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Broadwater County approves up to $50,000 to pursue federal BUILD grant for Winston North/Beavercreek corridor work
Summary
The Broadwater County Board of Commissioners voted to authorize up to $50,000 to Great West Engineers to prepare a BUILD federal highway grant application to accelerate the MDT Winston North project and coordinate it with the Beavercreek turn-lane work.
The Broadwater County Board of Commissioners voted to authorize up to $50,000 to Great West Engineers to prepare and submit a BUILD federal highway grant application aimed at accelerating the Montana Department of Transportation’s (MDT) Winston North project, with the stated goal of coordinating the work with the Beavercreek turn-lane project.
Deputy county and consulting presentations described the BUILD (Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development) program as a competitive federal transportation grant with awards that can reach tens of millions of dollars. County staff and Great West engineer Craig Erickson told commissioners the application will be labor-intensive and interactive with MDT; Erickson estimated a roughly one-in-three chance of success while warning the process could be affected by broader federal issues such as a government shutdown. Erickson estimated typical consultant costs at $25,000–$40,000 and the county approved an upper limit of $50,000 to provide flexibility.
Public Works Director TJ Gravely and Winston resident Kathy Breckke spoke in support. Gravely cited multiple major accidents in the corridor and said improvements would “help mitigate the problem.” Breckke described the opportunity as “incredible,” noting the BUILD program requires no local match for projects up to $25 million and that the corridor connects to the state capital.
Commissioners noted that MDT manages construction and that county funds paid to Great West would not be reimbursed if the county’s application were unsuccessful; staff said some of the analysis performed for a BUILD application could be reused for future grant efforts. County finance staff indicated possible funding sources for the consultant cost could include Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) or the general fund and said they could identify an appropriation if the commission approved moving forward.
A motion to authorize Great West to prepare and submit the BUILD grant application for up to $50,000 carried by voice vote; the chair announced the motion passed.
Commissioners instructed staff to continue coordination with MDT and Great West and to return to the commission as the application and funding details develop.
