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An extensive evaluation of Muldown Elementary this summer has reinforced the need to find solutions for the issues facing the 50-year-old building, and a community stakeholder group is beginning that work.

L’Heureux Page Warner, the firm hired by Whitefish School District to complete master planning for the school, spent the summer analyzing the 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.

Superintendent Heather Davis Schmidt said the analysis took a deeper look at the issues the district already knew were facing the building and provided more information for what the solutions might look like moving forward. The issues facing the building come from its age and years of deferred maintenance.

“Our maintenance staff has done a fantastic job of keeping the building working, which is why it has lasted this long,” she said. “The problems we are facing are not unique — every school in the state and country has deferred maintenance. Most schools were built in the 1950s and 1960s and designed to last for 50 years, so now is the time that we’re having to deal with these issues.”

Stephen L’Heureux, of the Great Falls-based design firm, along with Tim Peterson conducted the analysis.

“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,” L’Heureux said. “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 recreate a facility that will enhance innovative learning.”

The school was built in 1966, with a major renovation completed in 1992. But for the past 25 years, Muldown has remained relatively unchanged.

Following the analysis a group of community stakeholders, known as the Muldown Project Task Force, is digging further into the process of defining the options for the building moving forward. The group is made up of community members, teachers, parents and School Board trustees that have been meeting since last spring.

Davis Schmidt said the district welcomes input from the community on what it would like to see for the school.

“As we move forward we want our community vested in our investigation and the recommendations we will put forth,” Davis Schmidt said. “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.”

The group will meet again this month to focus on the variety of options for a possible renovation of the school.

“There is a range of options to look at from doing nothing to bulldozing the school and starting over,” she said. “We will look at all the ideas in between those two ends of the spectrum and we’ll narrow it down and evaluate those options even further.”

An analysis conducted by CTA Architects Engineers in 2015 suggested a number of upgrades were needed to bring the school up to snuff. Areas of concern were noted then and the district decided it needed to take a more expansive look at the entire school.

Some of the top issues identified by L’Heureux Page Warner, include the roof structure of the building, which is not designed to support snow loads; the mechanical systems of the building that are past life expectancy; electrical issues including old and inefficient lighting and a lack of power outlets; and damage to exterior finishes.

The roof in the main part of the building, Davis Schmidt explained, does not have insulation because it was designed to allow for heat to rise up to the ceiling and melt the snow. While that did create an open concept for learning that was ahead of its time, she noted, the heating system is now beyond its life expectancy and as the district looks to replace that system it also wants to bring the building up to today’s standards, which mean an energy efficient system that wouldn’t release heat. However, the school’s roof would need to be upgraded to structurally support the weight of snow.

While, some of the building’s issues seem to be contained behind the walls those issues sometimes manifest themselves in visual and physical ways in the hallways and classrooms. Just last month a leak in the hot water heating system flooded the main hallway of the school.

Davis Schmidt said those types of leaks require a fix and for damaged areas to be cleaned and repaired. In a school that’s already at capacity, if an issue occurs during the school day it can pose a challenge for relocating students while it’s fixed.

“It can be very disruptive,” she said. “It can disrupt learning because students aren’t in their own space where they have their learning materials and the kids are focused on the problem and not on learning.”

Muldown is the largest elementary school in Montana, currently serving 680 students. A demographic study commissioned by the school district found that Whitefish school enrollment is expected to remain steady and even slightly increase over the next decade.

According to the preliminary study by McKibben Demographics, district enrollment is expected to increase by 6.7 percent, or 113 students, between now and 2020.

Muldown has already been feeling the impacts of increased enrollment. This fall an additional kindergarten teacher was hired to help ease the load and the school had to be creative in making room for the extra students by converting space near the front office into another classroom. An additional teacher was also hired for third grade and a half-time health teacher and half-time music teacher were also added to the school. A curtain has been added to the gymnasium to allow for two physical education classes to occur at the same time.

In addition to looking at the structure of the building itself, the analysis has created opportunities in addressing traffic flow problems, additional parking, increased safety and security, technology upgrades, increasing gym capacity, planning for preschool classes and increased enrollment, as well as building a more energy efficient and eco-friendly school.

The task force is also looking at ways to increase learning through creating a better school environment, including access to outdoor light and better air quality, creating breakout spaces and new learning zones, and more room for community gatherings.

“This has given us the opportunity to think differently about the learning spaces,” Davis Schmidt said. “When we’re opening up the walls to fix what’s behind them, we can think about different ways to improve the learning spaces.”

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.