Facili�es Master Plan 2023
The 2014 Study
In 2014 the Flathead County Library System created a Facili�es Master Plan based on astudy conducted by Himmel & Wilson Library Consultants of Milton, Wisconsin.
The consultants concluded that Flathead County would be well served if it maintained its
geographic distribu�on of facili�es in Kalispell, Bigfork, Columbia Falls and Marion, and adopted
0.7 square feet per capita as its overall target for library facili�es. Based on usage data, they
recommended expanding facili�es in Kalispell, Bigfork, and Columbia Falls, while keeping Marion as
it then was.
A�er studying the expansion poten�al of the branch loca�ons in Kalispell, Bigfork, andColumbia Falls, Himmel & Wilson concluded that remodeling and/or expanding was either costprohibi�ve (Kalispell) or downright impossible (Bigfork and Columbia Falls).
The Kalispell building at 247 First Ave. E, which is over 100 years old and listed on theNa�onal Register of Historic Places, requires extensive restora�on, including Asbestos remedia�onand a complete overhaul of its an�quated electrical and plumbing systems, which is costprohibi�ve for the library and the county. The library branches in Bigfork and Columbia Falls
operate out of rented rooms in fully occupied buildings.
The study concluded that the Flathead County Library System should develop new libraries
in Kalispell, Bigfork and Columbia Falls.
A�er upda�ng demographic data to reﬂect current condi�ons, the Facili�es Commitee
believes this recommenda�on is s�ll valid today.

Our Situa�on in 2023
Some progress towards beter facili�es has been made, and the new space for the Bigfork
branch is nearing comple�on. Time is running out for the Kalispell facility, with a lease that ends in2033 and is highly unlikely to be renewed. The Columbia Falls Branch is opera�ng out of a room
rented from the city. The Marion facility has lost its space at the local school due to remodeling.

(The library system has signed a new Interlocal Agreement with Marion School and is ac�vely
looking for alterna�ve ways to bring service to Marion.)
Per the 2020 census, Flathead County had a popula�on of 104,357 residents. A�erdeduc�ng the popula�on of Whiteﬁsh, which con�nues to be served by the Whiteﬁsh Community
Library, the Flathead County Library System serves approximately 100,000 people and shouldfunc�on well with a total of 70,000 square feet of space.
The Kalispell branch occupies 29,000 square feet, the Bigfork Ark building will provide 6,000
square feet, Columbia Falls operates in a 4,700 square-foot room, and Marion currently has zerosquare feet available.
To calculate the service area for each branch, the County GIS oﬃce generated a map thatshows the number of residents living within a 15-minute drive of our library branches (including
the currently non-existent Marion branch). The map shows that 90% of the county’s popula�on
has access to a library branch within 15 minutes of where they live.
The service areas overlap. In order to get a beter picture of poten�al users at each branch,
we halved the overlapping popula�on, assigned each half to one or the other of the branches, androunded the ﬁgures for ease of use. This gives us the following approximate service area
popula�ons:
Bigfork:

9,000 residents

Columbia Falls:

27,000 residents

Kalispell:

55,000 residents

Marion:2,000 residents

Total service area:

93,000 residents

Applying the 0.7 square-foot/person standard for space, each branch calculates out to thefollowing sizes:
Bigfork:

9,000 x 0.7 = 6,300 square feet

Columbia Falls:

27,000 x 0.7 = 18,900 square feet

Kalispell:

55,000 x 0.7 = 38,500 square feet

Marion:2,000 x 0.7 = 1,400 square feet

Total service area:

93,000 x 0.7 = 65,100 square feetGiven that the Kalispell branch serves as the administra�ve hub of the en�re system,
processes all new materials, and handles every item sent to and received from Partner Libraries, it
should be a minimum of 40,000 square feet to allow proper processing space. Furthermore, thesmaller a library, the larger the propor�onate impact of bathrooms, hallways, staircases etc. on its
usable space.

Recommenda�ons
Taking into account the above numbers and factors, the Facili�es Commitee makes thefollowing recommenda�ons:•Keep facili�es in the general area they are currently in.

•Move the Kalispell branch to a 40,000 square foot space within the city’s core area.

•Move the Columbia Falls branch to a 15,000 to 20,000 square foot space.

•Find a way to serve the Marion area.

Priority should be given to ﬁnding a loca�on for the Kalispell branch, which will lose its
space by 2033, and to restoring service to Marion.
The Facili�es Commitee is aware that the Flathead Valley Real Estate Market is tough,construc�on costs are high, and library ﬁnances are �ght. Finding ideal loca�ons and crea�ng
ideally sized branches will be challenging. Nevertheless, we are conﬁdent that with support from
our County, generous philanthropists, and a vigorous public fundraising campaign we can provide
great library facili�es for Flathead County residents.
Carmen Cuthbertson & Jane Wheeler, Facili�es Commitee
ImagineIF Flathead County Library Board
4/27/2023