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Carter County approves museum heating upgrade, shipping container power and planetarium design contract
Summary
Commissioners approved Badlands Electric’s $68,623.74 quote for warehouse heaters, a 400‑amp service and shipping‑container electrical work for the Carter County Museum and authorized a $25,800 professional services agreement with Philip Gross to design the museum’s 10‑meter planetarium dome.
Carter County commissioners voted March 4 to fund electrical and heating upgrades for the Carter County Museum’s temporary storage warehouses and to hire a planetarium designer for the museum expansion.
The board approved a Badlands Electric quote totaling $68,623.74 — $65,206.56 for new heaters and a 400‑amp upgrade to serve Warehouses 1 and 2, $2,907.84 to wire a 40‑foot shipping container, and approximately $509.34 for an electrical permit. Museum staff said the work would come from capital outlay and that a 400‑amp pole service would add roughly $40–$45 to the museum’s monthly electric bill until the upgrade is paid off.
Museum representatives described the project as enabling year‑round, temperature‑stable storage and preparation space for collections moving into the new museum building. “With the current service it was too much for those heaters; moving to a 400‑amp service would allow proper heating elements and protect the collections,” Speaker 3 said. Staff noted Warehouse 1’s control panel is out of code and that installation would include upgrades to meet safety standards.
The board also approved a professional services agreement with Philip Gross of Helping Planetarium Succeed LLC to design the museum’s EGolactic Dome. Gross’ proposal is a not‑to‑exceed fee of $25,800 (design documents and construction drawings), plus modest travel expenses; museum staff said they had budgeted about $30,000 for the work. The dome is planned as a 10‑meter (about 33‑foot) structure with roughly 50‑person seated capacity and multiuse programming potential for school shows, after‑school programs and community events.
Museum staff explained that heaters, improved electrical service and the powered shipping container are prerequisites for moving and properly preserving large specimens and materials during the building expansion. The shipping container has already been purchased with Montana Heritage Preservation grant funds and is expected to arrive in about two weeks, staff said.
Next steps: contractors will order heaters after approval and schedule transformer/400‑amp work; the museum will coordinate installation and bring future design updates to the board as the project moves into construction documents and procurement phases.
No dissenting votes or public comments were recorded on these items during the meeting.
