Whitefish voters approve bonds for school expansion, new football stadium

Sep. 18—Whitefish voters on Tuesday approved two bonds that will fund an expansion and remodel of Whitefish High School and construction of a new on-campus football stadium.

The $26.5 million building expansion bond was soundly approved with 56.49% of voters in favor, while the $6.1 million athletic bond was narrowly approved with just 51.76% of voters supporting the measure, according to preliminary results.

Voter turnout was 47.15% with 5,091 active voters participating.

"It was wonderful to see the increased participation and voter turnout in this election," Whitefish Superintendent Dave Means said in an email to parents. "Thank you to the Whitefish community for the support of Whitefish schools and the future of Whitefish High School."

The high school expansion bond will fund additional classrooms and labs, expansion of a multipurpose space and renovations to the kitchen and the Independent High School, while also allowing the school to better accommodate science, technology, engineering, arts and math programs, according to the district.

Leading up to the vote, district officials made the case that increased enrollment had strained the high school that was built just 10 years ago. Whitefish High School enrollment is projected to grow from about 600 students to 800 in the next decade, according to data from the district.

The athletic bond will fund a new 10-lane track and field, a district-owned football field, new grandstands with 1,500 seats and room for expansion, new admissions, concessions, restroom facilities, additional parking, a new grass practice/multipurpose field and improved accessibility.

Currently the district leases with the Glacier Twins baseball team to play football games in the outfield at Memorial Field.

It is estimated that the property taxes on a home with an assessed value for tax purposes of $600,000 would increase by $85.64 a year for the building expansion. For the athletic complex, the same home would see an increase of $25.61 a year.

Tuesday's vote is a turn from last fall when voters rejected a $33.7 million bond issue that would have funded both the high school expansion and a more robust athletic facility project in one fell swoop.