HELENA — There have been numerous steps taken since the passage of the Helena Public Schools high school bonds last September, and the community has had the opportunity to see those steps come to life through the design and floor plans for the new Helena High, the Project for Alternative Learning, athletic facilities, and the district kitchen.
(WATCH: Community gets a look at floor plans for new Helena High campus)
“The community is the design team,” Tim Meldrum, with A&E + SMA Design, said.
Around fifty members of the community gathered at Helena High on Thursday evening to learn more about the reimagined campus that will break ground this summer and have kids in the building by fall of 2028.
“There is a lot of emotion tied to that, and I feel that for our community,” Helena Public Schools Superintendent Rex Weltz shared. “There are thousands of people that walk through this building, and there is a lot of sentimental value to this building, so when we talk about building new, you also have to lose the old and say goodbye.”
Architects from A&E + SMA, who were selected by the district back in October, along with general contractor Dick Anderson, shared an in-depth look at the plans.
“We have gotten the community involved, teachers, students involved, and that perspective has really helped a lot just because we have to balance the scales of everything,” Meldrum noted. "We want to get the wishlist but also satisfy the constraints.”
Current estimates for the project are around $147.1 million, including demolition and construction. The new Helena High School will be three stories, preserving the existing gym. PAL school will be located in the south wing of the building on floors two and three.
The design team says preserving them as their own school has been important.
“That was discussed a lot, is individuality, that autonomy,” Meldrum shared.
Other pieces of the project include the district kitchen, which will be completed by the fall of next year, and the district stadium, which will sit on the current HHS footprint. The stadium construction is set to begin in the fall of 2028.
The district says communication and public input are important in this project. Once construction starts, the district will have a livestream camera on its website to keep up with the project.
Weltz said, “It really is that we have three separate projects going on, but it is one community project, and I am mindful of that, and it is a great opportunity.”
