Columbia Falls High School to Hold In-Person Classes Despite Major Building Damage
The district will utilize non-traditional classroom spaces this fall as crews continue to replace the high school’s decaying roof and address water damage from recent rain
By Denali Sagner
Significant water damage to Columbia Falls High School has forced educators to reconfigure how instruction will be delivered ahead of the upcoming school year, which begins on Sept. 3.
The Columbia Falls School District is currently in the process of replacing the high school’s roof. During a ventilation project last summer, school officials found extensive structural and water damage with the roof, requiring a complete replacement. Voters in May passed a two-year $2.75 million building reserve levy for the roof replacement. Construction on the roof began earlier this summer.
Yet unexpected July and August rainfall delayed the roofing project and, later, damaged the inside of the school building, which was exposed as crews replaced the roof.
According to the National Weather Service, the Kalispell area received 1.18 inches of precipitation last month. Average precipitation for the month of July is .83 inches.
Columbia Falls Superintendent Cory Dziowgo said all 28 classrooms in both floors of the instructional wing experienced significant damage. In addition to the ongoing roof replacement, crews from BELFOR Property Restoration are removing moldy cabinets and engaging in asbestos abatement.
Despite the damage, the district will move ahead with in-person instruction using a combination of traditional and non-traditional classroom spaces. The front office, gymnasium, art annex and former Canyon Elementary School in Hungry Horse are all being prepared to accommodate students. Students will be isolated from ongoing construction. The district said the decision to continue with in-person learning came following meetings with the fire chief and building inspector.
Dziowgo said an industrial hygienist is currently “making sure that the building is dry and that it’s being put back together at the highest industry standards.”
The superintendent anticipates temporary classroom spaces will be needed until around Oct. 25.
“We don’t know what they day’s going to look like, but that’s what the staff is going to start planning,” Dziowgo said, adding that the district has “resilient staff and resilient students.”