Libby School Board trustees agreed that their top five choices in companies to perform a school building needs assessment would all serve the district well, but they awarded the bid Friday to a company with a Kalispell office.

CTA, an engineering and architecture firm that has offices as close as Sandpoint, Idaho and Kalispell, will inspect the district’s school buildings, conduct interviews and study related data to determine how best to address the issue of an aging Asa Wood Elementary School building.  

With declining enrollment numbers district-wide and an uncertain funding source, the board is not completely convinced that building a new elementary school is the best option. 

The school board met Friday to retain a consulting firm that would be able to come up with the best answer with how the board should proceed and to back that answer with numbers and information.

The board struggled between choosing CTA or JGA, a firm with an office out of Billings. JGA wouldn’t be able to put in as much on-the-ground time in Libby as CTA, the board said. However, some trustees pointed out that if a new elementary building turned out being the best option, JGA’s architects would provide a fresher look than northwest Montana firms, and the company has experience raising money through bond levies.

“They have experience and have been successful with the bond issue,” trustee Paula Darko-Hensler said. “We can’t assume we will get an appropriation (for a new school).”

CTA produced a more thorough proposal the first go-round, trustee Tony Rebo said, while JGA had to revise its proposal to include information about all of the schools. JGA, the board agreed, appeared too eager to build a new school.

“I want someone to say this is what’s best for Libby,” trustee Bruce Sickler said. “The other company was really focused on building a new grade school.”

Lee Disney made a motion that was seconded by Gary Huntsberger to award CTA the bid. It passed 6-0, with Tracy Comeau abstaining because she missed one of the interviews.

Disney wanted to encourage the public to get involved in the decision, which could include a number of options – building new, remodeling, combining schools or an idea not yet introduced.

“We’re not here to build a new school but to get a proposal,” Disney said. “Whatever option is on the table we’ll have reasons to back it up.”

Last year the district put in for a $12 million federal appropriation to fund construction of a new elementary school and, instead, received funding for its planning and preparation, which went toward retaining CTA. Superintendent Kirby Maki put in another $12 million request this year and should know soon if it was granted. He believes that last year’s appropriation is a good sign that the district will at least receive partial funding for construction.