Flathead County officials may soon proceed with construction of a new building at the county fairgrounds to house the offices of Montana State University extension agents and the Agency on Aging.

At a recent meeting with the two extension agents who work in Flathead County under a cooperative arrangement with MSU, the plan for a combined office building for the two agencies was discussed.

The extension office had been in the east annex, which was demolished in April. It’s now housed in temporary office space in the Earl Bennett Building.

The Agency on Aging rents a building on Kelly Road from Mickey Lapp for $52,000 a year.

Commissioner Dale Lauman said constructing a new building for the two agencies needs to happen “soon. Two years from now isn’t acceptable,” he said.

Lauman said the county shouldn’t continue spending $52,000 a year on rent for the Agency on Aging. “We need to spend money on our facilities and have proper space for our personnel.”

Extension agents Pat McGlynn and Tammy Walker said the office they currently use is about 800 square feet, down from about 2,000 square feet in the annex.

It’s nearly impossible for private discussions, Walker said.

“It’s more and more of a challenge in our current work space,” Walker said. “I work with 500 kids on social issues and being in a cubicle to do that is very challenging.”

Fairgrounds Manager Mark Campbell has been soliciting estimates for a new building at the fairgrounds and working on floor plans for a new building.

That due diligence has to be done, county Administrator Mike Pence said.

The idea has to be endorsed by the Fair Board and the commissioners, too, he said.

A pre-engineered metal building “can be set up pretty quick,” Pence said. A concrete pad could be poured this fall, the building up by winter and finished in the spring, if the plan is approved, he said.

In the short term, Pence told McGlynn and Walker, it may be possible for the extension office to relocate again to the third floor of the Earl Bennett Building, to an office that had been used by the county attorney while remodeling was occurring in the Flathead County Justice Center.

If that’s not an option, Pence said temporary walls could be installed in the extension office space on the second floor of the Earl Bennett Building.

“I don’t like to make promises on buildings,” Pence said. “It never works out.

Campbell said he has been talking to contractors about an 11,000-square-foot building. The initial plan is to locate the building next to the trade center.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.