Location: Columbia Falls, MT
Project Size: 77,500 SF
Completed: 2022

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Built in 1975, Ruder Elementary in Columbia Falls had outgrown itself: outdated boilers that had never been replaced, an undersized gym doing double duty as the school's dining space (eating into up to four physical education periods a day), and a layout that forced students to move between a main building and a separate annex, raising both safety and scheduling concerns. As Superintendent Steve Bradshaw put it at the time, "Practices aren't terribly dangerous but it's not comfortable to have soccer practice and football practice going on in the same area."

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Voters approved a $37 million elementary bond in October 2019, covering improvements at Ruder and Glacier Gateway Elementary as the district planned for enrollment growth from roughly 500 to 650 students over the bond's 20-year span. Swank Enterprises was selected as general contractor and construction manager, working alongside a design team that included Morrison-Maierle, DCI Engineers, and LPW Architecture.

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Construction began in January 2021 on a $10.9 million expansion and remodel that added 28,640 square feet of new space, bringing the school to roughly 77,500 square feet total and raising capacity to 644 K-5 students. With staff and student safety as the top priority, Swank carefully phased the work to keep Ruder fully operational throughout: the new addition was built and completed first, allowing teachers to relocate into finished, move-in-ready classrooms in summer 2021 before demolition and remodeling began on the original 1975 building. That sequencing kept active construction zones separated from occupied classrooms and clear of students and staff during the school day, with work in the original building continuing through the 2021-22 school year and into part of 2022 as the district's schedule allowed.

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The finished project joined the school's previously separate buildings into one connected facility, addressing the safety and security concerns of the old layout. It added ten new classrooms with natural lighting and individual sinks, a 4,700-square-foot combined cafeteria and multipurpose room with acoustical design, an elevated stage and music room, a secure vestibule entrance, relocated main and nurse's offices, new restrooms, teacher workrooms and breakout spaces, updated HVAC and LED lighting throughout, and a redesigned parking lot separating bus and drop-off lanes.

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The build leaned on the local community wherever possible — materials sourced from Weyerhaeuser and Western Building Center, wood framing used in place of steel studs, and a construction crew drawing heavily on local trade workers.

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