Howdy makers of Montana

Welcome back to the Bozeman Build Report covering trade related activities happening in Montana and around the Northern Rockies. Today were talking about asphalt projects, urban camping public comments, stucco, job site progress, Northwestern rate increases, new wind towers, sour postal service negotiations, the Virgelle Ferry, geyser eruptions, smoke, storms, and the biggest tractor in the world.

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

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 has a background in accounting, commodities, construction, trucking, and operates a small business called blockbiome. We are not a financial or building advisors.

Sponsors and business spotlight of the week…

Interested in running an ad? Reach out to [email protected] 

Bozeman and Montana Trade Pulse

Bozeman trade pulse

July 23 2024 - Rosauers Planning to Open a Location in Belgrade - Bozeman Real Estate Group

July 24, 2024 - The Bozeman City Commission passed a motion to put a public safety mill levy and construction bond on the ballot in November. If passed by voters, the mill levy would allow for the hiring of 22 new firefighters needed to staff the new fire station, as well as 30 new police officers and eight non-sworn positions within the police department.

July 26, 2024 - Bozeman moving forward on HUD housing plan. The plan will allow the city to access the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant. The city’s share of CDBG funding is expected to be $325,000 annually.

Camping in the Right-of-Way

Bozeman City Commission is set to review the ordinance that sets the time, place, and manner requirements for people camping in the right-of-way on Tuesday, August 6 at City Hall (121 N Rouse Ave) at 6 PM. All are encouraged to come out and share public comment on this important issue within our community.

We're interested in sharing a snapshot of thoughts on this topic during the meeting. If you would like to contribute, please fill out the survey here by August 5.

You can also share your thoughts directly with the Commission by emailing [email protected].

$78 Million for 1,940 acres?

Listed earlier this week on Monday July 22nd. California-based venture capitalist Bandel Carano and his wife, Paula Carano, are the sellers, according to property records. They purchased the land in several parcels in the early 2000s and the 3,553-square-foot main lodge was completed in 2005, per public records. Bandel Carano could not immediately be reached for comment. - AR15.com

New Stucco

Not the most common siding choice up North but it looks great on the historic Bon Ton Building located at 34-42 West Main Street in Downtown Bozeman built in c. 1890 by the firm Sebree, Ferris, and White (SFW).

MSU Stadium blacktop

Appears Knife River is nearly 75% complete with the paving portion of this project, the entire $13M project should be wrapped up by first day of Fall Semester Wednesday August 21st.

Airborn porta-potty

Saw this on Friday afternoon at the “Free Stone” Apartments jobsite constructed by Arco Murray. This is a JLL Capital Markets project.

Here are some photographs of the concrete forms used for this build, the basement includes 127 stalls of underground parking -no wonder so many forms were used!

New construction NE Bozeman

Residential resurfacing

Montana trade pulse

I sure hope that everyone near Missoula is doing alright after last weeks wind storm.

July 20th 2024 - NorthWestern Energy proposes rate increase for electric, natural gas customers. NorthWestern Energy submitted a request to the Montana Public Service Commission asking to raise rates for electric and natural gas customers. If approved by the Public Service Commission, electric customers will see an increase of $2 per month. Customers using natural gas will see an increase of $5 per month. Throughout the state, over 40,000 NorthWestern customers use electric service, and over 200,000 use natural gas.

July 22nd 2024 - Governor Greg Gianforte today announced the State of Montana received a nearly $50 million investment in Montana’s working and natural lands from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Montana is one of just 25 recipients across the nation to be awarded funding.

Jul 24, 2024 - Postal Service abruptly ended negotiations with Alpine Air in Montana. The U.S. Postal Service abruptly stopped air service in Montana this week even after Alpine Air, its air cargo contractor in the state, offered a roughly $3 million reduction in its contract, according to the company CEO.

July 24th, 2024 - Stillwater County, Montana - Puget Sound Energy building two massive wind energy projects in Montana. Seattle-area electrical provider will ship wind energy west, with a third project possible.

• The Beaver Creek wind project will help the company meet Washington’s aggressive clean-energy laws.

• Washington has mandated that it will not rely on any energy derived from fossil fuels by 2050, but in order to do that, it will require a rapid build-out of renewable projects, like the Beaver Creek facility and others.

• The wind farm will be fully operational by 2025, company officials say. The construction work will take as many as 200 skilled workers, and 10 to 15 permanent workers at the site itself. The company will erect as many as 88 turbines. The project will contribute more than $150 million to the tax base through impact fees for the estimated 25-year life of the project, according to PSE.

Jul 24, 2024 Montana Construction Aggregate Prices Increase 22.4% since 2019, 15th Most in the U.S.

July 24, 2024 - YELLOWSTONE VOLCANO OBSERVATORY INFORMATION STATEMENT - The July 23, 2024, hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin resulted from water suddenly transitioning to steam in the shallow hydrothermal system beneath Black Diamond Pool and was not caused by volcanic activity. Seismicity, ground deformation, and gas and thermal emissions remain at their normal background levels, and there were no detectable precursors to this event.

July 26th, 2024 - Billings - 'Dig It Days' in Billings offers free Montana Fair tickets this year. Heavy machinery and dirt diggers will be posted up at the fair for kids to climb on, take pictures, and learn from experienced operators about the expansive world of the construction industry. The popular "Dig It Days" event will be held the last two days of the Montana Fair on August 16 and 17 from 12-6 p.m.

July 26 2024 - Missoula/Bitterroot Valley - Governor Greg Gianforte today issued an executive order declaring a disaster in Missoula and Mineral counties. On July 24, 2024, a severe thunderstorm – with wind speeds of 81 mph, lightning, heavy rain, and gusts up to 109 mph – caused damages to power poles across western Montana leaving tens of thousands of customers of Missoula Electric and Northwestern Energy without power.

MDT News

20240723-161930 | Bridge Closure On Dodson South Canal Project
20240722-135932 | Work Wrapping Up On Racetrack Bridge Removal Project
20240722-110340 | Proposed Pavement Preservation Project Targhee Pass
20240722-105702 | Proposed Pavement Preservation Near West Yellowstone
20240722-103901 | Proposed Reconstruction On MT 28

Virgelle Ferry

Virgelle, Montana - Ring the buzzer and the Ferry Operator will come over the Missouri to pick you and your vehicle up. The ride is free, but operated at your own risk. The Virgelle Ferry has successfully transported over 30,000 vehicles with a 50 foot long steel frame and deck pulled by a power cable. -Visitmt.com

Commodities

Covering volatility, building materials, and commodities of the Northern Rockies prices as of Sunday July 28th gathered from tradingeconomics.com

Large Swings

• Natural gas was down 7.23% last week

• **Steel rebar futures sank past CNY 3,100 per tonne in late July, the lowest in over seven years.

• Rice futures rebounded to above $15 per hundredweight, moving away from a 2-1/2-year low of $14.1 reached on July 19th.

• Salmon decreased 29.71 NOK/KG or 29.76% since the beginning of 2024

Building Materials

Northern Rockies Ag

Northern Rockies Fuel Prices

Prices sourced from AAA Gas Prices Sunday 7/28.

Weather

6-10 Day Outlooks

More hot weather with above average chances of precipitation around the Northern Rockies based on the 6-10 day outlooks issued by the National Weather Service.

USA Smoke Map

Current or recent fires in Montana as of 07/28/2024 sourced from InciWeb

• Muir Creek Fire - MTGNP - 30 Acres

• Butler Creek Fire - MTMTS - 284 acres - 100% contained

• Miller Peak Fire - MTLNF - 2,724 Acres - 65% contained

• Horse Gulch Fire - MTHLF - 15,167 Acres - 100% contained

• Blacktail Canyon - MTBDF - 80 Acres - 95% contained

• Grouse - MTBDF - 80 Acres - 100% contained

• Deadman Fire - MTMTS - 47,827 Acres - 100% contained

Here’s a look at where the smoke is as of Sunday 7.28.

History of the week

In 1977 the Big Bud 747 tractor was built in Havre, Montana. It was built by Ron Harmon and the crew of the Northern Manufacturing Company. It was built to produce 760 horsepower using a 16-cylinder Detroit Diesel engine. Originally, Big Bud measured 27 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 14 feet tall. The tires were specially made by United Tire Company of Canada and are 8 feet in diameter.

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

Daniel

bozemanbuild.com & blockbiome.com