KALISPELL — The grandstands at the Northwest Montana Fairgrounds in Kalispell have been a fixture of summer in the Flathead Valley for generations, but their age is catching up with them.
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Fairgrounds Manager Sam Nunnally said the cost of maintaining the historic green and white stands has become difficult to sustain.
"We're getting to that point where we're spending so much money on them just to keep them up and keep them maintained, and they're just getting to the point where we need to address that."
Some of the problems are hidden deep within the structure, beyond reach.
"We do have some water moisture issues that are between the roof of the interior and the seating structure itself. That's a space we can't gain and access," Nunnally said.
Kalispell's city commissioners voted to bring in outside expertise. Nunnally selected Mosaic Architects out of Helena, a firm with experience at fairgrounds across Montana.
"Mosaic had a lot of other fairgrounds that they have dealt with across the state. I really like some of their engineering and their design concepts that they're coming out with," Nunnally said.
The two are now working together on a cost estimate that will determine whether the grandstands receive a full replacement or a more targeted renovation.
"It's all going to depend on the price, and that's what it's really going to come down to: can we afford to do a major replacement type thing or is it some space in between there."
Nunnally said the character of the grandstands is worth preserving, whatever the outcome.
"We want the culture, that feeling of the Flathead that we have had for a long time, but we also want something that's going to last us another 125 years."
