Glacier County commissioners back Sweetgrass Brownfield grant application to abate hazards at Browning library

Chair presiding over the Glacier County Board of Commissioners meeting introduced a Sweetgrass Development Brownfield subgrant application to pay for hazardous-material abatement at the Glacier County Library in Browning. The application requests $265,000 for mitigation work, including asbestos, lead-based paint and mold removal.

Library representatives and staff detailed preliminary cost estimates and the county’s existing local contribution. A presenter said engineering and remodel estimates initially were about $125,000 without HVAC; adding HVAC raised the estimate toward $175,000, and construction-document costs were estimated at about $44,000, putting the near-term total close to $220,000. The presenter noted the library has $157,000 in a depreciation fund and that staff are pursuing additional grants and foundation support.

A program coordinator outlined contingency options if outside funding falls short, including a short-term intercap loan repaid over 10 years and outreach to tribal funders and private foundations. “Worst worst case scenario, for that $62,000, you may be able to take out an inter cap loan over 10 years, and the library pays it back that way,” the program coordinator said, adding staff had discussed options with tribal and EPA contacts to find flexible approaches to cleanup and planning documents.

Commissioners expressed support for the application but repeatedly emphasized caution about county fiscal exposure. One commissioner asked for transparency about what the county would be expected to pay if other funding sources are not secured, and another stressed a phased approach that focuses on abatement first and remodel work later. Staff clarified that the requested Sweetgrass funds would be administered through the Sweetgrass program and used for abatement; remodel funding would be addressed separately.

The chair opened public comment; a caller on the phone urged moving the project forward, noting optimism the HVAC estimate could be reduced or covered as part of abatement and asking that work begin this spring or summer. Following discussion, a commissioner moved and the board voted by voice to support submission of the Sweetgrass Development Brownfield subgrant application; staff said they would sign the application and circulate the signed copy to project stakeholders.

Staff also announced a tentative public meeting to discuss the project on Tuesday, April 14, with outreach planned at the college and invitations to the library board, port authority and other stakeholders. Next steps listed by staff included submitting the application to the Brownfield steering committee, completing required planning and structural reports, and working with state and federal contacts (including SHPO and EPA) on documentation.