Leaking roofs plague new middle school

By OLIVIA KOERNIG / Whitefish Pilot

Since the Whitefish Middle School renovation project's completion last spring, some outstanding construction issues continue to plague the facility.

Former principal Kim Anderson said the punchlist was incomplete when he left, and many months later, it still is.

A punchlist is a list of incomplete or unsatisfactory work items on a construction project.

Swank Enterprises was the general contractor on the project. Architects West provided architecture services.

"They were in the process of completing it when I left," Anderson said. "The project was incredibly complex, and during the demolition process, unseen challenges arose."

According to superintendent Jerry House, all but two issues have been resolved, and he's holding on to the general contractor's final payment until those are resolved as well.

"We had a warranty crew here last week," House said. "Swank stands behind their warranty and acts in good faith, but in a project this size, things will go wrong."

Swank Enterprises is currently trying to determine the source of about 20 leaks in the school's roofs. House said patches had been put up on the roofs and ceiling tiles have been replaced, but new leaks and new water damage continue to appear.

"Is it the roofers' fault? Maybe," House said. "But other subcontractors were up there, too. I'm not going to say it was this or that person's fault."

Other issues, which have been resolved, include improperly hung windows, benches pulling away from the walls and leaky faucets. Visible damage from two floods which occurred during the construction phase have also been addressed.

The floods occurred when weekend rain leaked through the unfinished roof, which was left uncovered, and when a plumber neglected to connect a drain pipe to an interior roof drain.

Landscaping on the project is slated for completion after the spring thaw. The Whitefish City Council has discussed the issue after it was brought to their attention by one of the school's neighbors on Kalispell Avenue.

The final outstanding issue involves pressurization in the plumbing and heating fixtures. In all, however, both House and Anderson are impressed with quality of the entire project.

"I think the architects did a masterful job of marrying the two buildings together," Anderson said. "And Swank did a great job in construction."