Page 15 - Flathead Beacon // 10.12.16

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WHITEFISH
School District Considering Upgrade Options at Muldown
A community task force in White sh continues to review challenges and pos- sible 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 perspec- tive and ideas that come from commu- nity members looking at this with fresh eyes. Our e orts for this project center around nding the best value that meets the future needs of students, sta , 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, struc- tural issues with the roof, lack of insu- lation and vapor barriers, inadequate drainage in parking lots, a failing irriga- tion system, and many mechanical sys- tems far past life expectancy.
The task force is looking at opportu- nities at the school, such as addressing tra c ow problems, additional parking, increased safety and security, technology upgrades, increasing gym capacity, plan- ning for pre-school classes and increased enrollment.
“Muldown has signi cant 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
FLATHEAD
FCEDA Donates Gravel to White sh Stage Bank Stabilization Project
Calling it a “win-win” situation, Flat- head County Economic Development Authority is donating roughly 18,000 cubic yards of gravel and dirt to help sta- bilize a collapsed hillside near White sh Stage Road.
The organization announced that it was donating roughly $180,000 worth of gravel from the Glacier Rail Park site to a group of nearby homeowners seeking to build up and stabilize the deteriorat- ing blu that threatens seven homes on White sh Stage Road. The rail park is part of a redevelopment project for the core area of Kalispell.
Schellinger Construction Company from Columbia Falls is slated to start moving the soil this week. Mark Cyr, project manager with Schellinger Con- struction, is con dent that the work will not only repair the erosion damage but will also alleviate future concerns. He expects construction to last approxi- mately 45 days.
The White sh Stage Slope Stabiliza- tion project, organized by local residents
issues of the school,” said L’Heureux. “The issues are serious and have been mitigated over time by the diligent main- tenance of the Muldown facilities sta . 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 break- out spaces, more room for community gatherings, better storage, new learn- ing zones, room shapes with varied oor 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 ren- ovation. The public is invited to attend.
In May, White sh voters rejected a pair of levy requests to address mainte- nance 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.
KALISPELL
Samaritan House Raising Funds After Federal Grants Expire
The Samaritan House, a homeless shel- ter in Kalispell, is raising funds to make up for two federal grants that expired and were not renewed this year.
Chris Krager, executive director of the Samaritan House, said the orga- nization was recently one of the many programs that lost grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and
The deteriorating blu along White sh Stage Road.
BEACON FILE PHOTO
in 2010, seeks to mitigate the sloughing of a hillside above the residential Vil- lage Greens subdivision and just below another set of houses.
In 2014, a $400,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency grant was awarded to Flathead County on behalf of the proj- ect, but the project was delayed after the commission voted to terminate the grant. Residents were upset about the vote after the county had agreed to work with them and helped them achieve the grant. The commission cited concerns about being held liable if something went wrong in the project. A Flathead County District Court judge ruled that the commission
Urban Development (HUD). The grant program was not renewed for 2016 and many nationwide programs similar to the Samaritan House are now facing the di cult task of nding alternative fund- ing, downsizing or even closing.
“I am pleased to tell you that Samari- tan House is not in the category of down- sizing or closing and is in no way threat- ened in our pursuit of ending homeless- ness in the Flathead Valley,” Krager said in a letter sent out to community mem- bers. “That being said, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this grant funding was an annual source of $56,624.”
This funding was previously used to provide housing for people in need. Addi- tionally, the Emergency Food and Shelter Program that is administered locally by United Way is not going to be renewed, Krager said. This funding was an annual source of $5,400 to $7,000 and was used to provide food for the kitchen and cafeteria.
The Samaritan House is pursuing other grant opportunities to try to make up the di erence, but the organization is also seeking community support.
Samaritan House serves approxi- mately 1,350 local homeless people every year, sheltering around 78 people every night. Roughly 86 percent of the people served at Samaritan House are no lon- ger homeless when they move on from the shelter compared to 72 percent as a notional standard for other homeless programs, according to Krager.
Krager said those interested in sup- porting the Samaritan House can send donations to Samaritan House, 124 9th Ave West, Kalispell, MT 59901, or by vis- iting samaritanhousemt.com.
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must move forward with the grant. FCEDA saw the need for bank stabili- zation as a way to help the residents while also removing the large amount of gravel and soil at the rail park, which is prepar-
ing to break ground.
“The donated soil not only decreases
the project cost but leveraging the value of the soil was instrumental in receiving additional overrun funding from FEMA,” Scott Gearhart, one homeowners instru- mental in the process, said.
Kim Morisaki, project manager for FCEDA, said removing the excess dirt and gravel will also lower the overall cost of developing the rail park, “creating a win-win for all parties.”
FCEDA completed the environmental
assessment for the entire rail park and
core area redevelopment project, includ-
ing removing railroad tracks in down-
town, and has submitted it for review
and approval. Morisaki said she expects
it to be approved this fall, which will
allow the organization to go out for bids
to begin construction. Further work on
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the 43-acre rail park is slated to begin in
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spring of 2017.
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OCTOBER 12, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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