Bigfork ImagineIF library project breaks ground

The long-running effort to give the Bigfork branch of ImagineIF Libraries a new building culminated Wednesday with a ceremony celebrating the start of construction on the Bethany Lutheran Ark Building.

ImagineIF Foundation Executive Director Sara Busse welcomed the crowd by saying it was fitting to have iffy weather for the ceremony, as it reflected the many challenges the group has overcome to keep the project moving forward.

The Foundation’s capital campaign has raised $1.9 million of the total $3.2 million goal needed to complete the facility, which could be ready for patrons by next summer.

“Bigfork spoke out a long time ago to say it desperately needed a new library, and it's finally happening,” Busse said. “Their needs have guided this project from the beginning: a library that creates lifelong education opportunities, economic growth and a resilient community.”

Busse said the new building will offer six times the space of the current library inside a portion of the Bigfork Art and Cultural Center building. Architectural firm Cushing-Terrell and construction company Martel will work on the project.

    An artist rendering for the new Bigfork library. (Taylor Inman/Daily Inter Lake)
  

The ImagineIF Foundation purchased the Bethany Lutheran Ark Building for $475,000 in 2018 with hopes of gifting it to the county after construction was complete. But Flathead County Commissioners were hesitant to accept the building, leaving some doubting that the project would move forward. 

However, under state law, library boards have the power to acquire property in the name of the county. After several meetings with Foundation and ImagineIF officials, the commissioners gave their blessing for a transfer agreement that was voted on and passed by the ImagineIF Board of Trustees in June of 2022. 

Since then, fundraising efforts have been back in full gear. 

At Wednesday’s ceremony, capital campaign co-chairs Andrea Goff and Al Logan spoke about how the community has come together to support the project. 

Goff said throughout the years, there have been so many reasons community members might have preferred to throw in the towel.

“But because of who we are, we all have gotten this done. That’s really the main thing I get out of this, is that we really wanted this, it was the right thing to do and that's why it's been done,” Goff said. 

Representatives from families who have made significant donations to the project spoke about the impact they hope it will have for the community. 

Kay Stone remembered her sister Laura Long, who was a Foundation board member for many years and an avid reader. A lifelong supporter of libraries, Long died last year of breast cancer. Stone remembers her sister excitedly relaying what she learned from every new book she would read, pressing that the purpose of the library is to continue giving others the opportunity to learn about the world. 

“When you read books about people doing things that you'd never imagined, it gives you the inspiration that you could go out and both change your own life and change other people's lives. And that's really what the Bigfork library is all about,” Stone said. 

    An artist rendering for the new Bigfork library. (Taylor Inman/Daily Inter Lake)
  

According to a release from the Foundation, an amphitheater-style back patio will be named in memory of Long. 

Finalized design renderings for the project show the back patio area, as well as what the interior and front facade of the building will look like. The designs appear to keep the high ceilings of the ark building, while adding meeting spaces, reading areas and more. 

Bigfork Branch Manager Deidre McMullin said the groundbreaking made her emotional.

“I'm really excited. The whole town of Bigfork has been excited for a really long time. And the people who use the library really love it. They really love everything that they get in the current space and they know that a bigger space is going to be even more welcoming for more people in the community,” McMullin said.

ImagineIF Board of Trustees Chair David Ingram said he is pleased that they’ve gotten the project to this point, though they still have funds to raise for the completion of the library. 

“The Foundation has done a wonderful job of getting to this point in a very rapid period of time. And we're happy that the commissioners worked with us to take the building when it’s completed … So, we have the funds to staff it, stock it and manage it. We're ready to go when they're done,” Ingram said. 

Other road bumps for the project included the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, which occurred soon after the Bigfork Capital Campaign was formed in 2019, as well as hesitancy from donors who cited disapproval of decisions made by the ImagineIF Board of Trustees. 

In July of 2022, the ImagineIF Foundation was not invited to participate in the Great Fish Community Challenge, with Whitefish Community Foundation officials citing previous board decisions and accountability to their donors as the reason. However, the ImagineIF Foundation was invited back to participate in the annual fundraising effort this summer. 

Busse noted the remaining fundraising gap at Wednesday’s groundbreaking

“This is a time for everyone to chip in and bring the Bigfork library to the finish line,” Busse said.