Old high school project pushes forward

The project developer for the old high school building in Libby met with the Libby Merchants' Association on Tuesday morning to discuss the plans for the renovation project.

Eric Berry, of DEV Properties in Kalispell, conversed with business owners and residents of Libby about the plans for the project. Berry was instrumental in the successful East Side Brick project in Kalispell.

Currently, the building is undergoing due diligence, with Berry double checking the structural integrity of the building and ensuring the likelihood of the restoration of the building. Crews are currently cleaning and evaluating the building, Berry said. The closing date on the project is Jan. 2, 2008, according to previous statements.

There are plans for 32 units, which includes nine residential units, nine artists' live/work space and 14 commercial units. There could possibly be 17 residential units, which would replace three of the commercial units.

All units will be for sale and there will be a Condo Association with an allocation of dues.

The residential units are tentatively scheduled for completion in winter 2008, Berry told the Merchants' Association. Following the units' completion, additional work will likely need to be completed on the landscaping, facade and elevator. Berry has plans to handle the financial aspect of the first phase of the project locally.

"I'd much rather deal locally than be giving big banks more interest," Berry continued.

The growth of the Lincoln County community has Berry optimistic about his project.

"With the smaller town, the demographic will allow for enough growth," he said. "There are local interests and four or five out-of-state that want to live local and pretend that they're rugged."

Libby resident Gary Huntsberger voiced a concern about the plans if the project doesn't get finished.

"It's important to find people that are less pessimistic and more optimistic," Berry answered. "There's always a last ditch effort to pull the plug. There are a lot of things that are out of our control and we just hope for the best and plan for the positive."

Thus far, there has been much interest in the project, Berry continued. His last project, the East Side Brick project in Kalispell, was very similar to the old high school building project. The East Side Brick project took over a year to complete, however Berry is trying to "fast track this project into 3-4 months."

Berry is currently leasing the building from the Libby School District and the two entities have entered into a buy/sell agreement.

Parking around the perimeter of the building is still open, but there is an area around the building that is designated for equipment.

The overall budget for the project is $2.4 million, with many of the elements kept in-house. Almost everyone involved in the project has been hired from Libby, but some consultants have been hired from out of town, Berry explained. There is currently a full metal shop, engineers and wood and metal workers working on the project.

In discussing the stigma of asbestos in the region, Berry said "money changes everything. Take that 'S' in stigma and put two lines through it and it turns into a dollar sign and the stigma is gone.

"I love it here, the people are awesome," Berry exuded. "I'm not worried about people taking bribes. People are real here, they take you at face value."

Trent Oelberg, director of the Libby Main Street Program, offered his support for Berry.

"We need more people here like you that can see beyond the trees," Oelberg told Berry. "So I applaud you for that."