Additional early concept emerges for athletic complex

More potential plans for a Whitefish Bulldogs athletic complex have been presented to the Whitefish School Board.

Members of the stadium project’s core team shared updates with the Whitefish School Board during their Sept. 10 meeting, including the notable addition of a design concept that includes the current track and field as it sits.

Fran Quiram, of CTA Architects, said the idea for that design came from feedback she’d received from community comments. Along with the plan that utilizes the existing track, Quiram showed designs that include a combined track and turf field with accessory practice fields as well as a separated design that features a distinct track and football/soccer turf field that do not share the same space.

“The final one is because of a recent comment that was, ‘What if we just left the track in the existing placement?’” Quiram said of the newest concept. “Obviously there would be some upgrades required for that, but I think it was a concept that was worth being explored. What it does is it puts the grandstands now on the opposite side of the track, so definitely not an ideal location because of the sun, but it is recognizing the existing footprint.”’

Bulldog Booster Club President Joe Akey also shared a new idea that would address concerns that, if the stadium were to have a turf field, it would be fenced off from public use. If that were the case, Akey suggested a separate walking path that surrounds the entire stadium campus with measured distance markers, replacing the public use of the track.

During the same meeting, the school board also voted to retain only the fourth-grade and kindergarten wings of the current Muldown Elementary School building, which is set to be replaced when the new school opens next fall. Each of the concepts Quiram showed to the board took the old Muldown gym into account, regardless of how it could have been repurposed. Without the gym, however, the architects have more flexibility in planning the south end of the stadium site.

The next steps for the stadium will come after the planning committee comes up with a recommendation on which concept to pursue. From there, the team will set a budget and eventually return to the board to present their plans.

The stadium is proposed to be located on roughly 15 acres east of the high school where the track and football practice field currently sits, though the orientation and layout of that site could change dramatically.

Early cost estimates put the stadium at about $6 million, though that number is subject to change based on design choices, and the project will be funded solely through private donations.

The district so far has been working with CTA Architects, TDH Engineering and Tad Schulz, a private consultant, on the project.

Talk about a Bulldog stadium arose last October, and the Bulldog Booster Club got approval from the school board in January to begin raising funds. In April the core team selected Kalispell-based CTA Architects for the master planning phase.

The core team is comprised of Kerry Drown, Whitefish High School Principal; Aric Harris; Lucie Shea, Business Clerk; Heather Davis Schmidt, District Superintendent; Chad Smith, Maintenance Director; Schulz, coaches representative; Ruth Harrison, School Board Trustee; and Akey, WHS Booster Club President.