This fall, the boiler failed at the Glacier Discovery Square in Columbia Falls, prompting a call for community support to help replace it as the winter months set in.
According to the First Best Place, the community center has hosted 20,000 people a year for the past two years for various activities and events. The group also has plans to renovate Discovery Square further and hopes to move the Columbia Falls branch of the Flathead County Library System into a space there.
The boiler failed as a result of aging, the group said, and will have to be replaced in order to keep the doors at Discovery Square open. The new boiler system will be energy-efficient and part of the facility’s permanent heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrade.
Barry Conger of First Best Place said the facility would use temporary heaters during Columbia Falls’ Night of Lights celebration on Dec. 2, but a more permanent solution is needed.
“You can help make a difference in your community right now by making a contribution for a new boiler,” Conger said. “Without it, Discovery Square will not be able to remain the central activity space in our community.”
According to First Best Place’s website, the group has secured a $3,000 matching grant for donations. To make a donation, visit www.firstbestplace.org. The goal for donations listed on the website is $15,000.