Annex demolition planned Saturday

The west annex at the Flathead County Courthouse is pegged for demolition on Saturday.

The two annexes, which sit on the east and west sides of the main courthouse, have been vacant since December. Once the courthouse renovation was completed late last year, county employees moved out of the annexes into the courthouse and the Earl Bennett Building.

County commissioners tried to sell the annexes at a sheriff’s sale last year, but no one bid on either building, in spite of the low asking price of $2,700 per building. However, the new owner would have been required to move the buildings off the courthouse campus.

County officials considered moving the annexes to other county-owned land, but when move estimates came in between $30,000 and $70,000, the commissioners decided against that option and decided to demolish the structures.

The west courthouse parking lot will be closed at 5 p.m. Thursday and will remain closed for several days as equipment for Saturday’s work is brought in, county Public Works Director Dave Prunty said.

Employees from the road and parks departments expect to start the demolition effort around 7:30 a.m. Saturday and wrap up around 2:30 p.m.

All metal inside the building has been removed by county employees to be recycled, Prunty said.

The rest of the waste will be processed, loaded into dump trucks and hauled to the landfill beginning Monday morning. Prunty expects the haul effort to take all of next week. The county must pay the solid waste district to dispose of the waste.

The east annex will be demolished either Saturday, April 14, or the following Saturday, April 21, Prunty said.

When that work occurs, the same schedule will be followed, he said, with the east parking lot closed at the end of business on Thursday and a six-hour Saturday demolition effort.

County workers will haul in fill dirt to plug the holes left behind, Prunty said. Some minimal landscaping is planned this spring at the two sites.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.