County officials updated on Cottage five

The possibility of a new home for the county’s Public Health Department, while still uncertain, appears to be gaining traction.

The Jefferson County Commission on Sept. 3 received an update on anticipated costs and potential revenue sources for converting the so-called Cottage Five, on the former Montana Developmental Center’s South Campus, into a county health facility.

Leah Lewis, a project coordinator with the Jefferson Local Development Corp. who is coordinating planning for the proposed renovation, told the Commission that the most recent cost estimate for putting the century-old, 10,782-square-foot building into operation was about $3 million – down from an initial estimate of $3.98 million in November, 2023.