College to seek bids on maintenance building

Flathead Valley Community College’s Board of Trustees voted Monday to solicit bids for a new maintenance building on the Kalispell campus.

College President Jane Karas said the building was designed and ready to go to bid. In March, trustees approved a contract with R. Skelton Architecture for design and construction administration of the new building.

Karas said the college took former custodial space and converted it into a nursing lab. Two bays of the Occupational Trades Building have been used for equipment storage but now are needed for students.

“The custodians have been scattered all over the college,” she said.

Karas said they need a secure area that can be locked to store equipment and supplies.

She does not know the exact cost of the building until bids are received. Karas added that the construction arena remains competitive and interest rates are low, so this is a good time to add a building. 

Trustees unanimously approved the start of the bid process that the college expects to take four weeks with a bid opening and contract award near the end of June.

Karas said the building is “stick built” so it should go up fairly quickly.

“We expect to complete it by November, depending on the weather, of course,” she said.

In an earlier interview, she said she didn’t know the exact location but it probably would be located behind the Arts and Technology Building. She said it would blend with other buildings on campus.

During the president’s update at the meeting, Karas credited the support of local legislators for partial restoration of dollars for the college in the state budget.

Karas said education reductions included a 5 percent across-the-board cut and a change to the state shared funding formula lowering funding for the community college. The five percent cut remained but the shared funding formula was returned to the same one used for this fiscal year.

“That was very beneficial to us,” she said. “Thanks to the local legislators for making that happen.”

She said graduation ceremonies went well. Karas said she had never seen graduates with more energy and excitement.

“It was one of those perfect evenings that reminds us all why we do what we do,” Karas said.

District Clerk Monica Settles swore in recently re-elected trustees Robert Nystuen, Tom Harding, Shannon Lund and John Phelps. The board held its own election, picking Nystuen as chairman, Phelps as vice chairman, Raylene Sliter as secretary-treasurer and Settles as clerk.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com .