen, gym and stage.

Bus loading and unloading would be located north of the school, while parent drop-off and pick-up along with visitor parking would be on the south side of the school. Students coming off the bus would be able to go directly to the playgrounds or in a school entrance that would not be accessible to the public. A sidewalk would run north and south of the entire site and connect to sidewalks around areas such as the bus zone to encourage students to walk or bicycle to school.

After school hours, the proposed concept plans for community use of the gym. Community members would be able to directly access the gym only, without gaining access to the rest of the school for security reasons.

Planner and architect Steve L'Heureux said that although ideas have been narrowed down to one concept, the plans are still “very loose.”

“There's a lot of room for changes, a lot of opportunity for discussion,” L'Heureux said in encouraging input from meeting participants.

The next facility planning meeting, which is open to the public, is set for 4 to 6 p.m. on Dec. 13 at Glacier High School. Topics that will be discussed include custodial, security and information technology needs as the layout continues to be refined.

Approximately $15.2 million of a $25.3 million elementary district bond approved by taxpayers in October is slated to build the new school. The remainder of the bond will be used to renovate the district's five existing elementary schools. The bond request capped a more than year-long process of longterm facility planning for the entire district.

Reporter Hilary Matheson can be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.