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Residents, historic board urge county to buy railroad office; CEO says $125,000 deal and Phase I study complete
Summary
County staff described negotiations to acquire a historic railroad administrative building (the 'White House') for $125,000; presenters said a Phase I environmental study is complete and historic-resource volunteers urged purchase to create a museum and archives despite preparatory costs and a long timeline.
County officials updated the commission on efforts to acquire a downtown railroad administrative building described as historically significant and part of Anaconda’s industrial past. The CEO said negotiations yielded an offered purchase price of $125,000 and that the county has $500,000 set aside for pursuit of the broader railroad property, though most of that remains unspent.
"We received the building and property for a $125,000," the CEO said, describing negotiations that staff members (including Carl Nieman) led to a discounted price. He added that a Phase I environmental study is complete and that, while the structure will require substantial grant funding and work, it could serve as a museum or archives that keeps local artifacts accessible to the public.
Historic-resource board members and residents spoke in favor. Maubren, who identified themself as chair of the historic-resource board, said the building could house photographs, maps and artifacts and urged the commission to act while the property was available. Tammy Madsen said county ownership would protect the building from neglect or inappropriate redevelopment and could bring visitors and educational opportunities; Rose and other volunteers described digitization efforts and collections that lack a permanent home.
Commissioners expressed support for preserving the property but emphasized this is an early step: the project will require grant funding, remediation work where necessary, and a multi-year timeline before the building could open. No purchase vote or final contract approval was recorded in the transcript; commissioners discussed next steps and encouraged continued fundraising and grant applications.
