The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners scheduled its April 30 afternoon meeting for 6 p.m. instead of 1:30 p.m., hoping for public participation around one item in particular.
They got it.
More than four dozen people showed up that night to discuss an economic development project proposed for the west side of Boulder’s I-15 interchange.
The related agenda items were to decide whether to spend up to $50,000 on a preliminary architectural report, or PAR — a CPA-certified feasibility and cost assessment required for financing and other decisions — and, if they agreed to fund the PAR, whether to choose the vendor recommended to produce it.
The commissioners voted 3-0 to approve both items following a rigorous discussion. Many sought clarity on what the county aims to do at the site and why it needs a $50,000 report to do it.
Some also sought assurances, including that county residents’ input will inform the PAR and that they would not foot the bill should any development fail or fall short.
“The whole intent is that it would be self-sufficient,” Commissioner Leonard Wortman told the crowd. “If this PAR shows it to be borderline or questionable it’s not going to happen.”
Wortman said at least four public meetings would be held during the PAR process so residents can offer their ideas and concerns.
The county has discussed developing the site since 2017, when a proposed rest area was turned down by the state for being too close to Helena and Butte.
Next, the commission sought to woo the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center after the nonprofit solicited proposals for where it could locate a facility. The county spent about $25,000 on conceptual reports in support of its proposal, only to have that project nixed as well.
By then, county officials had become intent on developing at the site some variation of a western legacy center. Yet the money they had already spent and the additional $50,000 they were requesting began to raise concern.
“I’m a little troubled by Jefferson County holding the bag when this falls through,” rancher Ed McCauley told the commissioners at the April 30 meeting. “Just be careful about where you’re throwing money at.”
Others worried how the development would affect traffic and local businesses.
“I think we all share some of your reservations,” Commissioner Bob Mullen said later in the meeting. “If we get to a point where people don’t like this project we need to get enough moxie to say we’re done.”
Mullen also referred to potential development of the former Montana Developmental Center, a project that awaits a site survey to determine next steps.
“I don’t know if we can do both at the same time but we’re sure trying hard to do so,” he said.
Representing the Jefferson Local Development Corporation, MSU Extension Agent Tom Harrington handed the commissioners a letter of support signed by JLDC President Adam Senechal.
“The JLDC as the lead economic development organization for Jefferson County supports the ongoing efforts to develop the Boulder Interstate 15 property into a potential tourist attraction,” he wrote.
Sally Buckles of Boulder business The Gift Box also provided a letter of support, signed by her and Betty Charlton.
One person told the commission that site development “is something we owe future generations of this area to look at.”
Some asked that officials consider developing sites other than the one near I-15, an exercise that Wortman said would be part of the PAR. The county fairgrounds, the former MDC’s south campus and a Cardwell site once considered by Cabela’s were potential alternatives, he said.
After approving spending up to $50,000 on the PAR, the commissioners approved negotiating with Mosaic Architecture — one of two firms that responded to a request for qualifications — to conduct it.
The county made the request after the commission’s previous approval, on Feb. 26, of funding the PAR. They decided to repeat the process after being advised by the county attorney that the item had been insufficiently described on the agenda.
The item was placed on their agenda for March 26, when they again postponed it until they could get the public more involved.
