Flathead County commissioners have selected Martel Construction as its construction manager to begin work on plans for a potential new county detention facility.  

A review team looked at three firms based upon responses to a request for qualifications before recommending Martel to the commissioners for approval. The other two were Swank Enterprises and Sletten Construction.  

“This is an important step forward for safety in the valley,” said Commissioner Randy Brodehl in a release. “The committee did a thorough job selecting Martel, and we’re all excited to move into the next phase of this project.” 

The vote on April 29 to approve Martel was unanimous. 

Preconstruction services involve collaboration with the project team to assist with project design, cost estimating, constructability reviews and scheduling. Preconstruction services ensure the contractor is involved early in the planning phase to improve project outcomes and cost efficiency, according to the county.  

Last year, the county purchased 114 acres south of Kalispell as a potential location for a jail.  Preliminary estimates for a facility put the project between $115 and $134 million. The county has set aside $13.8 million to help fund construction. 

The county will likely have to seek approval from voters of a bond and levy for the construction and operation of a new detention facility.   

The current detention facility has space for about 100 inmates, and a new facility would likely be designed to have roughly double the capacity. A forecasting study completed by county consultants indicates that the county will need 150 to 200 detention beds by 2040 to accommodate the projected jail population.     

At the conclusion of preconstruction services, the county would need to enter into a second agreement with the contractor to establish a guaranteed maximum price before moving into the construction phase.  

County officials say they intend for the development of the project to be a collaborative process between the county, the general contractor/construction manager and Elevatus Architecture, which was previously selected to design a new jail facility.  

Deputy Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or [email protected].