Bozeman Build #54

Happy Monday and welcome back the Bozeman Build Report discovering Montana trade news, great to have you here!

Today, we brief the best 2025 Montana beer, solar subscription proposal, Old Toston Bridge removal, Big Sky developments vs activists, Cyclone Bill permitting 9,192 acres of timber harvest near Whitefish, Tariff thoughts from oil and logging industry players, construction site raid, Fort Peck 89% of average, prescribed burns in different parts of the State starting for the Spring, bill requiring power companies to file wildfire mitigation plans, bill requiring carriers to cover car repairs with OEM parts, timber sales, $4.5M generated from Q1 2025 oil lease sales, six sled trailer, Ennis multifamily, Running Elk ranch price reduced from 79M to 69M, DOGE shut down several office leases across Bozeman, Gallatin mountain bike trail expansion, new roads, clearing snow for Spring forestry projects, Montana March weather, and the story of the Saint Helena Cathedral.

Daniel

A quick note from the author…

* I will be out of town this coming Monday March 17th and won’t have the ability to put together a Bozeman Build Report for that week. The next Bozeman Build (#55) will be published on Monday March 24th which will cover content dated March 10th - 23rd. Thanks for your patience!

**I revamped the bozemanbuild.com website and created an archive page that displays all historical Bozeman Build Reports making it easier to reference past content.

_{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.}

Montana and Bozeman Trade Pulse

Montana trade pulse

2025 Montana Beer Awards Winners (Posted On February 22, 2025)

Mar 4, 2025 The Senate late last week passed a proposal that would establish a legal framework for community solar power projects. If it passes the Legislature, SB 188 would allow a solar developer to build a solar array between 50 kilowatts and five megawatts and sell shares of the array’s generation to subscribers, who would use the power produced to offset their monthly power bills. (KULR)

Mar 04, 2025 The Montana Department of Transportation is taking public comment on a proposed plan to remove the Old Toston Bridge in Broadwater County. (KRTV)

Mar 04, 2025 The Quarry development in Big Sky Montana (old Big Sky Pit) Phase one was approved in 2019 and phase two approved in November 2024 includes 135 single-family homes, 130 apartments, and commercial spaces. Ninety homes have already been approved, while the current environmental assessment focuses on the remaining 45 homes in phase two. Activists and environmental groups are pointing out shallow groundwater in Big Sky’s canyon area, where the Quarry Project septic systems will drain, connects to the Gallatin River, raising concerns about worsening pollution. (KBZK)

Mar 4, 2025 Flathead National Forest approves Cyclone Bill Project near Whitefish for timber harvest. The project includes approximately 9,192 acres of commercial timber harvest and 3,139 acres of noncommercial treatments. (USDA FS)

Mar 05, 2025 Montana imports 93 percent of its goods from Canada and Mexico, the most of any state. Maine comes in second at 71 percent, followed by Michigan and Vermont (70 percent) and North Dakota (68 percent). (Aljazeera)

Mar 05, 2025 ICE detains 17 undocumented immigrants in Bigfork construction site raid (KBZK)

Mar 05, 2025 - US Army Corp estimates snow water equivalent above Fort Peck to be 89% of average and dam storage to be slightly below average. The Corp stated that Mountain snowpack is currently near average. (US Army Corps of Engineers Basin Update)

March 6, 2025 Prescribed burns are underway in western Montana. BLM is planning multiple burns ranging from 40 to 650 acres this spring along the Blackfoot River, Rock Creek drainage on the Beartooth Ranger District, Helena, Belt Creek-White Sulphur Springs and Judith Musselshell Ranger Districts. The Lolo National Forest is also burning several acres of piles this week northwest of St. Regis. (MTPR)

March 6, 2025 Gov. Greg Gianforte’s House Bill 231 is off to the Senate. The proposed law would reduce residential property taxes by increasing taxes on second homes. The bill is now before the Senate Taxation Committee, where lawmakers may propose amendments before it moves forward. (Realtor)

Mar 6, 2025 Montana lumber industry reacts to new proposed 25% tariff on lumber. 

• Sean Steinebach with Sun Mountain Lumber - “We have to compete with the West Coast in the southeast, and we have to compete with Canadian lumber and all these other folks. It's a little tough for small Montana companies”

• Roy Thompson, with RBM Lumber in Columbia Falls - it won't change any because nobody makes what we make. They don't. They certainly don't get what we make out of Canada (KULR8)

March 6, 2025 Denise Baum, D-Billings. was among 98 representatives who voted in favor of House Bill 490. The bill It requires regulated utilities and electric cooperatives to file and follow wildfire mitigation plans, outlines specific requirements for those plans, and it protects those entities from being liable for fires they didn’t cause. (Daily Montanan)

Mar 7, 2025 Montana refineries are worried about imposing Tariffs since Montana is a large importer of Crude from Canada. Montana imported $4.2 billion worth of crude oil from Canada through October 2024. (KULR8)

Mar 07, 2025 The Montana Senate has passed Senate Bill 356 (SB356) with an overwhelming 49-1 vote, moving the legislation to the House Business & Labor Committee for further review. The bill aims to ensure that carriers cover original equipment manufacturer (OEM) repair procedures, particularly those related to safety inspections following vehicle collisions. (Insurance Business Mag)

DNRC and FWP News and Events

March 04 2025 Weeksville Timber Sale 9 miles north of Plains, Montana would harvest approximately 1.5 MMBF from 560 acres. (DNRC)

March 04 2025 Clark Hinch Timber Sale 6 miles northwest of Plains, Montana would harvest approximately 3.5 MMBF from 640 acres. (DNRC)

March 4, 2025 Oil and Gas Lease Sale Results. Total Acres 4,974.07. Total Bid Revenue $4,509,899.30. Average Bid Per Acre $906.68 (DNRC)

March 06 2025 Island Lake and Johnson’s Draw Timber Sales 55 miles southeast of Libby, MT. An estimated 2.5-3 MMBF would be harvested on the Island Lake parcel from approximately 609 acres. To access timber on this parcel, approximately 0.5 miles of new temporary roads would be constructed, and 8 miles of existing road would be maintained. An estimated 2-2.5 MMBF would be harvested on the Johnson’s Draw parcel from approximately 320 acres. To access this parcel, approximately 1.5 - 2 miles of new road would be constructed and 13.5 miles of existing road would be maintained. (DNRC)

MDT News

MDT News posted last week dated 3/3 and 3/4. Mar 7, 2025

• Proposed resurfacing for I-15 Business Loop through Conrad

• Proposed off-system bridge removal near Toston

Advertised Bid Packages

April 3, 2025 Letting

• 101 – ROSE XING TO GLACIER AIRPORT

• 102 – BALLANTINE – POMPEYS PILLAR-TIED

• 103 – BAD ROUTE REST AREA

• 104 – JACKRABBIT – AMSTERDAM RD INT

• 105 – HUSON EAST – PONDING MITIGATION

• 106 – 10TH STREET N DRAINAGE - GF

Six Sled Trailer

Some Minnesota boys pulled up to a Bozeman Town Pump cramming six sleds into their covered three axel trailer.

Ennis multifamily

I’m not a real estate professional nor do I know the actual story behind this however it was brought to attention that these condos/multi plex’s constructed in Ennis didn’t fly off the market very quickly (382 days on zillow). It appears that the seller is listing both the individual units (3bd/2ba/1,600sf) for $650-700k and is offering the entire cluster for $2.7M. It is a nice looking build with a thoughtfully designed interior. Check it out on zillow.

Bozeman trade pulse

Mar 06, 2025 - Running Elk Ranch North of Bozeman was listed in May of 2024 for $79M and on 3/6/2025 the price was reduced to $69M. (Bozeman Real Estate Group)

Mar 06, 2025 DOGE set to shut down multiple Montana government offices. The Bozeman Fish Health Center and U.S. Geological Survey Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center are among at least 12 in Montana set to have leases terminated. Amounting to a total cost cut of $2.7 million. (KBZK)

March 6, 2025 The first flow trails in Bozeman, MT, are being built on private land at Crosscut and Bridger Bowl. “We really haven’t had a lot of success in developing new trails around Bozeman for the last few years,” said Drew Maier, Vice President of the Dirt Concern, the Bozeman chapter of the Southwest Montana Mountain Bike Association (SWMMBA). “Ultimately, our goal as an organization is to develop that as much as possible into a high-density trail network for bikes,” said Maier. SWMMBA is currently raising $300,000 for this project. (Single Tracks)

Bozeman Chronicle Classifieds

Classifieds to note posted last week.

• City of Townsend - tons of road chip seal, re surface, replace projects open for bid

• 2025 Gallatin County RID Paving and Road Maintenance Project open for bid. 7 rural subdivisions needing asphalt overlay.

Gearing up for some summer forestry fun

Moser creek up Hyalite was plowed last week for heavy equipment access to continue work on the Bozeman Municipal Watershed Project. I assume thei’ll resume operations whenever snow is shallow enough.

Montana Weather

Somewhat regular March weather ahead with high chances of precipitation either snow rain depending where your at later this week early next week.

First 2025 wildfire alert published March 9th.

Snow Water Equivalent. Plains Snow Water Equivalent: National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center

History

Local mining magnate Thomas Cruse (1836 - 1914) provided much of the funding to build the magnificent Cathedral. He did not live to see its completion; his funeral was held in the unfinished building.

In April of 1908 bids were let, and the Columbia Construction Company of New York was awarded the contract for both the Cathedral and the adjacent St. Helena School. Some published accounts say that the Cathedral is modeled after the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, but actually architect A. O. Von Herbulis modeled the Cathedral of St. Helena after the Votivkirche in Vienna, Austria, which was under construction when he was a student in that city.

By July of 1913, the exterior of the building was completed, the spires had been erected and only the tuck-and-pointing of the walls remained to be done. The first mass was celebrated in the Cathedral on Christmas Day, 1914. (Helena History)

Have a sweet week and will see you next on Monday March 24th,

Daniel

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