KALISPELL — The Flathead County commissioners have entered an agreement to purchase a 114-acre piece of property just south of Kalispell that could be the home of a future jail.
The property is located at 225 Snowline Lane with a total purchase price costing $3.9 million.
Flathead County has until February 28, 2024, to close the sale which is contingent on a number of factors — including annexation and environmental analysis.
Flathead County Commissioner Pam Holmquist said the Flathead County Detention Center — which was originally built in the mid-1980s — has dealt with overcrowding issues for years.
She said a new jail requires a specific build so it’s easier to start construction from scratch instead of re-purposing an old building.
Holmquist said the county has some savings put aside for a new jail but would likely ask voters to vote on a bond measure in 2024.
“Once we get the first steps done like the property purchase, see what the connection fees all of that is, and then we can go to the next step which will probably be a bond and it will be up to the citizens of Flathead County if they want to finance a jail," added Holmquist.
Holmquist estimates construction of a new jail would cost between $100 million and $120 million.
