Ballot deadline nears for $37M school bond issue

Voters living in the Columbia Falls School District are reminded to mail in ballots on a $37 million bond issue to meet an Oct. 8 deadline.

As of Tuesday, about 22 percent of ballots mailed to residents had been returned, according to the school district.

Ballots are due at the school district by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8. Voters have the option to mail or hand-deliver ballots to the administration office located at 501 Sixth Ave., Columbia Falls. In order to be counted, the person to which a ballot is issued must sign the outer envelope.

If the 20-year bond issue is approved, owners of homes with a market value of $200,000 can expect annual taxes to increase by about $145.92.

Taxpayers also may want to note a bond issue that funded construction of the junior high will sunset in June 2020.

The proposed bond issue would fund a new building to replace an aging Glacier Gateway Elementary and a renovation of and addition to Ruder Elementary.

The new elementary school would be roughly 75,000 square feet. About $24.4 million in bonds would be used for the project.

Additionally, the existing north wing of the existing Glacier Gateway building would be demolished, while a gymnasium located off the main entrance would be retained and remodeled. A two-story section of the elementary school, referred to as “the old junior high,” would be buttoned up. It hasn’t been determined what it might be used for in the future.

The Ruder Elementary renovation would encompass a 24,125-square-foot expansion, in addition to remodeling the existing building. There would be a new main office/entrance, classrooms, resource rooms, a dining commons and a music room, among other amenities. For this project, the district is estimating spending about $10.2 million.

Each building project is being designed to accommodate 644 students. Current enrollment at Glacier Gateway is about 501 students and 482 at Ruder, where space is an issue.

Money raised by the bonds, if approved, would also be spent remodeling the entrance of Columbia Falls Junior High to improve security. New playing fields would be created in a stretch of land between the junior high and Ruder.

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