Funding worries have temporarily shelved the purchase of land near the Kalispell Center Mall for a future library branch.  

“We’re feeling pretty insecure right now about funding,” said Flathead County Library Trustee Jane Wheeler at Tuesday’s meeting of the board’s facilities committee. “It looks like the county will not release anything ... at least that’s the word on the street.” 

Library Director Teri Dugan presented a proposed budget to the Flathead County commissioners earlier this month with a list of sidebar requests, including $27,000 in closing costs for the purchase of the property from SHOP Companies, the Texas developer that last summer acquired the mall property, which they named Parkline District.  

That request was roughly 1% of the property’s total cost.  

Dugan said that the county couldn’t fulfill that sidebar because it is focused on completing the new detention center in the lower valley. The county did hint at approving two other sidebars to improve the elevators and buy more security cameras.  

“They’re supportive of it, they just said they don’t have the funds to dedicate to it at this time,” Dugan said.  

A lack of fundraising partners and an unsigned capital campaign agreement are also hindering fundraising efforts.  

Flathead Library Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm for the library system, has yet to ink a capital campaign agreement outlining fundraising plans for acquiring the property. Trustees on May 13 questioned the reason for the hold up.  

“I think we’re in a place where it’s very uncomfortable right now,” Wheeler said. “We’ve spent so much time trying to put this together, but it’s hard to understand whether or not the foundation even wants to be involved in this anymore.” 

Trustees are looking forward to a May 22 capital campaign training session — underwritten by the foundation — to further discuss fundraising. The Flathead Library Foundation board is set to meet privately this week, Dugan said.  

SHOP Companies also hasn’t signed the buy-sell agreement. Wendy Brown, real estate broker for the library system, told trustees the library has to give SHOP Companies more assurance that it can find the money.  

Trustees originally offered the developers $2.5 million for less than two acres of land located at 20 N. Main St. In February. SHOP Companies submitted a $3 million counteroffer in the intervening weeks.  

At an April meeting, trustees countered with a $2.9 million offer, which came from dropping a $100,000 stipulation that the library system use the developer’s architectural firm. The deal has yet to be returned or signed as of Tuesday.  

John Doubleday of SHOP Companies has included the future library location in a mock-up of plans for the mall’s west side. The library would sit in the northwest corner.  

The current Kalispell branch of the library is located at 247 First Ave. E. Discussions about acquiring a new space have been ongoing for years as trustees say that the First Avenue East location is difficult to monitor and needs regular repairs.   

The purchase of the land at the Kalispell Center Mall is dependent on the library and the foundation’s ability to secure funding upfront. 

“This is great project and I’m still hopeful,” Dugan said Tuesday. “I am going to continue being that way too.” 

Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected].