Flathead County will receive a $40,000 state planning grant to evaluate the county adult detention center and expansion options.

The funding, awarded through the Community Development Block Grant program, will pay for preparation of a preliminary architectural report that will look at alternatives for expanding the jail, including an expansion of the existing jail, buying property and building a new jail or converting an existing facility.

County Grant Administrator Whitney Aschenwald led the grant-writing project, with assistance from Sheriff Chuck Curry and Jail Commander Jenny Root.

Overcrowding at the current county jail has been a longstanding problem.

The county applied for the state planning grant in the wake of a failed attempt to purchase the former Walmart building in Evergreen and convert it into a jail. The deal fell through when the building owner received a higher offer for the former box store.

While the county determines a course of action for a bigger jail, an interim fix is under way. The former County Attorney’s Office space on the second floor of the Justice Center will be converted into a temporary jail addition with 36 beds.

Another stop-gap measure was put in place several months ago when juvenile inmates were moved to a Missoula facility to free up space for more adult prisoners. The juvenile detention center, located across the street from the Justice Center, was refurbished to house adult women inmates.

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