Columbia Falls residents say no to jail

Columbia Falls residents realize the county needs more jail space. They just don’t want a new jail here.

After a 2-1/2-hour public informational meeting and hearing Monday night in front of county commissioners and Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry at the Columbia Falls Junior High, nearly everyone who spoke opposed a proposal by the county to build a new jail on 26 acres of Weyerhaeuser property at the old Cedar Palace site.

If purchased, the palace would serve as new offices for the Flathead County Sheriff’s Department, Curry said.

The county would either build a new a new county detention facility, with 260 beds, or possibly have an outside firm build it and then lease it back to the county.

The ball park cost if the county builds it, based on what other counties have paid recently, would be about $40 to $50 million, Curry said. The county currently has beds for about 160 inmates, of which about 130 are currently filled. Bottomline is the jail is running out of room as the population grows and drug problems increase.

About 100 people showed up for the hearing, nearly all voicing opposition. Resident Tom Sluiter even wore a billboard that said, “No Jail.”

Resident Tom Pullen was angry that the county would even consider the property, considering that when Weyerhaeuser merged with Plum Creek, the company laid off about 200 mill workers and nearly all of the 100 employees at the Cedar Palace.

“To put money in their pockets is a slap in the face of this town,” Pullen said to a round of applause.

Others noted that there are several schools nearby, daycares, senior housing and children walk by the property every day to get back and forth from school.

Curry tried to allay some of those fears, noting the current county jail is at the Justice Center in downtown Kalispell, just a block or so from a school, and there has never been an incident. He said modern jails are secure facilities.

Even so, people remained unconvinced.

“I don’t want a jail that close to our school system,” said longtime resident Chris Hader.

The closest school, if the jail were built, would be Glacier Gateway Elementary — about a half-mile away.

Teacher and parent Jenny Jarvis was one of many who raised concerns about the stigma of a jail in Columbia Falls and its economic impacts to the school district. If the county buys the property, it would be tax exempt, which would mean a loss of revenue to the district.

School District 6 Superintendent Steve Bradshaw, who attended the meeting, said the district would lose “a healthy chunk of change,” if the property became tax exempt.

But he also noted at one time the district itself was eyeing the property, as was the Boys and Girls Club, that would have made it tax exempt as well.

But the idea of jail simply didn’t sit well, particularly since Columbia Falls has been on the upswing and is becoming an attractive community for outdoor enthusiasts, families and retirees.

“We love our town,” Jarvis said. “Please don’t do this to us.”

Commissioner Gary Krueger noted a decision hasn’t been made on whether to purchase the property or not. It has made an offer and has put down earnest money, but it also has about a month — the end of October — to make a decision.

From the county’s perspective, the property does have attractive features. Sewer service already runs past the property and water is only a few hundred feet away. The county would pay for city sewer and water and the hookup fees.

But resident Dave Renfrow claimed that sewer and water service was equivalent to about 60 homes — homes that if built — would pay property taxes and contribute to the community.

“If we’re flushing toilets for prisoners, we’re not flushing toilets for families,” he said.

The county does have other options. It owns about 40 acres of land off Willow Glen Drive and it owns another 14 acres at the south end of Kalispell at a former grain and feed business.

Columbia Falls residents wanted the county to explore that further. Curry conceded the best place for a jail is in the Evergreen area. The county tried to buy the old Wal-Mart, but U-Haul outbid it. About seven years ago, the county also looked at simply expanding the current site, back then, the cost estimate was about $14 million, noted county administrator Mike Pence.

Columbia Falls City Councilman Mike Shepard had a simple request.

“Please use our tax dollars intelligently,” he told the county commissioners.

Krueger said they would.

“We’re not a tax-and-spend commission,” he said, noting the county had about $8 million saved up for a new jail.

At the end of the meeting, Curry was conciliatory to the crowd.

“I hope I didn’t come across as saying I have to have a new jail in Columbia Falls,” he said.