Leaders mull plans for MDC South Campus, fairground

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of a project manager with FourFront Design. Her name is Jessica Holdren. The story has been updated.

Jefferson County has launched a new phase in its effort to make use of the former Montana Developmental Center’s South Campus and the area south of the county fairground. The Jefferson Local Development Corporation, Headwaters Resource Conservation and Development, and the state Department of Environmental Quality have pooled funds to create a development plan for two county-owned buildings on the South Campus, as well as for state-owned property south of the fairgrounds that the county could acquire, according to JLDC Project Director Eric Seidensticker. 

The organizations hired consultants from FourFront Design, SMA Architects, DJ&A Engineering, and Headwaters Economics in January 2021 to create a master plan and preliminary architectural report, FourFront Project Manager Jessica Holdren said. The organizations held an open house to receive community feedback at the fairground on June 30.