New district courtroom opens marking end of two-year project

Still smelling of freshly painted walls and new carpet, a brand new district courtroom inside the Flathead County Justice Center has opened.

The courtroom’s completion marks the end of a multi-phase project aimed at creating more space for county services and creating the necessary room to accommodate adding a fifth district court judge.

The addition of a judge was announced in May 2021 with funding for the position and support staff approved by the Montana Legislature. The Montana Supreme Court administrator in years leading up to the decision had endorsed the expansion, citing the judicial district’s caseload and the county’s burgeoning population.

Devin Kuntz, Flathead County District Court administrator, said criminal court cases in the county have been consistently increasing by about 2% to 3% every year and civil cases have seen a significant increase also.

“The fifth judge provides better access and timely access to justice and the Legislature agreed with that,” Kuntz said.

But the county needed to provide space for a courtroom and the administrative staff that comes along with an additional judge. The Justice Center only had four courtrooms and no room to construct a fifth. Officials determined that by moving several departments, the Justice Center could be renovated for the new courtroom now located on the second floor of the building.

“It was a complex game of dominos,” said Whitney Aschenwald, the county’s project manager and grant writer. “We had to complete three significant building renovation projects and move five departments at staggered periods of time to finally create the empty space needed to build the fifth courtroom.”

It took about two years to complete the remodels and departmental moves required to open the new courtroom. Aschenwald praised the county’s contractor Martel Construction and architect Cushing Terrell for their work on the project.

“They were able to manage the different phases and tight timeline despite all the supply chain issues and labor shortages that have been challenging to the industry and our area,” she said.

The county’s North Complex, the former CenturyLink building on North Main Street, was renovated to house the Superintendent of Schools, Family Court Services, the Election Department and the Treasurer department. That building opened in April 2022 at a cost of about $6.6 million.

Flathead County Justice Court, which had been located on the second floor in the Justice Center, moved into the Courthouse West building following renovation. The move took place in December 2022 and the remodel cost $2.27 million.

Finally, the new district courtroom was finished earlier this month with a renovation cost of $1.17 million. Judge Amy Eddy and her staff have moved into the office space adjacent to the new courtroom.

Judge Danni Coffman, who was elected last year, took the bench in January as the fifth district judge.

Kuntz said the district court judges have always worked to get the job accomplished, but it was challenging without the number of judges necessary to keep up with a busy docket.

“We’re already feeling the relief from having an extra judge,” he said. “It’s creating the lead time necessary for the judges to make the best decisions.”

Features Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.