Nucleus revival continues

Columbia Falls developer Mick Ruis has bought the Bandit Bar and plans on turning it into a sports bar and steakhouse.

He told the Hungry Horse News he closed on the deal with former owner John VanValkenburg on May 15. The bar is now closed and pending city approval of his plans, he hopes to open the new sports bar in about three months.

He said he plans on restoring the building.

“There’s a lot of history there,” he said.

He also plans on building a steakhouse on the north end of the structure. The wooden addition to the building will be taken off. If all goes well, he’d like to start construction on that in a couple of months.

Ruis is currently building an eight-room apartment-retail-office building next to the Columbia Bar. That should be completed sometime in September. He also has plans for an 18-unit three-story apartment-retail-office complex at the former site of the Davall Building. He said he hopes to start foundation work on that by mid-July as well.

Montana Creative has been designing the buildings for him. Compass Construction of Whitefish is building the apartments next to the Columbia and did the Park Merc as well.

Ruis has single-handedly invested millions in Columbia Falls in recent years.

He built the Cedar Creek Lodge and he remodeled the former Park Merc Building, which now houses three separate health and fitness businesses. He also remodeled the former Kaplan Law Office Building as well.

Ruis sold the lodge to Xanterra Parks and Resorts earlier this year. He also owns the former First Citizen Bank building. Ruis said he’s not sure what he’s going to do with that building at this time.