Flathead County has been awarded a $437,459 Community Development Block Grant that will be used to upgrade area senior centers and improve accessibility for handicapped users.

The county will provide a 25 percent match to the grant, bringing the total for center improvements to $546,824. Well over half the money — $318,146 — will be spent to bring senior centers in Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Bigfork, along with the county’s Adams Building, into compliance with the federal Americans With Disabilities Act.

County Administrator Mike Pence lauded county grantwriter Whitney Aschenwald for writing what he described as a “detailed and difficult grant application package.

“It was way more competitive this year in regard to the number of applications so we really appreciate Whitney’s efforts,” Pence said. “What a great thing for our senior community along with the new facility (South Campus Building) currently under construction. This gives us the elevator in the Adams Building, which is a very big win to start the implementation of our ADA long-term improvement plan.”

The Adams Building, located south of the courthouse on South Main Street in Kalispell, houses the Montana State University Extension and 4-H programs and also will provide office space for the Kalispell Senior Center that will be occupying the new South Campus Building once it’s completed.

Installation of an elevator in the Adams Building will cost $65,550. A total of $132,586 will be spent on Adams Building improvements.

The Whitefish Community Center will get $127,731 worth of improvements, including a new air-conditioning system, restroom remodeling, door replacement and exterior ramp and railing, among other upgrades.

Columbia Falls Senior Center on Nucleus Avenue is scheduled to receive $108,501 in improvements. The big-ticket item for the Columbia Falls center is a new roof, budgeted at $22,522.

Bigfork Senior Center will get a new roof and new flooring as part of its $173,006 allotment.

The county’s net step will be developing big specifications and then putting the improvement projects out to bid.

Community Development Block Grants, one of the longest-running programs of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, provides money for community development projects such as affordable housing, anti-poverty programs and infrastructure development. While the grants provide federal funding, the program is administered at the state level.

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