Red buses moving to Columbia Falls? Maybe

As Xanterra Parks and Resorts readies to take over the main concession contract for Glacier National Park, the buzz in the local business community centers on where the company will house and maintain the Park’s historic red bus fleet.

Xanterra has indicated it would like to relocate some of its support facilities to the west side of the Park, according to Carol Pike, executive director of the Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce.

Columbia Falls has at least one large vacant commercial building that might be suitable to house the red bus fleet or the laundry for the lodges — the former Pamida building. But Kalispell also has several large vacant commercial buildings, including a former car dealership.

Glacier Park Inc. performed most of the bus maintenance and housed the buses through the winter at a garage on private property in East Glacier.

The details of a new garage and maintenance facility will be hammered out in Xanterra’s contract with Glacier Park. Congress still has 60 days to review the initial deal — without the red bus details.

Park spokeswoman Denise Germann said the contract hasn’t been sent to Congress yet, but that should happen in the next few days — Xanterra must be awarded the contract by Jan. 1.

Once it’s awarded, the red bus details will be worked out in the final language. Germann said the submittal to Congress was delayed, at least in part, because of the recent partial government shutdown.

Germann said the contract doesn’t contain specifics on where the garage should be located. It only deals with specifics of the building, including ventilation and fire protection.

Robert Yow, Xanterra’s vice president of business development, spoke to economic, business and community leaders last week at a conference hosted by the National Parks Conservation Association.

Yow didn’t take any questions on the company’s specific plans for its Glacier Park operation, noting that people would probably have questions that he didn’t have answers for.

Hosting the red buses would be a shot in the arm to the Columbia Falls economy, which has numerous vacant or underutilized commercial buildings and lots.

Xanterra also needs facilities to warehouse store items and other necessities needed to run the Park’s lodges.