As Flathead County continues to watch the rise of the South Campus Building in Kalispell, which will be the new home for the county’s Agency on Aging program, the recent addition of a patio marked dreams turning into reality.
The patio is part of the multimillion dollar building project, but was not accounted for in the financial plans of the South Campus Building. The patio had been cut from the project when the county commissioners sought to reduce the costs for the building.
Removing the patio saved about $10,000 for the $7 million building, but members of the local senior population were upset about losing outdoor seating options at the new facility.
When the public learned the commission had cut the patio from the project, Diane Queen Miller led the fundraising efforts to raise more than $7,000 for equipment. The patio itself was donated through work from Alpine Sprinklers and Landscape and several other local businesses.
Along with the patio, the funds will provide for comfortable outdoor seating to furnish the patio, which will serve the ground-level Agency on Aging, as well as the Kalispell Senior Center.