Former Elks Lodge to house a machine shop

Libby City Council gave a proposed machine shop slated for the former Elks Lodge the green light this week.

Located in a neighborhood zoned business-residential, the 220 W. Fourth St. endeavor required a conditional use permit from City Hall. Following a Dec. 6 public hearing, city councilors voted unanimously to grant entrepreneur Todd Francis the waiver.

Francis described his outfit as small in scale and the equipment inside as “fairly quiet.”

“[You] won’t know there are machines running in there from the outside,” he told city councilors.

The shop is described as using CNC — or computer numerical control — machining in city documents. In a CNC shop, computer-guided tools draw upon plans inputted by machinists to craft parts and products. Mayor Peggy Williams said the planned West Fourth Street facility would focus on manufacturing automotive parts while opening the public hearing.

Francis, speaking by phone, described his machines as enclosed, meaning the equipment would not generate detritus like coolant, oil or chips, he said. Hours of operation are expected to be between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., though Francis did not rule out weekend work.

When the shop operates depend on demand, he said. He and his partner typically make parts in batches.

As for foot traffic, Francis said the facility could get an occasional visit from a client, but it otherwise would be infrequent.

“[There is] very little walk-in traffic,” he told city councilors in response to a question by Gail Burger of the Libby Hotel and Libby Area Business Association.

“If we do, it will be somebody that will come in from out of town, and that might happen five times a year,” he said. “Everything we sell goes to UPS and they ship it out.”

Resident Jennifer Nelson worried about possible noxious fumes from the machining operation. Francis replied that his operation was free of bad odors or other miasmas.

Nelson also cautioned councilors on setting a precedent with approval. The former lodge is very near to the downtown business district, which was established last year after much debate and negotiation, she said.

As a member of the city’s planning board and zoning commission, Nelson helped create the business zone. Centered on Mineral and California avenues, the district primarily houses service businesses, she said.

“It would be hard to deny another manufacturing business once you’ve allowed one in that area,” Nelson said.

Her concerns regarding foot traffic alleviated, Burger told city councilors she preferred a business to an empty building.

“I would rather see an entity in there than see a building sit vacant,” she said.

City Councilor Kristin Smith, who sits on both the planning board and zoning commission, said the hearing underscored the unusual nature of the request. The business-residential zoning predates the conditional use permit process, she said.

Because the process requires a permit, city councilors could place additional conditions upon the machine shop, Smith said. She proposed requiring Francis to stick with his plans as outlined as well as a building permit review, which garnered quick agreement from colleague Gary Beach.

Smith ultimately made the motion to approve the conditional use permit. City councilors gave it their blessing with a 5-0 vote. City Councilor Hugh Taylor was absent from the hearing.

The Elks Lodge, which opened in 1961, closed its doors in 2019 when the fraternal order could no longer field a slate of local officers. The building went up for sale soon after.