Roundup for Safety provides seed money for safer parking at Flathead Industries

Flathead Electric Cooperative’s Roundup for Safety Board approved a $12,000 grant request to provide seed money in support of Flathead Industries’ long awaited capital improvement project. Specifically, funds were awarded towards $88,113.00 for proposed parking lot improvements.  

Flathead Industries provides individualized direct care services to people with disabilities to help them live, work, and play in their community. Founded in 1973, Flathead Industries has grown from serving eight individuals with disabilities to 240 today. Flathead Industries thrift stores, located throughout the valley, employ another 88 individuals with disabilities.    

“When the Parkline walking trail was installed in downtown Kalispell, Flathead Industries celebrated but also lost most of its parking. The administration building and parking lot serves hundreds of people daily, from the public stopping by our clearance store to our clients with developmental disabilities to our administrative staff and employees from other locations in the valley who come to the main office for meetings and trainings,” said Patrick Maddison, Flathead Industries CEO. “The unpaved parking area we are using now is extremely hazardous in the winter, as it becomes an ice-skating rink. Last year alone, five people suffered slips and falls, with varying degrees of injuries.”   

Roundup for Safety funding comes from participating Flathead Electric Cooperative members who allow their monthly electric bills to be rounded up to the nearest dollar. The program costs each member about $6 per year and has provided over $5 million in funding since 1997.