Firm hired to look at renovation of Muldown

The Whitefish School District has hired an architect and engineering firm to investigate options for renovating Muldown Elementary.

The school board approved a contract with Great Falls-based L’Heureux, Page and Werner in an amount not to exceed $67,190 for the work.

The work includes a physical investigation of the school and options and recommendation to address any issues, as well as cost estimates associated with those options.

Superintendent Heather Davis Schmidt said the firm will look at a wide scope of scenarios.

“On one end is to bulldoze the whole thing, which is not likely, and the other end is to do nothing, which also is not realistic,” Davis Schmidt said.

Trustee Dave Fern said he was impressed with L’Heureux, Page, Werner and noted that the firm is also working with the Kalispell School District.

“We’ll have engineers and technical people coming in and looking at problem areas in great depth,” Fern said. “Issue with HVAC, snow load and structural issues — we’ll get much more detailed recommendations.”

The design team will work alongside a steering committee, school administration and the school board.