Flathead County has come to a tentative agreement with the owners of the old Walmart in Evergreen to purchase the building and the land around it for $2.8 million.
The county hopes to turn the nearly 130,000-square-foot building located along U.S. Highway 2 into a detention center and sheriff’s office, according to county administrator Mike Pence.
Pence said on July 28 that the county and the owners of the building have a verbal agreement to sell the building for $2.8 million, or about $21 per square foot. Since then, the county has sent a letter of intent that will finalize the price. After that, the county will have 60 days to complete an environmental study, feasibility study and an appraisal. Those projects will cost a combined $39,700. Once they are complete, the county commission will vote on whether to finalize the deal. Pence said the county could own the building and the 14 acres of land around it within three months.
“We wouldn’t have put this much energy and effort into this if we didn’t think it would work,” he said. “This will save the taxpayers money.”
Jail space in Flathead County is at a minimum. The existing jail, located near downtown Kalispell, was built to house 63 people, but the daily inmate population currently averages around 100 people, forcing the staff to double-bunk the inmates and turn away non-violent offenders.