The Flathead County commissioners on Thursday stood by an earlier vote to pursue a $450,000 federal grant to help pay for a new Agency on Aging building.

The next step for county officials is to make a presentation to the Kalispell City Council on Monday and formally ask the city for its upcoming Community Development Block Grant slot.

A site hasn’t yet been selected for a new Agency on Aging facility, and the county hasn’t nailed down how much the project will cost. Those two issues, plus other unanswered questions, prompted Commissioner Gary Krueger to ask that the grant proposal be put back on the commissioners’ agenda.

“I fully believe there’s a need, but we have to quantify that need,” Krueger said after the commissioners’ discussion of the grant application. “I want numbers before I make a decision.”

Krueger said he wanted to slow down the process, not kill the project. By waiting a year until the county could use its own grant slot, there would be time to “have a better picture of what we need,” he maintained.

But commissioners Pam Holmquist and Cal Scott reaffirmed their votes to move forward with the grant application.

Holmquist said she stands by both votes made Tuesday — one to pursue the grant and the other to authorize a preliminary architectural report for a new Agency on Aging building that would replace a leased facility on Kelly Road.

“I totally understand what Gary is saying,” she said. “We don’t have things nailed down.”

Holmquist said afterward she believes that even though all the details for a new facility haven’t been decided, “I think we have enough information to go forward.”

Scott said he’s made it clear that he supports a new facility.

“I see no reason to delay it,” he said.

The Gateway Community Center has withdrawn its block grant application for the upcoming funding cycle in order to support the Agency on Aging and Kalispell seniors.

There has been discussion for some time about combining the Kalispell Senior Center with the new facility for the Agency on Aging.

The county has a couple of funding options for the project beyond a block grant. More than $2 million could be used from the county’s share of payment in lieu of taxes (federal payments made to local governments to offset property tax losses due to non-taxable federal lands). A low-interest Intercap loan through the Montana Board of Investments is another option.

Last October a proposal surfaced to build a new metal building on the north end of the county fairgrounds that could house not only the Agency on Aging but also the Extension Service, 4-H program and Kalispell Senior Center.

While the commissioners support building a new facility on county-owned land, both Krueger and Holmquist have concerns about the fairgrounds location.

Holmquist said what was proposed at the fairgrounds would give aging services about the same amount of square footage currently offered at the leased facility on Kelly Road. She isn’t sure that site fits the Agency on Aging’s needs for the long haul.

Krueger said the architectural renderings for a facility at the fairgrounds essentially represent what the agency has now — “a soup kitchen in a barn.

“That’s doing our seniors a disservice,” he said.

Krueger would like to see a facility configured with more intimate eating areas, with ample room for activities and an outdoor component.

“I want to build a better program from what I see here,” he said, pointing to a preliminary design for a new building at the fairgrounds.

County property south of the Earl Bennett Building, near the county’s campus of office buildings and courthouse, is an alternative site and will be considered as the county moves through the grant process.

A new building for the growing Agency on Aging has been in the works since 2004. Krueger said his research showed several sites have been considered, including the National Guard armory building in west Kalispell, Gateway West Mall, the Blue and White Motel, Sykes’ and Stillwater Christian School.

Krueger, the commissioners’ representative on the Agency on Aging advisory board, said he asked agency Director Lisa Sheppard to work with her staff over the next six months to document the needs of each service program.

In addition to the popular Meals on Wheels program, the agency offers transportation through Eagle Transit, senior home repair, homemaker services, companion care, legal and insurance counseling, an ombudsman advocacy program and telephone calls to shut-ins.

A number of Agency on Aging supporters attended Tuesday’s meeting at the commissioners’ office to once again voice their support for the building project.

“This has been going on since 2004,” Kathy Morris said. “Let’s get on with it. Let’s just do it.”

Jorene Williams said the county shouldn’t treat seniors “like second-class citizens.” She would like to see a facility centrally located on county property.

Gerry Banzet listed many reasons for supporting the project, saying the timing is right and the building is needed.

“The longer we wait, the more it will cost,” Banzet said. “Paying rent is like wasting money.”

But LeAna Sacrison wondered if seeking the grant right now is getting the cart before the horse. “Maybe we’re rushing it,” she said.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.