A valentine gift for Kalispell
Hotel company announces donation of land for Glacier Performing Arts Center
Kalispell and the Flathead Valley got a great big Valentine's Day present Tuesday from Red Lion Hotels.
The company - together with GVD Commercial Properties, its partner in the Kalispell Center Mall - announced that it is donating three acres of land for the proposed Glacier Performing Arts Center.
The property is just north of the mall, across the railroad tracks, on an empty lot that used to be occupied by the Equity Supply grain elevator.
The donation ensures that the arts center, if and when it's completed, will be near the center of the valley. It marks a critical milestone in the five-year effort to build the facility, which would be the largest of its kind among Billings, Calgary and Spokane.
"This is a tremendous gift for us all," said Jean Hagan, president of the arts center board. "We believe that, by working together, the community can and will build this facility, which will serve as a focal point for arts, entertainment and the exchange of ideas."
The 1,300-seat concert hall would offer a venue for a wide variety of cultural and entertainment activities, including musical performances, traveling theater shows, festivals and receptions.
It also could provide an incentive for further redevelopment in the area north of the tracks.
"That's what has happened in other communities," said Kalispell Area Chamber of Commerce President Joe Unterreiner, who also sits on the arts center board. "These facilities serve as an impetus for similar types of development - art studios, restaurants, and other arts and entertainment activities. The spillover can go for blocks and blocks."
Unterreiner noted that a variety of tourism, economic development and community assessment reports over the last several years have all recommended that the Flathead develop a regional performing arts center.
"Northwest Montana is known for its outstanding beauty and outdoor recreational opportunities, but we also need some cultural amenities," he said. "And something located in this area [downtown Kalispell] has been on the map since day one."
Another board member, Kalispell Mayor Pam Kennedy, said the performing arts center "will be an amazing anchor for the heart of the Flathead."
"Kalispell is the center of the Flathead Valley, and this is where the facility should be located," she said of the Red Lion property.
Further details about the center, including conceptual drawings, estimated cost, and fundraising and construction timetables, will be forthcoming in about three weeks.
After that, Hagan said, the arts center board will enter into a "quiet phase" of fundraising, looking for the major donors who will make or break the project.
"By the end of May, we'll assess whether we have enough lead donor participation to warrant going into a public [fundraising] phase," Hagan said.
Red Lion's gift is contingent upon construction beginning by April 2007.
Tom Maier, vice president of hotel operations for Red Lion (formerly WestCoast Hospitality Corp.), said the donation reflects the company's renewed commitment to downtown Kalispell and the Flathead Valley.
"It speaks to our desire to be long-term contributors to this community," he said.
During the past six months, Red Lion has partnered with GVD to revitalize Kalispell Center Mall, announced a $5 million renovation and expansion of the mall hotel, and now linked itself with a major cultural venue.
"We're combining hospitality, arts and entertainment, and retail - and helping establish a new anchor for downtown Kalispell," Maier said. "That's important to us, and to the community."