Flathead County Breaks Ground on New Public Safety Facility

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new $89.8 million, 110,000-square-foot public safety facility in Flathead County, Mont. | Photo Credit: Flathead County

• Flathead County officials marked the start of construction June 10 for a new public safety facility in Kalispell.
• The voter-approved project is funded by a $105 million general obligation bond and is intended to replace an aging jail that county officials say no longer meets long-term detention and safety needs.
• According to the county’s official project FAQ, the new facility is designed to house up to 260 inmates and consolidate the county jail with sheriff’s operations.
• Construction is expected to take approximately three years, with the county using a CMAR delivery model and a guaranteed maximum price structure.

KALISPELL, Mont. – Flathead County, Mont., has formally moved into the construction phase of its long-planned detention replacement project, celebrating a groundbreaking ceremony June 10 for a new public safety facility in South Kalispell.

The ceremony marked a visible milestone for a project that county leaders have framed as a response to overcrowding, aging infrastructure and operational limits at the existing jail. The new 110,000-square-foot facility will be built on a 114-acre site the county purchased in 2024 for $3.9 million.

County voters approved a $105 million general obligation bond for the project on Nov. 4, 2025, authorizing Flathead County to move forward with financing for a facility that will house the county jail and sheriff’s department. The county’s project website says officials began setting aside funds for the effort in 2017, completed a formal needs assessment in 2023 and sold $95 million in bonds on April 14, 2026, fully funding the project.

According to reporting from The Daily Inter Lake, the estimated cost for the project has been reduced to $89.8 million after bids came in 3% below estimates.

The current Flathead County Detention Center was built in 1987 for 63 inmates. On the county’s project website, officials say temporary expansions increased bed counts, but the facility’s layout, aging systems and safety limitations cannot meet modern jail standards or long-term demand. The Daily Inter Lake similarly reported that the existing detention center has faced flooding, power outages and overcrowding for years while lacking adequate space for medical and mental health needs.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Flathead County Justice of the Peace Eric Hummel said at the groundbreaking ceremony, according to an article from the Daily Inter Lake. The same report noted that Hummel said the jail needed to be larger when he began working as a prosecutor in 1998.

According to the official Flathead County project FAQ, the new facility is designed for up to 260 inmates, including 200 general population beds, 42 special housing beds for medical and mental health uses, and 18 inmate worker beds. The county also says the design will include direct-supervision housing, improved sightlines, specialized medical exam space, multiuse program space and a secure transport bay.

County officials say only 20 to 25 acres of the 115-acre property will be developed initially, leaving room for future expansion. The FAQ also states that construction is expected to take about three years, and that the project is being delivered through a construction manager at-risk model with a guaranteed maximum price.

The project team includes designer Elevatus Architecture, construction manager at-risk Martel Construction and owner’s representative In2itive Architecture.

Correctional News previously reported in July 2025 that Flathead County was preparing to ask voters to support a 20-year, $105 million bond to fund the new facility after studies found that the existing jail no longer met current standards. In January of 2026, Flathead County officials announced plans to start construction this year, after the November 2025 bond was approved by voters. At that time, the project costs were estimated at $93.5 million.

This article is based on reporting originally published by The Daily Inter Lake on June 11, 2026, and project information published by Flathead County and its official project FAQ.