New elementary school top priority

Designing a new elementary school south of Kalispell on Airport Road is Kalispell Public Schools’ first priority following the passage of elementary and high school district bonds.

The goal is to have the school open for the 2018 school year. The district has slated $15.1 million of the $25.2 million elementary district bond for the new school.

Great Falls-based architectural firm L’Heureux Page Werner and Kalispell-based engineering firm Morrison-Maierle will do the design work. Both firms led the district-wide facility planning process, which began in June 2015.

“On behalf of Morrison-Maierle and L’Heureux Page Werner, we are very excited to be part of this,” Tom Heinecke of Morrison-Maierle said during a board meeting Tuesday.

Both firms met with district staff Thursday to learn what teachers and principals want in the building from an educational perspective.

Kalispell Public Schools Superintendent Mark Flatau said the application process to get the 25-acre property on Airport Road annexed into the city is underway.

“We should have that wrapped up in early 2017,” Flatau said during the board meeting.

The next step is to select an owner’s representative to represent the district through construction. The owner’s representative will manage the elementary and high school construction projects totaling $54 million. Flatau hoped the request for qualifications would go out this week and an owner’s representative selected in November.

The next step will be to look at the rest of the elementary district’s five schools and for the high school facilities to begin crafting a construction timeline.

Hilary Matheson is a reporter for The Daily Inter Lake. She may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.