Fairground improvement projects nearing completion

A $1 million-plus, three-part improvement project that includes two new restroom facilities and a handicap-accessible entrance to the grandstand are on track to be finished in late January at the Flathead County Fairgrounds.

Fairgrounds Manager Mark Campbell said the new covered entrance on the south side of the grandstand will have wheelchair ramps to both the grandstand and the fair office. Campbell told the county commissioners on Monday that good progress has been made on that project, which is aimed at complying with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

“Grandstand steps and the ramp have been poured, along with pavers set by 4-H Shooting Sports,” Campbell said. “Handrails are on-site and expected to be set, with covering the roof in late December.”

The Flathead County 4-H Foundation is selling bricks to be placed in the new entrance as a means of support for the foundation.

The two other prongs of the improvement project are new restroom facilities to replace aging facilities that were nearly 60 years old.

Restrooms on the south end of the fairgrounds will include space on the north side of the building for two food vendors. The new building will be located where the former south-end bathrooms and the food stand operated by the Sons of Norway and Flathead Marines were located.

New restrooms and shower facilities are being built on the north end of the fairgrounds in the same place where the old facility was removed.

Montana Creative of Whitefish did the architectural work for the fairgrounds projects, at a cost of about $54,000.

Talcott Construction of Great Falls, which recently opened a Kalispell office, is the general contractor for the three improvement projects that total $1,040,000.

The county used a city of Kalispell Community Development Block Grant application to get a $150,000 grant toward the overall cost. The 4-H Foundation and Flathead Electric Cooperative’s Round-up For Safety program put in another $6,000.

“I’ve tried to tie in some partners for this, so it’s not just the county [paying for] this,” Campbell said.

Two years ago the county invested about $1.5 million to upgrade infrastructure work at the aging fairgrounds. That work included the installation of storm drains and new utility lines through the midsection of the fairgrounds. New paved roads were placed in front and back of the food court area. That round of work also included a new roof for the grandstand and further Americans With Disabilities Act compliance project such as new entryways into the draft horse, llama and rabbit/poultry barns, as well as the shooting sports building. A new handicap ramp was installed at the floriculture building.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.