County seeks grant to study jail options

Flathead County officials hope to hear in January whether the county will get a $45,000 planning grant to study alternatives for expanding the county jail.

The county applied for a grant through the Community Development Block Grant program in the wake of a failed attempt to purchase the former Walmart building in Evergreen and convert it into a jail. The deal fell through when the building owner got a higher offer for the 128,708-square-foot former box store.

If the grant is awarded, the county would be required to put in a $15,000 match, according to county grant writer Whitney Aschenwald.

The money would pay for a preliminary architectural report that would study alternatives for expanding the jail, including an expansion of the existing jail, buying property and building a new jail or converting an existing facility.

“It’s taking a step back and looking at the alternatives and costs so the commissioners can make a better and more cost-effective decision,” Aschenwald said.

The study also would examine future space needs for the adult detention center now housed in the Justice Center. Recently the commissioners gave the go-ahead to move juvenile inmates to a Missoula facility to free up space for more adult prisoners.

The juvenile detention center, located across the street from the Justice Center, is being refurbished to house adult women inmates.

Jail overcrowding has been a headache for Flathead County for decades.

Built in 1985 to handle 63 prisoners at capacity, the existing county jail was overcrowded by the early 1990s and now typically houses more than 100 prisoners nightly.

Last year the commissioners created a funding mechanism to begin setting aside money for a jail expansion. The county is reclaiming mills not levied from past years and earmarking the new tax revenue for a jail expansion. The additional tax money, to be levied over seven years, is expected to generate close to $10 million.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.