Hearings held on Cedar Palace purchase for new county jail

Flathead County Commissioners are holding two public hearings to take comments on plans for the county to purchase the former “Cedar Palace” in Columbia Falls as a possible site for a new jail.

The purchase price for the building, along with a data center building and adjoining acreage owned by Weyerhaeuser Co. is $2.6 million.

Commissioners recently approved a purchase and sale agreement that begins a 60-day public comment period before making a final decision.

Public comments will be taken on Monday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. at the Columbia Falls Junior High School at 1805 Talbot Road, and on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. at the Flathead County Courthouse at 800 South Main Street in Kalispell.

County Administrator Mike Pence in a release said the commissioners are “proceeding with due diligence efforts” regarding the potential purchase.

The purchase includes a 35,000-square-foot office complex built in the early 1980s by Plumb Creek Timber Co., along with the second building and about 24 acres of land. The property is zoned for light industrial development.

Weyerhaeuser, which obtained Plum Creek Timber, listed the office building and property for sale earlier this year.

Flathead County has been preparing for a new jail for years and its five-year capital improvement plan includes $50 million in funding for a new jail. The plan calls for asking voters to support a $37 million bond, while distributing the expense of a new adult detention center over three years.

The county this summer opened a $1.6 million addition to the existing jail as a temporary fix. The county converted space on the second floor of the Justice Center in Kalispell into a 40-bed facility.