School moves forward with bond

Polson High School will receive a visible makeover this summer thanks to over $2 million raised from a bond levy passed last year.

The project is already well underway, superintendent Dr. Linda Reksten told the Polson city commissioners in a meeting Monday evening. Swank Enterprises won the bid for the contract and has already made plans for the facelift the dated building desperately needs.

The undertaking includes finishing re-roofing the remaining portion of the building, upgrading and replacing the existing air handlers for the school, replacing the building envelope, implementing asbestos abatement control, as well as oversight and administration of the venture as a whole.

Reksten told commissioners and mayor Heather Knutson that they plan to take down the red panels and fascia and use gold-colored replacements to not only renovate but to encourage school spirit. She said they also plan to put the name of the school over the entrance to make the building more inviting.

The original bond raised $2,491,000 and the engineering firm bid the project for $2,465,900. Reksten said she and the construction committee don’t know exactly what they are dealing with until they start to take down parts of the building. The extra cushion of money could easily go to dealing with a larger asbestos problem or air handler issue that was unforeseen until the actual work has begun.

The construction won’t begin until after school lets out for the summer, due to the asbestos abatement work that has to be done. Reksten said they hope to be mostly completed by August, but the summer may not be enough time to complete the project.

The trustees will decide what to do with any money left when the project is over, which could include returning some money to the community. However, Reksten told the commissioners that the board could use the money for more upgrades so long as it is used within the language of the original bond. As an example, she mentioned the south facing doors of the high school also need to be replaced, so that could be something that could be fixed with any remaining bond money.