“Game changer”: Polson commission approves grant for Main St. renovation

The Polson City Commission held a special meeting last Tuesday to consider two applications for Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district grants, including a major renovation of the old Gambles building on Main Street.

Jeff Blodgett, owner of Blodgett’s Creamery, recently purchased the building, located at 310 Main St. Karen Dunwell, chair of the Polson Redevelopment Agency, described the empty building as “long derelict” and said the remodeling project “is truly reflective of the background push of the redevelopment agency to eliminate blight in the area.”

Blodgett is renovating the dilapidated mold-ridden structure in three phases at a total project cost estimated at $221,000. His initial TIF application was for phase one, which will include roofing and mold remediation, at a cost of $107,292. The commission approved a grant of $39,471, contingent on Blodgett matching 90% of that amount ($35,523) and paying the additional $67,000 to finish the project.

Phase two will include insulation, wiring and a new heating and air-conditioning system ($44,257) and phase three will require an estimated $68,550 to remodel the front of the building, which is currently covered by a mural.

The commission agreed to hold a special session to authorize this grant, and a second for a home remodeling project, due to the challenge of meeting contractors’ schedules.

“With current conditions and the climate of the construction industry right now it’s not real easy to wait,” Blodgett told PRA members when he applied for the grant Oct. 19. “Plus, with the weather issue, we have contractors ready right now (for the roof) but it needs to be dry underneath.”

“I can’t blow the whole project” waiting for the outcome of the grant application, he added.

In her comments to the commission about the Blodgett project, Dunwell noted that mold remediation was essential to reclaiming the building.

“There’s been considerable concern about the potential of mold from this long derelict and empty building spreading to other buildings on Main Street,” she said.

“I think this is really, really exciting for Main Street and the people who shop there,” she added, noting that Blodgett is planning to create a space suitable for a commercial enterprise.

Commissioner Brodie Moll, who was the former executive director of Mission Mountain Enterprise (MME), also spoke in favor of the project.

“When I ran MME we used to inhabit that building over 20 years ago and I fully understand the problems with it. I think this is a potential gamechanger for downtown,” he said. “It’s long overdue. This is what this program is all about – it’s a model of what we can do to really upgrade our downtown.”

Commissioner Jen Ruggless also voiced her support. “That building always intrigued me as to why it’s vacant. The fact that Mr. Blodgett has purchased it and wants to do something with it sounds like a win-win for everyone.”

The commission unanimously gave the grant a green light, and also approved a grant of $8,280 for Joan Hart, who is remodeling her home on 11th Ave. E. Those funds, alongside a 50% match from the homeowner, will help remove and replace trim and facia, prep and paint the entire home, and replace brick along the front of the home with decorative stone.