Flathead Valley Reentry Center prepares to release first residents, plans to add more staff

The Flathead Valley Reentry Center is fully operational and on track to release its first resident offenders into the community this month.

That news came as Operations Manager Jim Sanderson gave Kalispell City Council a rundown Monday of how the facility has been operating since it accepted its first residential inmates in November 2025. 

Reentry centers, also known as prelease centers, transition offenders back into society. The facility located at 1150 E. Oregon St. in Evergreen houses 40 residents, all of whom were convicted of felonies. 

Thirty-five are serving sentences for crimes committed in Flathead, Lincoln or Lake counties, according to Sanderson.  

“We learned that there was a big hesitation of bringing people from other counties into this center,” Sanderson said. “We don’t have any intention of doing that.”  

While living there, residents must find employment and are expected to stay for six to nine months.  

Twenty-eight residents work in the community and four are employed by the facility. Of the eight who are unemployed, four are severely disabled, making it difficult for them to find jobs, while three have been at the facility for less than two weeks, Sanderson said.  

“That means we have one problem child that we’re attempting to seek employment for next,” he said.  

Sanderson said the facility’s population will gradually climb toward its 90-person capacity as new employees are trained. He has hired 31 new state employees so far and plans to bring on an additional case manager and security officers soon. 

The resident offenders soon to be released into the community will remain under the supervision of probation and parole, according to Sanderson.  

The reentry center is the first state-owned facility in Montana. Not-for-profits typically operate the facilities under contract with the state Department of Corrections, but the agency couldn’t find any willing to operate one in Flathead County, according to Sanderson.  

“And if you look at a map it was very needed in this area,” he said.  

A vast majority of convicted felons in Flathead County looking to be housed in prerelease centers had to go to Missoula or Great Falls, making it more uncomfortable to reintegrate when they come back to the Flathead, Sanderson said.  

“They’re coming home to not a job and it’s just not a good environment to get them the sound footing to act like reasonable citizens,” he said.  

AFTER THE report, Councilors OK’d a preliminary plat to develop a commercial subdivision in South Kalispell.  

Developer Todd Gardner will subdivide 36.88 acres zoned B-5 (industrial business) into 10 lots for commercial/light industrial use. 

The South Town Plaza Subdivision is part of a 95-acre planned unit development approved by Council in September 2024 that will see both commercial and residential areas and includes an Amazon distribution warehouse.  

Hunter said that the preliminary plat request was likely the last one Council will review after the subdivision regulation reforms mandated under state law come into effect. The new rules make preliminary plat approvals purely administrative.  

“This won’t come before us in the future,” he said.  

Council also approved increased salaries for public sector employees under a new bargaining agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.  

In addition, Council greenlit increased salaries for appointed officers and non-union employees.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 406-758-4407 or junderhill@dailyinterlake.com. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.