Whitefish School District Considering Upgrade Options at Muldown

A community task force in Whitefish continues to review challenges and possible upgrades at Muldown Elementary.

Muldown is the largest elementary school in Montana, serving 680 students. The school was built in 1966, with a major renovation completed in 1992.

“As we move forward we want our community vested in our investigation and the recommendations we will put forth,” said Superintendent Heather Davis Schmidt. “We value the perspective and ideas that come from community members looking at this with fresh eyes. Our efforts for this project center around finding the best value that meets the future needs of students, staff, and faculty in a quickly changing world.”

Principal architects for the project, Stephen L’Heureux and Tim Peterson, spent the summer analyzing the issues with the 50-year old building, including a failing original heating system, structural issues with the roof, lack of insulation and vapor barriers, inadequate drainage in parking lots, a failing irrigation system, and many mechanical systems far past life expectancy.

The task force is looking at opportunities at the school, such as addressing traffic flow problems, additional parking, increased safety and security, technology upgrades, increasing gym capacity, planning for pre-school classes and increased enrollment.

“Muldown has significant needs and this is a great opportunity to use this to enhance the physical environment for the students while addressing the mechanical, electrical, and structural issues of the school,” said L’Heureux. “The issues are serious and have been mitigated over time by the diligent maintenance of the Muldown facilities staff. But a real solution is needed. And we can use this chance to re-create a facility that will enhance innovative learning.”

Additional areas being researched by the task force include creating breakout spaces, more room for community gatherings, better storage, new learning zones, room shapes with varied floor plans, and large accessible wall areas to create personalized learning spaces, all while maintaining the small community character of the school.

The next meeting of the task force is on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Muldown multi-purpose room. The session will focus on the variety of options for the renovation. The public is invited to attend.

In May, Whitefish voters rejected a pair of levy requests to address maintenance needs at the elementary and high schools. The school district was seeking $400,000 annually for seven years, or $2.8 million, for Muldown Elementary, the city’s lone elementary school, and $300,000 annually for seven years, or $2.1 million, for the high school.