Flathead County seniors will gather on Wednesday, March 18, for a groundbreaking ceremony at the South Campus Building construction site at the corner of First Avenue West and 11th Street in Kalispell.

“We’re calling it ‘Seniors with Shovels,’” said Christine Neater, community outreach coordinator for the Flathead County Agency on Aging.

Older adults are encouraged to bring shovels to the ceremony to be part of the building project that will erect a two-story county building that will house the Agency on Aging and Kalispell Senior Center on the first floor.

The county Planning Office and Health Department services will occupy the second floor.

County officials will conduct a short program at 10 a.m. Wednesday with comments from the commissioners and Agency on Aging Advisory Council. CTA Architects Engineers will provide coffee and doughnuts for the crowd.

People of all ages are invited, Neater said, and are encouraged to gather by 9:45 a.m.

Swank Enterprises will build the $7 million facility.

In a related effort, private fundraising is underway to build an outdoor patio at the South Campus Building. The patio was eliminated by commissioners Pam Holmquist and Phil Mitchell when the commissioners trimmed $250,000 from the project to bring the total cost closer to the $6 million budgeted expenditure.

Diane Queen Miller of Kalispell has formed the South Campus Patio Group and is leading the charge to raise $25,000 or more to allow the outdoor patio to be part of the facility.

Miller will meet with the commissioners at 10 a.m. Tuesday to garner support for the fundraising effort.

The patio was eliminated to save $10,000.

“There is huge support from the senior community and others who want to see it kept as part of the project,” Miller said.

The patio would be used not only by senior citizens but also county employees and Health Department clients, she added.

Any additional money raised beyond the $10,000 would be used to buy accessories such as benches, tables, chairs and landscaping.

“We would love $100,000 to come in and use the rest of the money for a line account to cover anything the Agency on Aging deems correct and needed for their facility and the Kalispell Senior Center,” Miller said.

Eventually a foundation could be set up for long-term senior facility needs, she said.

For more information about the fundraising, email Miller at southcampuspatioproject@gmail.com.

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