Swank picked to build FVCC College Center

The Flathead Valley Community College Board of Trustees last week voted to accept a $25.8 million bid from Kalispell-based commercial construction firm Swank Enterprises to build the Paul D. Wachholz College Center. A second bid of $29.7 million was also on the table.

The 50,000-square-foot facility will include a gymnasium, reception hall and exhibition gallery, outdoor amphitheater and a state-of-the-art performance hall with 1,000 seats — up from the plan for 750 seats. An additional 250 seats was added to the original design since 1,000 seats is a common benchmark necessary to bring in a higher caliber of performers.

The board had the option of either accepting one of the bids, rebidding the project or canceling the venture entirely. Board member Mark Holston asked the trustees if they should consider delaying the project since both bids were over the initial projection, or move ahead presuming the funding would become available.

FVCC President Jane Karas recommended moving forward with the bid from Swank Enterprises, even though it is $2.5 million over the college’s budget, and noted the college could pare down a few components of the project to lessen the cost.

“We do have some alternates that we can either accept or reject on either bid that would allow us to shrink the difference,” Karas said. “If we postpone it for six months to a year there’s no guarantee the cost will be less, and it could potentially be greater and interest rates could also be higher, thus costing us more in the long run.”

A few of these alternatives include concrete color additive, and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning controls. None of the alternatives up for consideration would impact guest experience, Karas said. The College Center is projected to open fall 2021.