Cenex to move into new Kalispell rail park

Another business has committed to moving into Glacier Rail Park, currently under construction on 40 acres off Whitefish Stage Road.

Cenex Harvest States, a Fortune 100 company based in Minnesota, will pull their current three businesses from central Kalispell and consolidate them on 10.9 acres, with an additional half-acre for a fueling site, at the new rail park.

The agreement was facilitated by the Flathead County Economic Development Authority, which plans to buy the three central Kalispell properties from Cenex as part of the deal. The transition is expected to take place in early 2019.

Cenex has also agreed to construct a new fueling station at the intersection of Montclair Drive, East Oregon Lane and Flathead Drive.

Cenex will join Northwest Drywall and Building Supply, other businesses that have signed deals to relocate to the new rail park. It is an appealing location for businesses that frequently load and offload materials onto freight train cars.

The Flathead County Economic Development Authority is still looking for one more company to lease or purchase up to 10 acres in the new park.

The Daily Inter Lake recently reported that work had temporarily stopped on the park due to snow and moisture that had seeped into the soil. Work was expected to resume again in late March or early April, depending on weather.

Before work ceased, a retaining wall running along the southern portion of the project nearest Whitefish Stage Road had been completed. City officials had previously estimated work would be completed by the end of 2018, and the stoppage didn’t change those estimates.

The rail park is a major component to the overhaul of downtown Kalispell that has been years in the making. When complete, trains will circumvent the middle of Kalispell and the last remaining businesses that rely on them will relocate to the new park.

The rails through town will then be ripped up and replaced — a process that could begin as early as 2019 — with a trail crossing from Woodland Park through the western portion of town. It is also likely to present an opportunity for a significant cross-town transportation corridor.

Peregrine Frissell can be reached at (406) 758-4438 or pfrissell@dailyinterlake.com.