County seeking grant for senior center work

The North Valley Senior Center in Columbia Falls could receive some funding help for a new roof if Flathead County is successful with a $368,000 grant application aimed at making building improvements to senior centers throughout the county.

Many of the improvements are needed to bring the valley’s senior centers in compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act by replacing ramps, adding handrails and altering restrooms to make them handicap-accessible.

Bigger projects on the list include new plumbing and a heating/cooling system at the Bigfork Senior Center and an elevator for the Adams Building that will provide office space for the Kalispell Senior Center.

The county is applying for a Community Development Block Grant and is required to provide a 25 percent match of $92,000, bringing the draft budget to $460,000, according to county grant writer Whitney Aschenwald. The match would come from the county’s capital improvement program budget.

During a public hearing on Feb. 17 that is part of the grant application process, several leaders in the senior community spoke in favor of the building improvements.

North Valley Senior Center site manager Roxy Larsen said Columbia Falls seniors have worked hard to raise money to maintain the center on Nucleus Avenue but will need financial assistance with big projects such as the roof.

“It’s very important we keep the building safe for the next group of seniors that will be using it,” Larsen said.

Block grants in Montana are administered by the state Department of Commerce. While the grants are competitive, Aschenwald said she believes Flathead County’s prospect for winning the grant is very good because of the prior planning and review that has been conducted for the valley’s senior centers.

If Flathead County receives partial funding for the improvements through the grant program, a committee would need to be formed to prioritize how the money would be spent, commissioner Phil Mitchell said.

Two years ago, the commissioners scrapped a Community Development Block Grant application that would have provided the county $450,000 toward a new Agency on Aging facility.

The commissioners felt it was premature at that time to apply for the grant and eventually decided to tap the county’s capital improvement fund to pay for the South Campus Building that will house the Agency on Aging and Kalispell Senior Center.

“I feel we’re very prepared now,” commissioner Pam Holmquist said about the current block grant application. “I think this is a good project.”