Howdy makers of Montana

Welcome back to the Bozeman Build Report covering trade related activities happening in Montana and around the Northern Rockies. Today we’re talking about fire stations, new developments, Paccar, EVs in Montana, growing tropical fruits in Montana, splash pads, Laurel government projects, vault toilets, increasing lumber prices, upcoming weather, and enough to keep you occupied.

Thanks again for tuning in and please enjoy the next 5 minutes covering what Montana is made from.

Keep the saw sharp,

Daniel

When, what, and who is the Bozeman Build ? The BB is a 1x/week free email newsletter delivered every Monday morning focused on mountain West trades with an emphasis on Montana. The author Daniel Z has a background in accounting, commodities, construction, trucking, and operates a small business called blockbiome. Daniel is not a financial or building advisor.

Sponsors and business spotlight of the week…

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Bozeman and Montana Trade Pulse

Bozeman trade pulse

West Post Development Belgrade

A Barnard Investments LLC Development 250 acres in sum. This isn’t anything new, the original declaration for West Post was signed August 2022.

Williams purchased some blocks, here is some of their home models and pricing. There are a few other spec builders here along with some smaller custom builders.

“Williams Homes is bringing best-selling and affordable floorplans to the West Post masterplan in Belgrade, MT. These homes will host the spirit of small-town Montana living, while sparing no urban convenience.”

Heres some pictures of the West Post development from early July 2024.

Fire Station #2

The 13,500-square foot building will be built on 1.1 acres of land leased to the city by MSU and replace the fire station currently located along South 19th Avenue. The initial lease is for 20 years with the option to renew for up to an additional 30 years. In 2021, Bozeman voters approved a $6.7 million bond to fund the station’s relocation. Construction is expected to be completed in 2024.

The project’s general contractor is Martel of Bozeman with architectural services by Montana-based ThinkOne. -MSU News

Kenworth and Peterbilt can you tell the difference?

PACCAR purchased Kenworth Motor Truck Company of Seattle in 1945 and Peterbilt Motors Company in 1958. Photo was taken at Yellowstone Travel Plaza outside Livingston containing a Peterbilt hitched to a Peterbilt and two Kenworths, can you tell any difference between them?

Montana trade pulse

July 15, 2024 - Billings - Billings bike and pedestrian masterplan pedals into phase two. - Billings Bike Plan

July 16, 2024 - Billings - South 21st underpass: ruiner of vacations, decapitator of RVs. R/Billings

Jul 18, 2024 - Big Sandy - Organic farming pioneer Bob Quinn builds subterranean greenhouse - Montana Ag

July 18, 2024 - Billings - State's largest nursing home prepares to close following patient safety violations - NBC Montana

July 18, 2024 - Statewide - With federal money available, Montana aims to make schools more energy efficient -NPR

July 18, 2024 - Missoula - Massive Missoula area subdivision garners initial approval - MFP

MDT News

News Releases last week 7/16-7/19 2024

20240716-132510 | Construction Progressing On Malta-South
20240715-155014 | German Gulch Road Bridge To Be Fully Closed
20240715-113507 | Proposed Stormwater Ponding Mitigation Near Frenchtown
20240715-062337 | Westbound I-90 Main Street Int Off-Ramp Closed

Pyramid Mountain Lumber mini documentary

ABC News caught wind of Seeley Lakes Pyramid Mountain Lumber closure and made story about it.

Montana Housing Dashboard

July 18, 2024 -The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis has developed a new data resource, the Montana Housing Dashboard, to both inform those addressing housing challenges in Montana and prepare for monitoring the impacts of land use regulation reforms on housing affordability if and when the state fully implements those changes.

Its a really well designed dashboard that presents Exisiting affordable units, Foreclosure Rates, Home Ownership rates, subsidized housing, vacancy rates etc.

MT EV infrastructure update

Montana Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment 2024 Plan Update (36 minute deep dive)

Laurel, MT new elementary

Laurel, Mt: The Laurel Public Schools is building a brand-new elementary school due to aging facilities in March 2024.

Laurel Pool to Splash Pad trend

This was a story from last winter (January 20th 2023) however I wanted to point out that splash pads seem to be the new trend since pools are often riddled with maintenance and costly overhead. It appears Laurel contractors filled in the pool, renovated the facilities, and built a splash pad over the old pool.

Wyoming also appears to be moving in the direction of splash pads, here are a few new splash pads in the works in recent years:

• Rawlins - July 2023

• Casper - June 3rd 2024

• Powell - June 2025

Vault Toilets

Appreciation post for how well constructed vault toilets are. These lavitory’s were seen at Vista Point Observation Site on Beartooth Hwy US 212. The specs were screenshotted from the USDA’s In-Depth Design and Maintenance Manual for Vault Toilets

Commodities

Covering volatility, building materials, and commodities of the Northern Rockies prices as of Sunday July 21st 2024 gathered from tradingeconomics.com. I’m not a financial or commodities advisor.

Large Swings

Copper futures fell past $4.3 per pound in July, (Down -7.11% last week) the lowest in three months, as pessimism over industrial demand in top consumer China continued to weigh on base metal prices.

Lumber prices surged above $500 per thousand board feet, (Up 14.94% last week) rebounding from a year-and-a-half low of $419 on July 15th, driven by rising demand expectations for wood and construction materials.

Canola was up 6.71% and Oat was up 9.88% last week

Building Materials

Northern Rockies Ag

Weather

6-10 Day Outlooks

The heat looks more tolerable this week however mid this week will be sweat city, not much rain in the forecast. Based on the 6-10 day Outlooks issued by the National Weather Service updated July 21st.

USA Smoke Map

• Horse Gulch Fire East of Helena is 92% contained having burned over 15,167 acres

• Miller Peak Fire South of Missoula is 10% contained having burned 2481 Acres

History of the week

Its hay season. This is a photo of stacking hay in the Judith Basin sourced from the Montana History Portals Early Agriculture and Homesteading in Judith Basin County Collection.

Have a great week and let us know what you’re working on,

Daniel

bozemanbuild.com & blockbiome.com