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Council holds public hearing on $750,000 National Park Service grant for downtown building revitalization
Summary
Butte-Silver Bow held a public hearing on a $750,000 Paul Bruhn grant from the National Park Service to support adaptive reuse of income-producing historic buildings in the landmark district; staff described program goals and no opponents spoke at the hearing.
Butte-Silver Bow, Mont. — The Butte-Silver Bow Council of Commissioners held a public hearing Feb. 5 on a proposed mid-year budget amendment to accept a $750,000 Paul Bruhn grant from the National Park Service to support historic-revitalization projects in the county’s landmark district.
Historic Preservation Officer Kate McCourt told commissioners the grant will target income-producing commercial buildings with vacant or mothballed upper floors, aiming to remove boards from windows, encourage storefront reuse and convert upper stories to cost-effective living space where feasible. The program will prioritize buildings that require code upgrades such as fire suppression and electrical work to become viable for reuse.
Why it matters: The grant is intended to incentivize reinvestment in commercial properties within the landmark district by underwriting rehabilitation work that makes upper floors habitable and storefronts commercially viable, potentially adding residential capacity and economic activity downtown.
What staff said
Karen Burns, director of community development, introduced the budget amendment and said the county must amend its fiscal year budget to accept the unanticipated revenue. Kate McCourt read a short description from the grant application, saying the project "hopes to help motivate and invigorate owners of properties that have commercial and residential promise but have stagnated due to the point of vacancy and county-enforced mothballing" and that the grant will concentrate on adaptive reuse of contributing properties within the landmark district.
Public reaction and next steps
The council opened the hearing and invited proponents and opponents; no members of the public spoke in favor or opposition during the allotted calls. The public hearing record will be part of the budget-amendment process; staff said the council will consider the formal budget amendment once the public-hearing record is complete and required procedural steps are met.
Ending
Commissioners did not receive any opponents during the hearing. Staff indicated they are "excited to start working on it once we get the budget amended," and the council moved to the next agenda items while preserving the hearing record.
