A team of architects and engineers selected to create a master plan and preliminary architectural report (PAR) were given an on-site tour last week of the north and south campuses of the former Montana Development Center.
The tour, hosted by the Jefferson Local Development Corporation, led the team through many of the structures on the property located in Boulder, to include the sprawling administration building, kitchen and treatment wing, as well as the recreational center with its pool and gym, on the north side of the campus.
The tour was the kick-off for the master plan and PAR project, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The JLDC was able to combine about $85,000 from Headwaters RC&D of Butte, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the Montana Department of Commerce to fund the project, said JLDC Economic Development Project Officer Eric Seidensticker.
The PAR is designed to provide an inventory and assessment of the assets, while the master plan will present possible future uses for the property, said Seidensticker.
The master plan will also help JLDC and Jefferson County approach different organizations with ways to fulfill their needs, as well as provide an advantage when it comes to applying for state and federal grants, said JLDC Project Coordinator Tom Harrington.
The team includes Highland Economics, DJ&A Civil Engineering and Four Front Design, all out of Missoula, and SMA Architects of Helena.
The master plan and PAR include the north and south campuses.
“We need to put some wild ideas on the table,” said Tim Meldrum, partner and principal with SMA Architects.
Meldrum said the north campus administration building appeared amenable to an academic setting or perhaps a National Guard headquarters.
Another use being pursued is a pain management center for veterans, said Harrington, who added that while many think that the north campus property will be transferred to Jefferson County, the JLDC is simply interested in its ultimate reuse.
One recent concern is the change of leadership at the state level when it comes to state support, said Seidensticker, referring to the newly elected Gov. Greg Gianforte and the changes in the administration.
“The overarching question is what is the plan,” he said.
The JLDC has also secured a Big SkyTrust Fund grant to have an engineer look exclusively at the kitchen, which will include an assessment of the remaining equipment.
“There’s basically a turnkey kitchen here,” said Seidensticker.
For the south campus, the JLDC recently submitted brownfield applications for buildings five, six and nine and is awaiting word from the Environmental Protection Agency on whether those have been approved. The JLDC is looking to remove the lead paint and asbestos from building six and have it demolished, leaving a clean piece of ground for future development. The JLDC is also looking to remove the asbestos and lead paint from buildings five and nine. However, building nine recently developed a hole in the roof which has required some repair work.
The Montana Development Center closed in 2018, and with it, took 250 jobs. The MDC Reutilization Committee was formed to work on the reuse of the property, which includes multiple buildings, some of which date back to the late 19th century. The north and south campuses are divided by the Boulder River.
The north campus encompasses about 48 acres owned by DPHHS, while the south campus is owned by the state, the county, JLDC and Youth Dynamics. Jefferson County owns about 17 acres, while JLDC owns nearly eight acres. Youth Dynamics owns 4.67 acres, with the remaining complex under the ownership of the state.
Last year, the north campus was removed for state land trust status with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and transferred in ownership to the Department of Public Health and Human Services.
