Sanders County Ledger - Your Best Source For Sanders County News

Construction of a new Plains School multi-function facility is more than halfway done and progress is moving along at a steady pace.

The new structure, which primarily will house a gymnasium and art classroom, is scheduled to be completed June 30 and ready for students in the fall, said Superintendent Thom Chisholm, who designed the 12,000-square foot structure with Kevin Meredith, the high school principal, and Jim Holland, the elementary principal.  

Chisholm is pleased with the progress of Western Interstate Construction, which was awarded the contract last July and started work on the building in mid October. The Missoula firm hired several subcontractors with a little over 30 workersfor the building's different construction aspects. The concrete flooring was done in January and Peak Development of Corvallis started installing the heavy steel walls last week, finishing on Thursday. Plans were to begin insulation and the roof this week. Chisholm said there will be thicker insulation in the walls and roof of the new structure than is in the present gym.

Western Interstate Construction was one of four companies that bid on the project, although two withdrew right away. Chisholm said it was a close call between Western Interstate Construction, which built the elementary school wing in 2014, and Jackson Contractor Group, also of Missoula. 

The building project was the result of a $750,000 grant from the Montana Department of Commerce in 2019 and an anonymous donation of $400,000. Officials have been planning for a new building for several years. It was initially planned as an L-shaped structure and just over 11,000 square feet, but it was altered by In2itive Architecture of Missoula. The final design made it a rectangle at 150 feet long, 80 feet wide and 20 feet high, 24 at the center. Although the 7,580-square-foot gymnasium will primarily be used for elementary and junior high sports, high school games and practices could also be done there, which will ease the scheduling difficulties and save the school from renting gym space from the Plains Alliance Church. 

"I'm super happy with what they've done, and they didn't take down my tree," said Chisholm, referring to a maple tree about 15 feet from the building's south wall on Johnson Street that he wanted to save. The superintendent said that workers were often at the site 12 hours a day, five days a week and have not been slowed by weather. 

Mike Cole, the high school athletic director, will have his office in the new building, and his wife, Kristen Cole, will have her art classroom in the new building. Along with the gym, locker rooms and public restrooms, the new facility will house the janitorial space and a 490-square-foot "flex" space that could be used as a classroom, conference room or a space for concessions. A portion of the building will have a second-story mezzanine, which will be used for storage of athletic gear, and for performing arts.   

The facility will also be utilized for performing arts, such as concerts and the drama club, which has been putting on their plays at the Sanders County Fairgrounds pavilion and costing the school $1,200 a year. The building will have a large automatic roll-up garage door for the drama club and for when the Montana Repertory Theatre hauls in their stage equipment. Chisholm, the superintendent for more than 10 years, said the drama club will be able to utilize a remote control light system to change colors and density for performances. The art class will also be able to use the lights. There will be a portable stage that will be in sections and on rollers for performing arts events.

Sewer and water will be hooked up in March. As the walls are erected, passersby can see the school colors forming. Chisholm said there will be a 14-foot tall, 22-foot long steel horse attached to the west side of the building. Chisholm is particularly pleased that the building will be a buffer for the school playground, serving as a windbreak and making it more secure for students.