Library considers 2 options

Tidyman's or Flathead Valley Community College?

The Flathead County Library Board played "six-on-one-hand, a-half-dozen-on-the-other" with that question in a Thursday workshop session on how to approach moving the main Kalispell library to a new location.

Right now, the library's Kalispell facility occupies 23,250 square feet of the three-story, 29,250-square-foot former U.S. Post Office building in downtown Kalispell. The Kalispell library also has only five parking spaces, including two reserved for handicapped drivers.

The Kalispell school district owns the 92-year-old building and leases most of it to the county library system.

The library board believes a 55,000-square-foot building with more meeting spaces, more room for books, and a significant amount of parking is needed.

It is looking at the old Tidyman's building at 55 First Ave. E.N. - with a preliminary estimate for buying the site and overhauling the building of $16 million to $19 million.

And the board is looking at building a new library on land donated by Flathead Valley Community College - a project in the preliminary price range of $16 million to almost $19 million.

Library Director Kim Crowley cautioned that all cost estimates are soft and likely to change - as well as the Tidyman's and community college site's figures not being apples-to-apples comparisons.

The board hopes to raise roughly one-eighth of the final estimated cost through private donations, with the rest likely to be financed through a bond sale that will face a public vote.

The board hoped to get a bond ballot ready by next June.

Board members fretted about Tidyman's possibly being sold to another buyer. "Tidyman's is not going to be available to us forever," board member Anne Moran said.

Consequently, members want to decide on Tidyman's or the community college site as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the school district - whose administration offices and a tiny warehouse area occupy 6,000 square feet of the downtown building - wants to expand both its administrative space and warehouse space. The warehouse space is earmarked to be located elsewhere.

However, the district either want its administration to take over the entire building or move elsewhere, Superintendent Darlene Schottle told the library board. She hopes to make such a recommendation to the school board in three to six months.

So far, patrons of the main county library in Kalispell appear to prefer a move to Tidyman's, Crowley said.

Board members said they have received no indications from Kalispell city government on whether it prefers Tidyman's or the community college site.

Board member Jerry Hanson said the initial financial figures plus other pros and cons are tightly matched for the two locations - and the city government's opinion could influence the final decision.

When looking at Tidyman's, board members said:

. It initially appears cheaper than building a library from scratch at the community college.

. It has a vast amount of parking.

. It would be highly visible in the downtown and could boost that area. On the other hand, it would be in a downtown area with limited growth in recent years. It is near Depot Park.

. It would be within walking distance for many homes.

When looking at moving to Flathead Valley Community College, board members said:

. That site is closer to Flathead County's emerging economic center in northern Kalispell.

. A more attractive building can be constructed from scratch.

. It would be close to the college's library.

. The library and the community college would find themselves in a close and likely complicated relationship. Policies would have to be hammered out with the county library being on the college's campus. College students could end up using a major portion of the library's computers. Questions would arise about the college and library possibly sharing support staff.

. The library could obtain access to college space for programs.

. U.S. 93 is a heavily traveled road, which could be a plus or a minus to the library. Walking to the library would be difficult, if not impossible.

Reporter John Stang may be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at jstang@dailyinterlake.com