Editorial: Columbia Falls bond proposal deserves voter support
Daily Inter Lake | Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 43 minutes AGO
An artist rendering shows a proposed remodel of Columbia Falls High School.
Columbia Falls High School has surpassed its useful lifespan. The building’s 1960s infrastructure fails to meet modern demands and safety requirements, and its square footage no longer adequately serves a growing community.
Voters once again have an opportunity to address those challenges through a building bond that delivers a significant return on investment compared with the proposal rejected a year ago.
Voters overwhelmingly turned down an $84.4 million bond request last fall to fund a remodel. Undeterred, district leaders absorbed that feedback and emerged with a fiscally prudent and pragmatic proposal.
The updated plan still funds an expansive remodel of the 67-year-old school while trimming $8.5 million from the original budget.
The new $75.9 million bond would provide a long list of needed updates and additional classrooms. Project highlights include 30,000 square feet of additional space, two new shop classrooms, a theater expansion, new HVAC systems, wiring, pipes, and windows, modern and secure entrances, and a gym remodel with increased seating.
Owners of homes with an assessed value of $600,000 would pay about $34 more a month over the bond’s 25-year term. In return, the community would gain critical safety upgrades at the high school and a building with the capacity to accommodate current and future enrollment.
The alternative is to let the building languish while taxpayers are nickel-and-dimed for Band-Aid fixes. Just two years ago, the district spent $2.75 million to replace the school’s leaking roof.
Rejecting the bond will not eliminate the need for upgrades. Eventually, taxpayers will bear the cost of replacing the school’s worn-out infrastructure through duct-tape efforts that are often less efficient and more disruptive.
The district has shown it listened to voter concerns and returned with a proposal that is slimmed down in cost but still delivers improvements that are most vital to the school’s success. The Wildcats and the greater Columbia Falls community deserve a high school that is safe and meets the requirements of today’s education. Voters should approve the bond to ensure the high school will continue thriving for decades to come.
Ballots are due Tuesday, Sept. 29.