Bozeman Build #53

Welcome back the Bozeman Build Report discovering Montana trade content, we’re excited to see you again! This 53rd edition of the Build is sponsored by Montana Ground Screw revolutionizing traditional foundation methods.

Today we plan to cover a 21st century proposed homestead act, coal train derailment, Christmas tree farm yak herd, bills restricting Eastern MT wind development, Helena new T&C, mobile slaughter business, 11 new bridges planned around Lewistown, Billings regulating short term rentals, tourism grants, electric school bus feasibility in Montana, plans for Buttes Curtis Music Hall, Forest service layoff protests, wind turbine foundations, Climbing Arrows Ranch, and the Snowden Bridge.

Happy March!

Daniel

_{When and what is the Bozeman Build? The BB is a 1x/week free email newsletter delivered Monday mornings focused on Montana trade content and news. We are not a financial or building advisors.}

A quick word from this weeks sponsor Montana Ground Screw!

If you’re looking for an alternative to concrete footings for your next building project, Montana Ground Screw has the answer. Revolutionizing traditional foundation methods, ground screws are innovative cylindrical rods with helical threads designed for efficient and precise soil penetration. They eliminate the need for extensive excavation, reducing time and labor costs. Beyond stabilizing structures, ground screws are versatile for renewable energy projects, temporary structures, and urban development. With sustainability and efficiency at its core, ground screws mark a significant leap forward in modern construction practices.

Montana Ground Screw offers installation services along with wholesale services for contractors and DIY’ers looking to incorporate ground screws into their construction projects. Learn more at www.montanagroundscrew.com

Montana and Bozeman Trade Pulse

Montana trade pulse

February 20, 2025 MT SB381 Provide for Montana’s future homesteading act. This bill establishes a new homesteading program for Montana state lands, allowing qualified residents to purchase and develop small parcels of state-owned land. (Bill Track 50)

February 24, 2025 Miles City - A train hauling coal derailed in Custer County on Monday. Cheguis said in a news release the derailment involved between 25 and 27 cars. (KRTV)

Feb 24, 2025 The Jim Watson and Carol Bibler Christmas tree farm employs a herd of Tibetan yaks to graze grass fuel load between trees to mitigate wildfire. Montana has more than 600 tree farms covering over 237,000 acres. (Montana Ag Network)

Feb 25, 2025 Two Republican lawmakers representing rural eastern Montana districts are sponsoring bills to restrict where new wind turbines can be built and how tall they can be. Under House Bill 389, sponsored by House Speaker Brandon Ler, R-Savage, new wind turbines would have to be built 3,000 feet from a public road or highway and 1.5 miles from a neighboring landowner’s property line unless that landowner is also party to a wind-lease agreement. (Montana Right Now)

Feb 26, 2025 HELENA -Town & Country prepares to open in former Van's Thriftway. Town & Country is expected to be open in late March at 306 Euclid Avenue in Helena. (KTVH)

Feb 26, 2025 Travis Kamps born and raised a farm boy in Gallatin Gateway started Montana Mobile Livestock Slaughter. “I don't sell any kind of meat—I'm just a service provider. So, I'm slaughtering their meat for them, and then I transport it to a butcher shop.” (KBZK)

Feb 26, 2025 The Lewistown area is actively planning for a period of growth that will result in increased traffic throughout the region. As part of the preparations for this expansion, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) will replace 11 aging bridges through the Lewistown Area Bridges-DAR Structures Project. This project is a collaboration with the Department of Defense (DOD) and is partially funded through the Defense Access Road (DAR) program, which supports essential highway improvements for defense initiatives.(MDT Public Involvement)

Feb 27, 2025 BILLINGS — The city of Billings is warning owners of short-term rentals they could face fines for failing to register their properties with the city. Registration requires owners to comply with neighborhood and city public health and safety codes and includes a $355 annual fee. As of now, Billings Planning Division Manager Anna Vickers said that about 230 of the city's estimated 400 short-term rentals are not registered with the city. (KBZK)

February 27 2025 Montana Department of Commerce announced today that $8.75 million of grant funding will be distributed to seven pilot communities to increase economic vibrancy and tourism appeal, enhance destination resiliency and diversify tourism-related assets and infrastructure. The following communities will each receive $1.25 million of PCTGP grant funding within a two-year period, with the potential to receive $2.75 million over 60 months for these projects or plans: (MT Commerce)

• Hardin: “Big Horn Tourism Breakthrough”

• Choteau: “Celebrating our Heritage, Cultivating our Future”

• Fort Benton: “Destination Fort Benton Tourism and Recreation”

• Glasgow: “Explore Glasgow: Trails, Events Pavilion and Sports Hub”

• Glendive: “A Thriving Tourism Hub for All”

• Tribal Tourism Region: “Indigenous Experience: People, Places and Pathways”

• Red Lodge: “Tourism Development Project”

February 27, 2025 A recent study conducted for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) claims that electric school buses (ESBs) are not only viable but also advantageous in Montana’s harsh winter conditions. The study found that ESBs operated effectively even when temperatures dropped to 25 degrees below zero. While vehicle efficiency decreased by up to 40 percent in such extreme cold, the buses consistently met the required daily route distances. Each ESB averaged $1,575 in annual fuel savings compared to traditional diesel buses. (School Transportation News)

Feb 28, 2025 The old Curtis Music Hall in Butte was built in 1892 by Irish-born businessman John H. Curtis during Butte’s copper boom is going through renovations transforming the building into a multi-use commercial space and 14 apartments. The building’s owner Peggy Guccione has restored other historic buildings in town and the contractor expects this project to be completed in about two years. (KXLF)

DNRC and FWP News and Events

February 26 2025 Elk Trail Limited Access Timber Sale 3 miles southwest of Butte in Silver Bow County to harvest 1.3 to 1.6 million board feet (MMBF) from approximately 377 acres. (DNRC)

Feb 25, 2025 10 Future fisheries projects approved. Nearly $484,000 in funding was approved paired with $3.1 million in matching funds (FWP)

Feb 27, 2025 A seasonal closure starts March 1 along a large portion of the north shore of Flathead Lake between Bigfork and Somers to support migrating and nesting birds. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Flathead Waterfowl Production Area (WPA) spans 7 miles of shoreline along the north end of the lake. More than 200 bird species use the area. (FWP)

MDT News

Posted last week by MDT News all new updates were dated 2.25.2025

• Proposed safety improvements south of Roscoe

• Proposed safety enhancement for Hysham Hills Canyon

• Proposed resurfacing on I-90 between Belgrade and Bozeman

Park Layoff Protests

On Saturday 3/01 there were three protests held across Montana at Glacier, YNP, and Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site (3/1 protest sheet)

Wind Turbine Foundations

Was chatting with a fellow who spent his career working in renewables around Wyoming, the conversation shifted to wind turbines, he asked - have you ever seen a foundation for a windmill before? I took a second to think about how much forces these towers endure and didn’t expect these foundation to be this large in scale! The following facts and graphs were gathered from an Iowa State presentation (Engineering Wind Turbine Support Structures)

White Sulphur Fitness

Is there anything that Stone Temple doesn’t offer? Hitting the ABCs of fitness amenities!

Bozeman trade pulse

Feb 25, 2025 Highway 191 through the canyon was closed both ways for sometime starting around 9 in the morning. According to commuters, traffic was backed up into Gallatin Gateway. (Montana Right Now)

Bozeman Chronicle Classifieds

Classifieds posted last week

• Belgrade Middle School Re-Roof and School Renovation open for bid

• (1) new original Montana Retail On-Premises Consumption Beer and Wine License for the Belgrade quota area as the result of the most recent population census. Bidding starts at $334,500

• Bids for construction of the Gallatin Solid Waste Management District – Public Tipping Area. The project consists of the construction of an enclosed public tipping area consisting of six concrete container bays, a concrete tipping floor, an enclosed metal building, paved access roads, utilities, stormwater controls, overhead water fill station, and contact water control system.

Bozeman Yards South

The City published application drawings for the Bozeman Yard South project planned for North Bozeman, fancy space owned by Brick Capital.

Climbing Arrow Ranch

In 1905, the Charles Baker family bought what is now the center of the Francis Unit, and established the Ranch headquarters. Today, Climbing Arrow Ranch consists of approximately 79,582 acres, of which about 73,180 are deeded. CA Ranch has a long, storied history of agricultural production, with a cow herd of nearly 2,000 commercial Black Angus cattle. This ranch was listed April 2021 and was sold on September 1, 2021 for $136,250,000. (Swan Land Co)

Montana Weather

Wetter start to the week temperatures lingering around the 40s across the State. The pattern looks chillier coupled with new snow starting next week. This weekend looks like it will be just as pretty as last weekend.

History

The Snowden Bridge was part of a large scale plan by the Great Northern Railroad to construct the Montana Eastern Railway, which would have been a second east-west main line connecting New Rockford, North Dakota and Lewistown, Montana. World War I put an end to those plans. The Bridge is still operational for rail traffic, though not as a main line. Vehicles shared the bridge until 1986.The Snowden bridge consists of three fixed spans, each 267 feet, and a lifting span which is 300 feet long. It was powered by a gasoline engine. The bridge was completed in 1913 at a cost of $610,000. (Beautiful Badlands)

Have a great week!

Daniel

bozemanbuild.com & blockbiome.com