School seeks to inform public about proposed high school renovation

Community members took a tour of Bigfork High School Thursday night to learn why the Bigfork School District is asking voters for $14 million for a major renovation.

The open house was part of the district’s effort to provide voters with information about a proposed bond sale and renovation. 

The district will be sending out informational materials to registered voters about the renovation in the next couple of weeks, and is encouraging voters to come take a tour of the high school. 

Bigfork Schools Superintendent Matt Jensen said from the tours he has given, no one has walked away from one of his tours so far thinking nothing needs to be done. But there have been varied opinions on how much needs to be done.

“What most people see is the gym during public events,” said Andrew Sliter, who has two elementary students and an infant. “When you take a tour of the school you see how deteriorated the classrooms are, not just from an appearance standpoint, from a functional standpoint.” 

“Nobody is content with the building as it is,” Jensen said. 

Some people, Jensen said, have asked about building a brand new school. A new building would cost $6 million more than what the district is currently asking for.

The other piece of the proposal that has caused disagreement is lowering and replacing the gym floor.

The ramp leading into the gym from the foyer is too steep and out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The gym was built on a crawl space so lowering the floor won’t require any excavation and is the most cost effective way to bring the access up to ADA standards, Jensen said.

While the floor has a few years left with waxing and care, school officials don’t think it would hold up to another sanding.

“We’re not going to re-sand it unless we have the money to replace the floor,” Jensen said.

The high school was last renovated in the 1960s. 

The last attempt at a similar renovation bond was in 2008. That high school renovation bond failed while a bond to renovate the elementary passed.

Community members at the meeting, who were largely in support of the current bond, asked what is different about this bond proposal.

One difference, Jensen said, is that this bond was developed with the involvement of the community.

The school board contracted with CTA Architects in January to come up with a concept for potential changes. A 25-person group made of community members, faculty and students spent three day-long workshops going over renovation options in the spring and deciding what would be best for Bigfork. The group considered every possibility from doing nothing, and completely starting over, before identifying what they thought the best option was.

The group established several priorities for the renovation. A key point was the addition of eight new classrooms to the high school, allowing classes currently held in the middle school to move to the respective buildings. Other priorities included upgrading science labs, expanding the band room, upgrading locker rooms and providing a lunch area.

The resulting plan calls for 24,000 square feet of new construction, which would be located where the buses currently park, relocating the parking and the bus barn. It also details renovation work on 46,000 square feet of existing structure.

Not only is the proposed plan better now, Jensen said, the cost per taxpayer has also gone down in the last seven years.

The estimated cost to taxpayers over 20 years on a home with an assessed value of $300,000 is about $104 a year or $8.67 a month.

“The price has gone down drastically because the taxable base has grown and interest rates are really low,” Jensen said.

Estimated costs totaled $13.8 million, but the board is asking for $14 million to cover any unforeseen complications from working on a 50-year-old building.

If the bond fails, the district won’t do renovations and will be unable to tackle upgrades to the school. The high school building is currently under safety codes allowed from previous renovations. Any improvements would require the district to upgrade the whole facility to current codes — a $5 million process.

Another community meeting is scheduled for Sept. 10 at 5:30 p.m., before ballots are sent to voters on Sept. 18. The ballots are due back Oct. 9, at 8 p.m.

Residents can register to vote up to 30 days before the election. Registration forms can be picked up at the Bigfork School District office. For more information, contact Bigfork Schools at 837-7400.