The Whitefish School Board on Tuesday approved a $14 million bond request for a proposed $19 million high school reconstruction and renovation project.

The decision to move forward with the proposed bond caps two years of community input, studying alternative designs and raising $4.5 million in alternative funds.

The bond election will be conducted by a mail-in ballot, with ballots mailed to voters within the Whitefish School District on Feb. 28. The ballots are due back by March 15.

The owner of a $250,000 home will pay about $50 a year in increased taxes.

School Board Trustee Charlie Abell was the lone opponent as the bond proposal passed by a 6-1 vote. Abell agreed the building has areas that need to be fixed, but not to the extent of the $19 million proposal.

"I'm a guy that says fixed what needs to be fixed. Don't be a throw-away society," he said.

Abell said education is about teachers and educational opportunities, not the building, and that money instead could be spent on enhancing educational opportunities. He mentioned the district's concern of losing students to the newer Glacier High School and speculated that Whitefish students are enrolling there perhaps not because of the new building but for the course offerings.

"If people would leave here to go to a better looking school - Glacier - I guess that concerns me about what's happening to this community, Whitefish, the town I've lived in all my life," Abell said. "Will I only go to someone's house because it's a fancy house or they drive a fancy car? No, I go there because of their character."

During public comments, Whitefish resident Bruce Tate said he has many relatives who were teachers and has a respect for the profession, but he's concerned about the impact a bond would have on taxpayers. Tate asked the board if the current project proposal would provide the best value for stakeholders.

"I have a lot of empathy and respect for school people with pressure coming from all directions, including vocal taxpayer citizens," Tate said. "Central School, I think, is a fine example of what can evolve when you get pressure from the community saying ‘give us value for our money.'"

Tate also is concerned about the financial burden of increased property taxes for longtime Whitefish residents.

"I happen to know a lot of people who have bought houses 20, 30, 40 years ago for very low numbers $15,000, $20,000, $25,000. Those houses are now [valued at] $250,000 or $300,000 [and] they are now on fixed incomes, so every dollar you can stretch on this project and keep that number close to that $14 million will help ensure a more positive response for your taxpayer citizen," Tate said.

School Board Chairwoman Pat Jarvi said the proposed plan is not fancy, but is designed to be effective now with flexibility for future growth.

Joan Vetter Ehrenberg, a resident and parent of a Whitefish student, voiced her support of the bond and asked if the board could raise more money from private donations and return a portion of the approved tax increment funds to the city of Whitefish for capital improvement projects such as parking.

The Whitefish City Council recently voted to allocate $2.5 million in tax increment revenue for the high school project.

That $2.5 million is part of the $4.5 million in alternative funds raised for the high school renovation project from a combination of sources, including a state grant, private donations and the school district's own tax increment funds.

"We decided early on that it was critical that we turn over every rock in search of alternative funds before we sought voter support. The idea is that the voters are investing in the project at a major discount," Whitefish High School Principal Dave Carlson said in a press release issued Wednesday by Steeplechase Development Advisors, a consultant for the project.

The school district plans to solicit an additional $500,000 in private donations to complete a performance and assembly hall.

Trustees unanimously approved establishing an agency within Whitefish Community Foundation for people to make pledges toward the building project.

Bayard Dominick of Steeplechase Development, one of the project managers for the renovation, said he believes the public process - with input from more than 1,000 community members over the last two years - "made it clear that the vast majority of Whitefish residents support the project, provided that it be not only cost-effective but also done right the first time."

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