The hunt is on again to find a new home for the Kalispell branch of the Flathead County Library.  

The library system's Board of Trustees decided Oct. 22 to back out of negotiations with SHOP Companies for a 2-acre lot on the northwest corner of the Kalispell Center Mall property. Trustees had eyed the area adjacent to Fifth Avenue West since 2025 as a potential new home for the Kalispell branch. 

SHOP Companies purchased the mall in July 2024 with plans to redevelop the retail hub. The firm and its subsidiaries are proposing to break up the monolithic Center Street building, add a hotel and event space, and bring in new national retail brands.  

Library officials began discussing incorporating a future Kalispell branch into the redevelopment project with the firm in February 2025.  

Moving the branch to the mall had come up once before. In 2023, trustees briefly considered transforming a portion of the defunct Herberger's store into a library.  

Trustees ultimately left the bargaining table when a finalized measurement of two easements on the property reduced its buildable area to 1.4 acres. Trustee Jane Wheeler, who sits on the county library's Facilities Committee, said they needed at least 2 acres of buildable space for the 40,000-square-foot building and its attached loading dock, parking lot and book return bin.  

Trustees are already searching for other potential sites within a walkable distance from the downtown area. The Kalispell branch has until 2033 to move out of its current location at 247 First Ave. E. 

EFFORTS TO find a new location for the Columbia Falls branch are also gearing up. 

Trustees have selected the former Glacier Lanes and Casino bowling alley at 307 Nucleus Ave. as a potential home for the branch, which is currently located inside City Hall at 130 Sixth St. W. A letter of intent — a nonbinding document used for negotiation purposes — included in the Board of Trustees' meeting materials offers $817,000 for the property owned by Super Big Skys, LLC.   

Columbia Falls City Council, acting as the Urban Renewal District Board, agreed to appropriate $1 million in tax increment financing funds for the relocation project. The funds must be spent by June 30, 2028, or they will be reappropriated to another project that can wrap up by 2029, according to a letter from City Manager Eric Hanks.  

Hanks told trustees the money is intended to cover purchasing the property, and the remaining funds can be used for design and construction costs.   

The library's relocation is part of the city's effort to realign its infrastructure and support expansion requirements, according to Hanks.  

Report for America Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 406-758-4439 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.