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9/15/2025
Projects expected to take two years once construction begins
After the approval of school bonds last week, the construction of new facilities and the renovation of others are expected to begin next summer, according to District Superintendent Rex Weltz.
Last Tuesday, Helena narrowly passed $283 million in bonds to fund major improvements to Capital High and build new versions of Helena High and Kessler Elementary.
In an effort to educate taxpayers about the need for the bonds, the district provided information on its website, including a tentative look-ahead with a post-bond schedule that shows projects being completed in the fall of 2028.
Weltz told Montana Free Press that the timeline is still on track and could even begin earlier. He noted that the process is still provisional until the Lewis and Clark County Elections Office completes its review of the count this week.
“ The first 12 to 18 months will be paperwork and bringing on professionals, and then the next 24 months will be when you’ll see construction,” Weltz said.
Before construction begins, the district will hire a team of architects, engineers, contractors and construction managers through a public bidding process.
SMA Architecture & Design, the consulting company that worked with the district on pre-bond planning, will not necessarily continue its partnership going forward, Weltz said.
“ There’ll be a fair-bid process in selecting architects,” Weltz explained. “SMA, all of our locals and in-state and out-of-state have a fair chance, a fair responsibility to submit their proposals for our team to evaluate and select.”
During a special board meeting in August, the school board of trustees hired Billings-based Hulteng CCM to represent the district.
Weltz said the company will be responsible for managing the project’s scope, communicating with stakeholders and advocating for the school district’s interests.
As currently planned, the new Helena High and Kessler Elementary will be built on the existing campuses of those schools in hopes of avoiding disruption of the day-to-day student routines.
Because Capital High will be significantly renovated, Weltz said that work will be more complex as improvements will occur while students are in that building.
Before Helenas took to the polls last week, local organizations and the school district hosted more than 70 events during the summer, encouraging the public to learn more about the need for the projects.
Weltz said the district’s efforts to keep the community informed will continue as it shifts from pre-bond advocacy to post-election preparation.
“ There [are] certainly no plans of eliminating or exiting the town halls that we’ve had in the community,” Weltz said. ”…We found a really nice way to interact with our community, and the feedback we got was well received, so we’re gonna continue that.”
While those events are still being planned, Weltz said they will focus on a range of issues, including school curriculum, construction and athletics.
Editor’s note: Readers of Helena This Week and Montana Free Press may have done some head-scratching Wednesday morning as they took in our coverage of the Helena school district bonds and the about-turn of results. MTFP did not carry a timestamp or continue to update our bond story between 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and 6 a.m. Wednesday, as the vote shifted from fail to pass. The original story, linked in our newsletter alert, accurately stated that results were not yet final. But this lag contributed to uncertainty about the results, especially for people who opened the newsletter many hours later. We apologize for any confusion.
Public Notice
The Montana Department of Transportation is seeking public comment for a proposed project that would improve about 1.5 miles of 11th and Prospect avenues. According to a Sept. 10 press release, the project spans from the I-15 intersection to Gibbon Street in front of Walmart, with proposed upgrades that include resurfacing, chip-sealing and meeting ADA requirements. Public comments can be submitted online here, and a map of the project area is here.
The city of Helena will hold a latex paint drop-off at the Helena Transfer Station, 1975 N. Benton Ave., from Wednesday, Sept. 17, until Wednesday, Oct. 1. Residents must be registered permit holders with the transfer station to participate, according to city staff. The public can drop off their usable latex paint from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. For more information, contact the city at 406-447-8094.
5 Things to Know in Helena
Helena voters advanced city mayor candidates Andy Shirtliff and Emily Dean, two current city commissioners, to the general election in November. According to unofficial results, Shirtliff had 5,468 votes, followed by Dean with 4,133. Sonda Gaub trailed Dean with 969 votes, followed by Chris Riccardo with 347 and Braxton Hudson with 328. Write-in candidates had 68 votes. In the city commission race to fill two positions, residents favored sitting Commissioner Melinda Reed with 5,939 votes, or 35.58%. Following Reed in the commission race — and who will all also appear on the general election ballot — were Ben Rigby with 3,898 votes, 23.35%, Haley McKnight with 3,702 votes, 22.18%, and Shawn White Wolf with 1,827 votes, 10.95%.
During a meeting last week, the Helena school board of trustees acknowledged the resignation of Trustee Rachel Robison and began the process to fill the seat. Robison, who was elected by acclamation to the board last year, resigned to focus on her health, according to an IR report. The board is advertising the vacancy and will need to appoint a new trustee within the next 60 days. Residents interested in applying can find the application here and must submit it by 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31.
Last week, the city commission approved Hard Rock Road Building & Utilities Inc.’s bid of about $2.1 million for a project to the Red Mountain Flume. The flume, originally built in the 1800s and most recently updated nearly 40 years ago, is an open channel that the city water treatment department uses to collect and transport water to the Chessman reservoir, according to city documents. The project will replace about 8,550 feet of the flume with a fully buried pipe to stop leaks and retain water.
Nearly two months after Christopher Martinez Marvan’s detainment in Helena, some members of the public are still urging the city to take action to address Helena’s role in future deportations. During a meeting last week, several people presented the commission with demands to reassure the public that law enforcement wouldn’t work with federal entities in the future. The commission did not take any immediate action.
Lewis and Clark Public Health, in partnership with the Montana Department of Health and Human Services and the Bright Futures program, began its community baby shower project aimed at providing expectant parents with money, necessities and other infant items. Expectant parents can register on the public health website here. For those wanting to donate, a list of approved items can be found here. Note that the project will take used baby clothes, but other items must be new. Money and other gifts will be accepted until Friday, Oct. 24.
Might Be Fun
Mike Murray, the host of the NPR Backyard Astronomers program, will join the Montana Learning Center’s monthly event, “Beyond the Big Sky,” on Sept. 19 and Sept. 20. One weekend in each month over the summer, the center has opened its observatories to the public, featuring a different astronomy expert as a guest speaker. Murray’s appearance will mark the last Beyond the Big Sky night of the season. Participants must register and purchase tickets, $25 for adults and $15 for children.
Programming Note
Helena This Week will not publish on Monday, Sept. 22, while our reporter is on vacation. We will return to our regular publication schedule on Sept. 29.
