New Flathead County building on track for completion in 2022
May 11—Flathead County officials on Monday got a peak at their future offices in the county's North Campus Building in Kalispell, which is being remodeled to alleviate space needs as the county government expands to meet growing demand for services.
As with many other public and private construction projects, the cost of the North Campus Building renovations is expected to rise due to surging demand for materials and supplies.
The county purchased the two-story, 18,700-square-foot building at 290 N. Main St. for about $720,000 from CenturyLink last summer. After the renovations are completed sometime next spring, the building will be home to the county Treasurer's Office, the county Superintendent of Schools Office, the Motor Vehicles Department, the Accounting Department, the Election Department and Family Court Services.
"As the county grows, we've needed to grow services to match that growth, and so this really allows us to do that," said Commissioner Randy Brodehl, who voted to approve the project last year with then-Commissioner Phil Mitchell. Commissioner Pam Holmquist voted against the project, saying any expansion also should address space needs at the county jail.
THE INTERIOR of the building has been gutted, and crews on Monday were preparing to sheathe the subfloor with a new layer of plywood.
The renovations will include plumbing and electrical upgrades; raising a portion of the ceiling to accommodate offices; installing sprinklers throughout the building for fire suppression; adding an entrance near the northwest corner of the building; and adjusting the grade of the roof to divert rainwater to gutters, instead of two existing roof drains that have leaked in the past.
Cushing Terrell is the architecture firm on the project, and the county hired Martel Construction to carry out the bulk of the renovations. County Administrator Mike Pence said months-old projections from the two companies placed their costs at about $3.9 million and $4.5 million, respectively, but those figures are subject to change.
"We will be getting bids from all the subcontractors toward late May, and that will give us real cost numbers that will likely be significantly higher due to the escalating costs for construction materials and supplies," he said.
The same trend recently has driven up the projected costs of the Parkline Trail in Kalispell and a road reconstruction project in Whitefish.
Still, the North Campus Building is expected to be a significantly cheaper way to add space than other options the county has studied in recent years.
THE COMPLETION of the renovations will set off a sort of game of musical chairs. The departments slated to relocate to the building currently are spread across the South Campus Building, at the southeast corner of 11th Street and First Avenue West, and the Courthouse West building two blocks to the north, beside the Justice Center.
The county operates two courts for different levels and types of crimes. To address growing caseloads, the Montana Legislature this year approved funding for a fifth Flathead County District Court judge and accompanying staff starting in 2023. To make room for them in the Justice Center, the smaller Justice Court will relocate to Courthouse West, which currently houses the Motor Vehicles Department.
"We've known all along that if they approved a fifth judge, we're going to have to provide space for a fifth judge, hopefully in the same building ... where the courts are currently located," Pence said.
The Justice Center and Courthouse West will undergo smaller renovations. The Flathead City-County Health Department also will use space currently occupied by the Election Department in the South Campus Building, Pence said.
"Just doing each of these pieces over a period of two and a half years approximately, we're going to be solving space needs for multiple offices and departments," he said.
Reporter Chad Sokol can be reached at 758-4439 or csokol@dailyinterlake.com
