Muldown needs can't be ignored

I want to share with the Whitefish community why I felt it was worth my time, effort, and energy to lead the “Vote YES for Muldown” bond committee and why this issue is so important to me. The critical needs we face at Muldown are something we cannot afford to kick down the road. Yes, we are all weary of spending. And that is one big reason I don’t want to wait. Construction costs for a new elementary school will only become more expensive.

The Muldown Task Force studied the issues at Muldown for nearly a year. In the early meetings, the last thing I ever expected was to recommend building a new school. Yet as the process went on we learned a lot about the bones of this building as we peeled away the layers. There are serious structural and mechanical issues at the aging school, not to mention needing more space for our students and staff. Ultimately, we saw that the smartest use of taxpayer dollars would be to build a new school. Our trustees agreed when they voted to put the bond on the ballot.

I have spent years seeing the positive effects of what the staff at Muldown has been able to accomplish with a crowded, aging school. My youngest child will leave Muldown before any of these upgrades may happen but the strength of Whitefish lies in the foundations we build for future generations.

We are a special town and our children deserve the best education we can offer. The cost of waiting is too much. This is such an important vote for our community.

Mike Powers, Whitefish