Page 15 - Flathead Beacon // 3.25.15

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS MARCH 25, 2015 | 15 Governor Bullock Dedicates
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New Whitefish High School
Whitefish celebrates completion of communi- ty-backed goal to build state-of-the-art school
By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
WHITEFISH – Following a blitz- krieg tour of the new, state-of-the-art Whitefish High School, Gov. Steve Bull- ock on March 19 addressed faculty, stu- dents, and engineers of the $22.5 million construction project, calling it a bold statement about the role education plays in the community.
The dedication ceremony marked the completion of a project that began in 2012 when voters passed a $14 million bond request, culminating in a 130,000-square-foot construction-and- remodeling job that places the school at the fore of an educational movement integrating technology with learning.
“You were looking to the future and ultimately willing to invest in the future and how students learn,” Bullock said.
The Whitefish City Council also played a critical role in moving the project forward. In 2012, under the new leadership of Mayor John Muhlfeld, the council awarded $2.5 million of the city’s tax increment finance dollars toward construction and renovation of the badly outmoded Whitefish High School.
Although a slate of councilors was reluctant to recommend the use of TIF funds, and asked for additional time
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Gov. Steve Bullock is greeted by students at Whitefish High School before a dedication ceremony for the new building.GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
and information, Muhlfeld cast a tie- breaking vote that ultimately nudged the politicized issue forward.
“It is our collective responsibility to give our children the tools they need to be successful,” Muhlfeld said. “This project has been about building our community. We recognized then and we recognize now the importance educa- tion plays in supporting and growing our economy in Whitefish.”
Bullock, whose wife was born in Whitefish, where her father taught at the high school, said the personal connection made the dedication
ceremony even more special, calling the community’s investment in education an investment in the future.
“There’s no doubt that the quality of public education really is the great equalizer in our society,” Bullock said.
Although a school is only as good as the faculty and staff inside of it, Bullock said the innovative new high school pro- vides a venue to effectively learn.
“It’s not about the building, it’s about the people in the building. But our chil- dren cannot learn as effectively if they do not have an effective place to learn.”
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Municipal Matters
A recap of recent city council and county commission meetings
KALISPELL
•At last week’s meeting, the city council awarded a $245,574 con- tract to Downing Construction for the storm drainage improve- ment project in the South Meadows neighborhood. This will be the sec- ond phase of construction, which will add a stormwater conveyance system to mitigate longstanding drainage issues in the subdivision.
WHITEFISH
• The city council last week approved a 60-unit apartment complex along U.S. Highway 93 South. Developers are planning to build five buildings
(12 units per building) on the 4.5- acre site near Naturally Clean dry cleaners.
•The Whitefish City Beach Boat Launch will be closed from April 4 to April 17 to install a trench grate that will protect water quality and public health. A study conducted by the Whitefish Lake Institute showed elevated levels of gasoline constituents in the water between the boat ramp and the public swim- ming area.
“Our study found high concentra- tions of BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene and xylene) at that location. We know that BTEX can cause myriad health issues and we want to keep the water clean for the
kids swimming at City Beach,” said Mike Koopal, Executive Director of the Whitefish Lake Institute. “The BTEX concentration was not a lin- ear relationship with the number of motorized watercraft on the lake for the sampled days. Rather, boat- ers are pulling their transom plugs to drain their boats and petroleum products are draining directly to the lake with bilge water. The trench grate will intercept the ef- fluent and convey it to a treatment device.”
The construction window was de- signed to minimally interfere with the 2015 boating season.
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