Page 26 - Flathead Beacon // 7.9.14

26 | JULY 9, 2014 COVER FLATHEADBEACON.COM
“PEOPLE WILL NOT SEE ANY MAJOR CHANGES. WE WANT TO LIVE WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND THE FOLKS FOR A WHILE AND GET TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT. AT THIS MOMENT THERE ARE ZERO PLANS TO MAKE ANY CHANGES.”
Cindy Ognjanov, GPI President
we are a family here. Even though we are a corporate entity, we are a family.”
The sale by the Lundgren family buoyed GPI’s future, giving it owner- ship of the West Glacier Mercantile, the West Glacier Motel and Cabins, the West Glacier Gift Shop, the West Glacier Res- taurant, the West Glacier Bar (known locally as “Freda’s”) and about 200 acres of land, most of it undeveloped, in and around the small community.
The sale also includes nearly 4 acres of inholding within Glacier National Park, in the form of Apgar Village Lodge and the Cedar Tree Gift Shop, as well as staff housing units in both Apgar and West Glacier.
But to many locals, the transaction signaled uncertain change for a commu- nity that has done everything it can to avoid the boomtown development flank- ing its boundaries, as well as that of oth- er national parks.
Rumors of the deal had swirled around the close-knit village for months, and in the days before the deal was con-
firmed, even before the ink was dry on the contract, the outcry rose to a fever pitch. With the deal confirmed, some local residents greeted the announce- ment with paralyzing dismay, incredu- lous that their imperishable community might be subject to sudden change at the hands of a corporation beholden to a bottom line of profit, not preservation.
A social media campaign sprang up on Facebook, and as rumors of the sale grew a newly created page called “Save Historic West Glacier Village” be- gan portending corporate doom for the quaint town site of West Glacier, which for nearly 70 years has gone relatively unchanged.
One longtime resident, Josh Pauley, expressed his disappointment in the Lundgren family, posting that they were “betraying the trust of their neighbors and sacrificing the soul of the town.”
A petition to place the area on the National Register of Historic Places be- gan circulating, and allegations of se- cret, backchannel dealings between GPI
ABOVE: Cindy Ognjanov, President of Gla- cier Park Inc., speaks about the purchase of business operations in West Glacier
on July 2. After nearly seven decades of family ownership, Glacier Park Inc. has purchased the business operations and 200 acres of adjacent land from the Lun- dgren family that provide a gateway to Glacier National Park and Apgar Village. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
LEFT: The West Glacier Mercantile is one of the operations the Lundgren family sold last week to GPI.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON