A contingent of Columbia Falls officials has joined the prerelease center site committee in what they say is an effort to become better informed about the potential effects the project could have on the Flathead Valley.
The Columbia Falls City Council recently selected City Manager Bill Shaw, Police Chief Dave Perry and Councilman Doug Karper to represent the city’s interests on the committee.
“It’s just to have an opportunity for the community to hear what this facility would contribute and what would be involved with its occupants,” Shaw said in an interview last week.
Shaw and Columbia Falls Mayor Don Barnhart have publicly expressed interest in possibly housing the 40-bed facility in the city if the current committee cannot find a suitable location in the Kalispell area.
The prerelease site committee has had considerable trouble with site efforts since the center was proposed in 2008. Opposition from Kalispell residents and business owners forced the state Department of Corrections to reject an April 2009 decision by the Kalispell City Council to build it on the southern end of town.
Now, the committee is considering property along U.S. Highway 2 between Conn Road and Pioneer Road. The location is close enough to Columbia Falls that committee Chairperson Bonnie Olson invited the city officials to take part in the process.
Shaw asserted that joining the committee is not a concrete sign that Columbia Falls wants the prerelease center in, or near, its community. He said being involved in the meetings would keep residents better informed.
The site selection committee has been largely focusing on the Kalispell area, Shaw said, so many people in his city have not given the proposed center a second thought. Columbia Falls residents should be aware of the center’s details, however, regardless of where it is located in the valley, Shaw said.
That was the majority opinion of the Columbia Falls City Council during the Jan. 19 meeting when they voted to select the members. The decision to join the committee was not unanimous, with Councilman Dave Petersen voting against it.
According to minutes from the Jan. 19 meeting, Petersen said that he did not see a benefit for the community and he did not want to give the impression that Columbia Falls wants a prerelease center in its city.
In addition, Columbia Falls resident Mickey Lapp wrote a letter to the council outlining her concerns that a prerelease center in the Flathead Valley could negatively affect the tourism industry, especially in the “Gateway to Glacier Park.”
But for Perry, joining the site committee is less about stumping to house the center and more about keeping the city in the loop. Like Shaw, Perry said Columbia Falls doesn’t have a lot of specific information on how the center may affect the valley. He is unsure whether he would support its location within the city, but is open to finding out more details.
“We’ll have a lot of information coming forward,” Perry said. “I’m open-minded to look at it. That doesn’t mean I’m going to make a decision, ‘yea’ or ‘nay.’”
The decision to join the committee came after a written invitation from Olson. Olson said last week that the committee sent out member requests to both Columbia Falls and Whitefish because the latest prospective center site is close to both towns. Whitefish declined the invitation, she added.
The prospective site land on Highway 2 falls in Columbia Falls’ fire district and within School District 6.
“It was just a matter of trying to be appropriate with all of the cities,” Olson said. “At the very minimum, it was just to say, ‘We recognize that we are getting close to you guys.’”
Perry said the sheriff’s department would be responsible for the site if it ends up on that stretch of U.S. Highway 2, but Shaw said he imagined that Columbia Falls police officers would probably assist sheriff’s deputies if there were an incident.
None of the new members has attended a committee meeting yet. The first opportunity will be on Feb. 18, Olson said. She also stressed that a site has not been chosen and there may still be changes in the future.
Even if there are changes, Shaw said he hopes the committee would consider giving a presentation at a public meeting in Columbia Falls in the near future to further inform residents on the potential center.
The 2007 Legislature approved funding for the creation of a prerelease center in Northwest Montana. Prerelease centers help offenders as they transition from prison to communities by offering a higher level of supervision and various services, including education and job training opportunities.
The Butte-based nonprofit Community, Counseling and Correctional Services Inc. won the bid to operate the facility.