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Voters approve Kalispell school bonds

Hilary Matheson Daily Inter Lake | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 years, 3 months AGO
by Hilary Matheson Daily Inter Lake
| October 4, 2016 9:00 PM

As ballots were being counted it was an overwhelming “yes” from Kalispell Public Schools voters who approved two bond issues totaling $54 million in a mail-ballot election that ended Tuesday.

Projects will address overcrowding with a new elementary school and deferred maintenance and remodeling on existing facilities.

“We are extremely grateful to our community for the trust and support they have shown,” Kalispell Public Schools Superintendent Mark Flatau said. “We worked hard to get the facts out to folks and share the plan we had moving forward.”

According to unofficial results Wednesday morning, in the elementary district, 4,648 people supported the $25,282,000 million bond issue and 2,550 people voted against it. There were 14,507 ballots mailed out to active, registered voters. Only Kalispell residents could vote on the elementary bond request.

This means a new school will be built south of Kalispell on Airport Road, along with renovations at the district’s five existing elementary schools, primarily in the form of new multipurpose rooms and gyms.

The bond will raise annual property taxes by $116.82 on a home with an assessed value of $200,000. 

ON THE high school district side, 8,271 people voted in favor of the $28,766,000 bond issue, while 6,065 people voted against. There were 29,879 ballots mailed in the high school election because the district also includes residents of outlying partner school districts — Kila, Marion, Smith Valley, West Valley, Evergreen, Helena Flats, Somers-Lakeside, Creston, Fair-Mont-Egan, Cayuse Prairie, Deer Park, Olney-Bissell and Pleasant Valley — whose students attend Flathead or Glacier high schools.

The bond will raise annual property taxes by $58.46 on a home with an assessed value of $200,000.

The bulk of the proposed high school spending, $19 million, is slated for Flathead High School: replacing the small gym, demolishing the half floors and a lecture hall and replacing them with two stories of classrooms. The proposal also includes the possibility of expanding parking at Flathead. 

At the H.E. Robinson Agricultural Education Center, the welding program will find a permanent home with a new shop. Also included the high school district proposal is a new science lab, offices, info-commons, greenhouse and remodeling to expand the veterinary science program.

Linderman will be renovated to better utilize space, such as creating a new commons and refurbishing the gym. 

Glacier would receive money only for deferred maintenance.

The proposal for Legends Stadium includes rebuilding the main field. 

The bond was a culmination of a year-long facility planning process. A facility planning committee discussed different scenarios for both the elementary and high school districts. Facilitating the discussion were architecture and engineering firms L’Heureux Page Werner and Morrison-Maierle. The committee’s recommendations were voted on by Kalispell Public Schools board before posed to taxpayers.

Flatau said the next step is for the school board to canvass votes Tuesday night and then establish a time line for the design and bid processes.

“We are very grateful,” Flatau reiterated, “and we’ll certainly work diligently to use these funds very wisely.”

Hilary Matheson is a reporter for The Daily Inter Lake. She may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.

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