Flathead County Makes Progress Toward New Detention Center
The Board of Commissioners on Thursday selected a firm to design the future expanded jail at a property in the Lower Valley; a bond for the new detention center is tentatively planned to be on the ballot next year
By Maggie Dresser
Flathead County officials are making progress toward building a new jail south of Kalispell after commissioners on Oct. 24 selected a design firm for the facility’s development.
Commissioners selected Elevatus Architecture with the design after a recommendation from a selection board of Flathead County officials and members of the public.
Elevatus Architecture specializes in jail designs that enhance safety, promote livability and address the present and future needs of justice facilities.
“This is much more efficient … we really need to update the jail, and we know the need is there,” Commissioner Pam Holmquist said. “We just want to do it right and as inexpensively as possible.”
The design firm selection marks the next step in the jail’s development, which officials have been funneling millions of dollars towards in recent years. The county in February purchased a $3.9 million, 115-acre property in Lower Valley located at 225 Snowline Lane that is planned for the site of the future detention facility.
Following the selection, the county will initiate a contract followed by a design phase and construction bids. A bond is tentatively planned to be on the ballot within the next year.
“Ultimately, it will be up to the voter and the community if they want to see it completed,” Holmquist said. “We’re doing it as conservatively as we can.”
According to a 2023 needs assessment, county officials identified a capacity of 250 beds in the future jail, more than double the current capacity in downtown Kalispell. A portion of the beds will address inmates with special needs and mental health challenges.
Following state and nationwide trends, Flathead County’s overall crime rate trended downward between 2010 and 2020, peaking in 2015, according to the assessment.
In 2021, 89% of the Flathead County Detention Center’s inmate population was charged with felonies, even as three quarters of all inmates were either released on their own recognizance or bonded out. The female population has decreased 23% between 2015 and 2021, according to the assessment, while the proportion of Native Americans rose from 5% to almost 10% during the same time frame.
Holmquist emphasized the importance of design efficiency of a central hub on a single floor to enable jail staff to supervise inmates. The current detention center has multiple floors, while plumbing in the outdated building on Main Street continues to cause problems.
“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but we are moving forward and we’re further than we’ve ever been,” Holmquist said.