Bozeman Build #58

Welcome back to the Bozeman Build Report discovering Montana trade content, we’re happy to have you! Today we will cover water towers, upgrading fire facilities, grants for film makers distributed, tourism grant for Sidney, 13th chancellor for Montana Tech and 13th President for MSU, Hay Montana feed startup, Kalispell mixed use trail, Holland Lake Lodge investment pending, 400 Horses Casino ground breaking, Missoula annexations, coal impact grant, environmental impact statements no longer needed for gas leasing decisions, new roundabout law requiring vehicles to yield to load towing vehicles, road projects heating up. Around Bozeman we mentioned CFN Fuel, resurfacing planned for 19th street, Bozeman airport VP and COO retired, new seasonal Delta direct to New York, hotel plans, glut of apartments becoming available this Spring. Around the area we addressed a regional oil and gas assessment, Doppelmayer broke ground on a manufacturing plant in SLC. In Wyoming there was a $30M uranium mine investment, two remaining lumber mills, and the use of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is on the rise.

Enjoy!

Daniel

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_{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.}

Free Film/drone service

I started a media business called bluecollarfilm.com - we’re seeking a few trial clients for experience/showcase that we’d be willing to do for free. Contact Daniel @ [email protected] or respond to this email. Thanks.

Montana and Bozeman Trade Pulse

Montana trade pulse

Whitehall to build a new water storage tank - The Whitehall Water Storage Tank Improvements Project. Construction of a 1.0 MG AWWA D110 type 3 precast concrete water storage tank; new water main piping; new tank drain overflow piping; electrical and communication connections; and access drive; grading and storm drainage; and demolition of existing storage tank and associated systems. (Bozeman Classifieds)

Apr 4, 2025 Great Falls fire chief pushes to rehab ailing training center. Jones has petitioned city commissioners to approve $2.5 million in bond financing to improve the training center. This initial plan includes demolishing and replacing the tower and improving the grounds with asphalt and better drainage. (Williston Herald)

April 08 2025 The Montana Department of Commerce announced today that 29 film creations will share more than $1.5 million in grant funding to film on-location productions across the state. The grant funding is awarded through Commerce’s Big Sky Film Grant Program. (Commerce MT)

April 09 2025 The Montana Department of Commerce announced today that the Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture will receive more than $113,000 of grant funding to develop local tourism opportunities. (Commerce MT)

09 April 2025 Dr. Karen Marrongelle has been selected as the 13^th Chancellor of the Montana Technological University, starting August 4, 2025. Dr. Marrongelle will join the Montana Tech campus from her role as the Chief Science Officer of the U.S. National Science Foundation. (Montana Tech News)

Apr 09, 2025 The US equine industry grew 45 percent from 2017 to 2023, contributing $177 billion to the US economy in 2023 alone. That growth created a need for quality feed. The Toston startup Hay Montana is working to meet that need with Montana-grown alfalfa (Montana Ag Network)

April 9, 2025 Kalispell City Council voted unanimously Monday to apply for a state grant to fund construction of a shared-use path along U.S. 93 between Logan Health Medical Center and downtown Kalispell. (Daily Interlake)

April 9, 2025 New investors are standing by at Holland Lake Lodge awaiting authorization to purchase the century-old Swan Valley resort, but first the Flathead National Forest must grant them a special use permit to operate the lakeside business on public land. (Flathead Beacon)

Apr 9, 2025 S&K Gaming broke ground on the new 400 Horses Casino which is located in West Polson. The new state-of-the-art casino is set to bring economic growth to the Flathead Lake area. The 35,000-square-foot casino will provide 75 new jobs once operational. (Montana Right Now)

Apr 9, 2025 The Missoula City Council has approved a new annexation allowing for future housing and business developments just off California Street. (Montana Right Now)

April 10 2025 More than $400,000 in grant funding has been awarded to three Montana communities to support vital public safety and development projects in coal-impacted areas. The funding was allocated to these communities by the Montana Coal Board. (Commerce MT)

Apr 10, 2025 The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is rescinding its notice to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the oil and gas leasing decisions in seven States from February 2015 to December 2020. The BLM announced its intent to prepare the EIS in a notice that published in the Federal Register on January 16, 2025. (Federal Register)

April 11, 2025 The Montana House unanimously passed a bill addressing how vehicles approach roundabouts on Friday, specifically adding stipulations into the law giving preference for vehicles towing a load. Senate Bill 433, brought by Sen. Theresa Manzella, R-Hamilton, changes regulations for how vehicles approach roundabouts. Hauling vehicles will legally be allowed to deviate from their lane to move through a traffic circle. Other autos in the roundabout must yield to hauling vehicles. (Daily Montanan)

MDT News

Sourced from mdtnews.mt.gov/news/

• 4/7/2025 MT 200 reconstruction between Jordan, Brockway resumes

• 4/9/2025 The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT), along with construction partner Montana Lines, Inc., will begin the installation of safety measures at various locations throughout western Montana in MDT’s Missoula District.

• 4/10/2025 Construction to occur at night on North 19th Avenue in Bozeman.

• 4/10/2025 Crews to begin replacing 14 aging timber bridges between Forsyth and Ingomar.

• 4/10/2025 Construction rehabilitating 6th Street NW and SW to begin in Great Falls.

Post Frame Construction

I’m interested in the concept of post frame construction mostly the cost savings and efficiency component, I enjoy watching Youtube influencers RR Buildings and MR Post Frame cover the topic. While watching a Mr Post Frame video $57 Per Square Foot Barndominum Cost Breakdown | Mad County , I noticed he is partnered with Florence, Montana based Back Forty Building Co who is a architecture firm that specializes in Barndominium design and plans. Check them out!

Bozeman trade pulse

CFN fuel site or Story Distributing Co in Belgrade sells 110 octane race fuel at the pump.

April 4th 2025 - The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and its partner Riverside Contracting will be completing pavement preservation activities on 19th Avenue from the Interstate 90 (I-90) overpass to the intersection with Main Street in Bozeman. (MDT)

Apr 8, 2025 Scott Humphrey is retiring as executive vice president and COO at the Gallatin Airport Authority which operates Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) in Belgrade. Humphrey has been with BZN since 2009, previously serving as deputy airport director. He has been in his current COO role since 2009. (Montana Right Now)

Apr 08, 2025 The Montana Board of Regents announced on Monday that it has extended an offer to Dr. Brock Tessman to become the 13th president of Montana State University. Dr. Tessman will join MSU from Northern Michigan University, where he has served as president since February 2023. (KBZK)

April 9, 2025 Boba Cucue (Arizona based Boba Tea brand) expands to Montana with First-Ever Location in Bozeman (Restaurant News)

April 09, 2025 Delta is adding a seasonal direct from Bozeman to New York City's LaGuardia Airport (LGA). All the new flights will operate weekly on Saturdays throughout the peak winter season. The Atlanta-based carrier will commence service between the following airports Dec. 20 (The Points Guys)

Apr 10, 2025 A new boutique hotel could be coming to downtown Bozeman. A site application has been submitted to the city for a 6-story hotel on East Mendenhall, near Rouse, in the parking area behind Open Range. The proposed project, located in the B-3 Downtown Business District, includes a ground-level lobby, restaurant, and event space, along with a rooftop bar on the sixth floor. Plans also call for sidewalk and landscaping improvements to enhance the surrounding area. (Bozeman Real Estate Group)

New Construction of the week!

Another behemoth apartment build, I snapped a pic after a Kenyon errand and thought it would be convenient to have a project right across from the hardware store! The Beaumont is income-restricted for households at or below 60% AMI. Units are available here starting Mid May and are actually somewhat affordable advertising 3 bed 2 bath apartments at $1,729.

The Copper

The Copper is a Luxury apartment rental, these units become available May 1st. Seems like there is a bunch of new units hitting the market Spring 2025 as these aren’t the only two apartment projects coming to completion within this timeframe.

Gateway unique house

A friend showed me this unique listing in Gallatin Gateway, with unique architecture featuring a loft overlooking a bathroom, a 1.5 story high glass garage door, seems like all the rooms are mixed use in a way. You can find this listing on zillow.

Northern Rockies

March 13, 2025 The U.S. Geological Survey released its assessment of potential for undiscovered oil and gas in formations under Wyoming and parts of southern Montana as well as parts of western South Dakota and Nebraska, assessing that there are technically recoverable resources of 47 million barrels of oil and 876 billion cubic feet of gas. (USGS)

April 09, 2025 Winnipeg-based Snow Lake Energy, which runs its Buffalo Uranium Mine 50 miles south of Casper, is partnering with Global Uranium and Enrichment Limited (GUE) announced a $30 million investment in the Pine Ridge Uranium Project. (Cowboy State Daily)

April 12th 2025 - Doppelmayer USA broke ground on a tate-of-the-art ski lift manufacturing plant in Salt Lake City last Wednesday (R&O Construction)

April 12, 2025 Opening More U.S. Logging May Not Save Wyoming’s Last Two Large Lumber Mills. While Wyoming once had so many lumber mills that the industry was its third largest sector, today it’s down to only two large commercial mills. One in Saratoga called Saratoga Forest Management, and the one Neiman owns, called Neiman Enterprises. In 1983, Wyoming had 34 operating mills, but by 2005 that had dwindled to just 21. Now there are only two large ones left, though there are perhaps 10 smaller mills handling things like the pallet industry. Wyoming milled as much as 80 million board feet of lumber once upon a time. But last year, in 2024, it milled just 10 million board feet, according to USDA figures. (Cowboy State Daily)

April 13, 2025 Wyoming’s Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute is partnering with private companies to give aging oil fields a new lease on life. The technology is allowing millions more barrels of oil to be squeezed out of existing wells. It’s a testament to the power of enhanced oil recovery (EOR), a set of techniques in which latent reserves are pressured to the surface using CO2 and other cocktail injections, expanding the lifespan of legacy fields. In the last 20 years, EOR has resulted in an additional 67 million barrels and $558 million state tax revenue in Wyoming, according to analysis from the State Budget Office. (EORI Wyoming)

Montana Weather

Beautiful start to the week after a somewhat dreary, windy, colder weekend. Monday/Tuesday look splendid then some moisture will join the party mid this week followed through with a pleasant weekend. The 6-10 day is showing near normal precipitation and temperatures.

History

Karst Stage was founded in 1902 by Pete Karst. In 1898, Karst passed through Montana on his way from Wisconsin to the West Coast. At Lewiston, Idaho, he turned around and came back to Bozeman. In 1902, Karst was driving freight and loggers from Bozeman to the Cooper Tie Camp which Walter Cooper had just opened on the Taylor Fork. The job required many horses, wagons, and drivers and, with the encouragement of Cooper, Karst acquired a loan from the bank to buy the necessary equipment to conduct the freight operation.

In 1908, Karst built the Karst Stage Stop Inn approximately 35 miles south of Bozeman in the Gallatin Canyon. Although this was the first “dude ranch” in the canyon, many more similar operations opened quickly after Karst. Karst transported passengers, mail, and freight from Bozeman and the surrounding area to his ranch and the many others in the area. He also began operating tours into Yellowstone National Park. The company became known as Karst Stage and the name has been retained to this day. (Karst Stage)

Signing out, see you next Monday,

Daniel

bozemanbuild.com & blockbiome.com