County may demolish moldy building near landfill

The Flathead County Solid Waste District board is pondering what to do with a former pawn-shop building and accompanying 1.8 acres the county purchased in 2015 for $520,000.

About 10 years ago contamination from the groundwater plume emanating from the unlined portion of the nearby landfill made its way to the water well serving the building on U.S. 93 that once was Fenders restaurant and most recently housed a pawn shop. The contamination was minuscule, less than one part per billion, but required the county to supply a carbon filtration system to the building owner, according to county Public Works Director Dave Prunty.

“When that [contamination] happens, one approach is to buy the property,” he said. “When it came available two years ago the county commissioners said yes.”

Money used to purchase the building and land came out of the Solid Waste District budget, using revenue collected from the annual landfill assessment on property taxes.

Last year the Solid Waste District board asked Whitefish real estate consultant Turner Askew for help in finding a tenant for the property.

“That was unsuccessful and we haven’t actively tried to rent or lease the building,” Prunty said. “The building is sound, but it’s been beat up over 30 years. It’s pretty rough inside.”

Now the building has a mold problem, too. A county building maintenance employee recently noticed mold on the basement walls, so Mold Wranglers of Whitefish was hired to check it out. The inspection showed elevated levels of stachybotrys-type mold, a toxigenic mold that can have serious health effects. Additionally, there were elevated levels of penicillium/aspergillus-type mold, also a health risk, Prunty said.

The Solid Waste District is spending about $2,600 for natural gas and electric service to keep the heat at 55 degrees. The water is shut off.

Given the water contamination and mold problems, it’s possible the Solid Waste District board will recommend demolishing the building. The commissioners have the final say.

“Knowing it’s a dilapidated building, the mold, cleanup, Mike (County Administrator Mike Pence) and I said we’re not sure this is worth saving,” Prunty told the commissioners last week.

An inspection for asbestos would need to be conducted if the building is refurbished or torn down.

If the building is razed, the property would be retained as open space. It’s an area along the highway that would be ideal for a new entrance sign for the landfill, Prunty said.

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