Dispute threatens to shelve new library branch

Is the Flathead County Library Board serious about building a new facility in Kalispell?

One has to wonder after it unexpectedly distanced itself from the Flathead Library Foundation during a combative meeting last month. 

In a 4-1 vote, the board essentially decided to break up with the library’s fundraising arm amid efforts to launch a capital campaign for a new Kalispell branch. Specifically, the vote was to reject a fundraising agreement the foundation had presented the board in April which asked trustees to offer unanimous support for the building project, a commitment of capital improvement funds from the county and a commitment from the county to support the library in the future.  

Library board chair Dave Ingram said he found the conditions to be “coercive” and later suggested that the board could handle the capital campaign on its own. Firebrand trustee Carmen Cuthbertson took the hostility a step further and accosted the foundation as unreliable, dishonest and untrustworthy. 

After the meeting, foundation executive director Sara Busse attempted to quash those accusations, saying the agreement was only intended to provide potential donors with basic assurances that their gifts won’t be squandered. 

As with many disagreements, the best path forward likely falls somewhere in between -- it’s called compromise. 

For the foundation’s part, it just may have to proceed without the full slate of conditions it is seeking. While it would be nice to go to donors knowing the project has the board’s full support, that shouldn’t be a wrench that jams the entire operation. Considering how politicized public libraries have become, a unanimous vote may be out of reach. 

Meanwhile, the board is foolish to think it would be better off without the support of a dedicated and proven fundraising arm.  

Let us not forget the Flathead Library Foundation’s successful pursuit of raising over $3 million to build a new branch in Bigfork. The beautiful and modern facility opened to the public last summer after just five years of fundraising, which mind you, took place during the Covid pandemic upheaval. 

It was a remarkable feat, and Ingram even praised the project at the time, saying he hoped it was just the first “of many efforts between the county and our communities to enhance our library facilities.” 

The Kalispell branch was next on the list.  

The board must reconcile its differences with the foundation if they truly want to see this capital campaign reach the finish line. It’d be a shame to see the effort derailed over egos and stubbornness.