Could old store become new library?

Tidyman's site under discussion

By WILLIAM L. SPENCE

The Daily Inter Lake

Flathead County officials are looking at the possibility of converting the former Tidyman's grocery store in downtown Kalispell into a new public library.

The Library Board discussed the opportunity with the county commissioners on Tuesday morning. No decision was made, but several options were considered.

Library Director Kim Crowley said the cost to purchase and refurbish the grocery would be around $11 million, including $5 million to $6 million for renovation, equipment and fixtures.

By comparison, the estimated cost of building an entirely new library is about $16 million.

The Library Board has reviewed a number of alternatives for building or buying a larger facility since 2003, when a space needs study determined that a 60,000-square-foot main branch would be needed by 2025 to adequately serve the county's population.

That's more than double the amount of room currently available in the Kalispell branch.

The initial expectation was that the library would move out of its First Avenue East branch into a new facility - possibly located at Flathead Valley Community College, which has offered to donate land for the project.

However, after Tidyman's closed its Kalispell store last August, board member Dave Hill said the building owners approached the library and offered to sell the structure for $4.4 million. He said the building's appraised value is about $3.8 million.

The store's downtown location and ample parking are attractive features. It has about 55,000 square feet at ground level, and the building is high enough that at least a portion of it could be split into two stories.

Moreover, "we have an opportunity with the Tidyman's store to save taxpayers about $5 million" compared to new construction, Hill noted.

The opportunity arose a bit early for the Library Board, though.

While it has done some planning and has some money set aside for a new facility, the board hasn't started a formal fundraising effort. Consequently, it doesn't have enough money to buy Tidyman's now, and doesn't even have a firm idea how much of the overall cost would be raised from private sources compared to a voter-approved bond.

On Tuesday, the commissioners said they were open to the possibility of co-locating some county offices in the store as a way to help make it affordable. They also indicated that they weren't opposed to putting a bond request on the ballot, although they want the Library Board to develop a clear financial plan that spells out how much of the total cost would be paid for by taxpayers and how much would come through private fundraising efforts.

The commissioners could declare a special bond election at any point. Otherwise, a library bond would have to wait for the next county election, which would be the 2008 primary.

The primary would give the Library Board a year to develop a game plan and do some fundraising. However, it also puts the burden on the board to somehow secure the Tidyman's building so it doesn't get sold in the meantime.

Based on Tuesday's discussion, the board indicated it would review the various options and come up with a plan for moving forward.

Reporter Bill Spence may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at bspence@dailyinterlake.com