After round two discussing a Columbia Falls High School remodel on March 11, community members agreed on a vision for the building, which gives the district a new school for about half the price of building a new one. 

A new school would cost about $135 million, architects from Jackola Engineering and Architecture noted, and would also mean the district would have to build new sports fields, as the district would need to have an open space for the new school and then move the lost fields back in the old school’s footprint. 

Jackola is the firm contracted by the district to devise plans for a remodeled school. 

Remodeling the existing building is far more equitable, the crowd of about 25 agreed.  

“We’re getting a new school for about half the price,” one person quipped. 

Jackola engineers brought forth a new plan for the remodel. Here are some of the more notable aspects: 

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• The school would get new heating and ventilation, sprinkler systems, secure entrances, wiring and the walls and windows of the 65-year-old building, which leak heat like a sieve, would be replaced. Right now the school has about 32 entranceways. The new plan would cut that number down to less than 10 and still meet fire codes. 

• The Little Theater would be gutted and rebuilt to accommodate 650 people. Right now current seating is 415 and with some concerts, parents have to stand in the hallway or outside entirely. The theater can’t simply be expanded, because its exterior walls are structural, noted Shane Jackola. 

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• The gym and locker rooms would be remodeled and gym seating capacity would be risen to 2,900 seats, making it large enough for divisional tournaments. A track will go around the upper part of the gym and classrooms would be added to the north. The gym would also have exterior hallways, making it far more secure than it is now, as the doors are often left propped open as in some cases, it’s the only way to get into the west side of the school. 

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• An access road from Talbott Road to the school was scrapped and unpopular. Another access road to Fifth Avenue West from the east parking lot was also scrapped, though may be a temporary dirt route for construction traffic. 

• The library would be moved from the south end of the classroom wing and rebuilt in what is now the south courtyard, tying it in better with the rest of school. The library space would then be used for technology classrooms. 

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• A second floor that was proposed for the main foyer area was scrapped entirely. 

• The music, band and art classrooms would all be revamped. Art classes would no longer be in the annex, but a classroom in the north side of the school, with plenty of window light. 

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• The school would add an automotive shop classroom and a machining classroom that would tie into the metal shop. All of the school’s shops would be reconfigured. 

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• The district would add science lab classrooms separate from general science classes, so that lab materials aren’t in the same class. 

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• The bathrooms would be remodeled, as they have equipment and fixtures dating back to the 1960s. 

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• The gym floor would be replaced. 

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• The school would get a new roof, except for the classroom wing, which already had its roof replaced. The remodel of the classroom wing would be rather light, except for the exterior wall replacements.

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• The family sciences room (formerly called home economics) would be remodeled with a more commercial kitchen, with new cabinetry. The old cabinets date back to the '60s.
  
  
  

“We touch everything in this project,” noted architect Valerie Harris of Jackola. 

The main discussion most of the night focused on marketing the remodel to the public and getting the word out.