City seeks proposals for armory

At least four ventures have expressed interest in developing 3.5-acre site

Kalispell will issue a request for proposals to buy and do something with the old Montana National Guard armory on the south side of town.

Although the armory, 1840 U.S. 93 S., had been long thought of as a potential community center, the Kalispell City Council and staff think a better site could be found elsewhere, likely close to the center of town.

The council Monday told City Manager Jim Patrick to seek business proposals for the armory site, which will have a minimum price tag of $1.2 million.

At least four people or ventures have voiced interest in the almost 3.5-acre site, including a proposal to put a hotel and convention center there, said Patrick and Susan Moyer, city community development director. Patrick declined to elaborate on the hotel proposal, other than saying the convention center portion could host as many as 1,000 people.

The city is scheduled to assume ownership of the armory after National Guard equipment is removed, which will be soon.

Council members said that if they do not like the proposals submitted for buying and using the armory site - in which the armory likely would be torn down - they can reject the submissions.

Council members were split on what to do with the $1.2 million or more that the city would receive from the sale. Some suggested that the money be used to pay the $1.1 million purchase price of the downtown Wells Fargo building, which will be the main city hall. Others suggested that the money be used to help buy a community center site and build the structure.

That issue will be tackled at a future workshop session.

Also on Monday the council:

-Reviewed preliminary plans to covert the Wells Fargo building into a new main city hall, requesting some changes to the floor plans.

The city is buying the site because city government and Wells Fargo want to move into bigger buildings. Wells Fargo is scheduled to leave its 18,000-square-foot downtown building by May 1, which is the deadline for the renovation plans to be complete, said Chad Grove of the Spokane-based architectural firm Grover and Co., which is handling the design work with Cole and Russell Architects of Cincinnati.

No deadline has been set to finish the renovations and move into the Wells Fargo building, though that move likely will occur in the fall.

The Wells Fargo Building will contain the council chambers and at least one other meeting room, plus offices for the mayor, city manager, city clerk and city attorney. It also will hold the Planning, Building, Community Development, Public Works, Finance and Human Resources departments.

The current city hall will be used as a public safety building - housing the police and fire departments, and the municipal court. The Parks and Recreation Department will move to the current Public Works building.

-Decided to address a request for a conditional-use permit to build a casino at the Town Pump convenience store and gas station, 2910 U.S. 93 S., before considering whether to annex the site.

Butte-based Montana Commerce owns the 4,100-square-foot Town Pump and wants to add a 2,100-square-foot casino that will offer beer and wine. The site is in Flathead County, and the county granted the company permission to build a casino and tavern. But Town Pump is on a septic system. The Flathead County-Kalispell Health Department won't OK expanding the septic system and is requiring an expanded site to hook up to a sewer system.

Montana Commerce wants to connect to Kalispell's sewer lines, but that also means that the site has to be annexed into the city. And that means the city becomes the entity that decides whether to approve the casino and tavern construction next to Town Pump.

On Jan. 10, Kalispell's Planning Board recommended that the council approve the annexation request. But the Planning Board also voted 4-2 to recommend that the council reject an application for a conditional-use permit to build a casino and tavern next to the convenience store because it would be within 300 feet of some county homes.

Kalispell zoning laws prohibit casinos within 300 feet of homes in the city.

Although no city residences are within 300 feet of the Town Pump, a majority of Planning Board members thought that locating a casino within 300 feet of noncity homes would violate the spirit of the city law.

Some council members appeared Monday to support Montana Commerce's request for a conditional-use permit - saying the county commissioners had no problem with a casino at that location, and that site contained a bar for many years before Town Pump set up there. However, no clear majority was apparent Monday for or against allowing a casino there.

The council expects to vote on the issue Feb. 6.

Reporter John Stang may be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at jstang@dailyinterlake.com.