District hires firm for preliminary planning of high school expansion

Whitefish High School is busting at the seams according to a recent long-range facilities report and the district is taking the initial steps to address the issue.

In a board meeting in mid-April, the Whitefish School Board unanimously approved the selection of the Cushing Terrell architect firm out of Missoula to lead the preliminary design and planning of the high school building expansion and activities facility.

A couple of months back, the board gave the go-ahead to begin the request for qualifications (RFQ) process in hopes of finding a firm to begin the process. Whitefish Superintendent Dave Means said Cushing Terrell rose to the top as the district had more qualified firms to choose from.

Cushing Terrell in 2020 designed the potential Bulldog Stadium and activities complex, a private project that the Whitefish Booster Club headed up. The last update on the project was that it was still in the fundraising stages, though the final design had been selected.

The Whitefish School District committee that reviewed the RFQs felt strongly about Cushing Terrell for several reasons, including that the firm had recently worked with the community the stadium design project.

Board Chair Katie Clarke who also served on the committee said that work privately done for a potential school facility gave them confidence in Cushing Terrell’s ability to work and communicate with staff and the public.

“The community engagement, being able to facilitate those conversations, being able to listen to what the community needs are and being responsive to that,” Clarke said in regard to what made Cushing Terrell stand out.

The firm will now begin the preliminary planning process which could include pre-bond planning, schematic drawings and facilitating staff and public input.

The current Whitefish High School building opened in 2014 after an extensive renovation, however, using a 2% growth rate the recently completed long-range plan predicts the building will need additional space to accommodate a growing student population.

At the time of completing the facility plan, enrollment in Whitefish High was 581 students which is nearing the design capacity of the building which is capped at 600 students. The plan predicts the high school will likely surpass that capacity mark in just two years and the district needs to act now to address the issue.