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HPO reports SHPO concurrence on Phoenix Building plans; demolition grant at 725 Maryland canceled pending reapplication; EPA Brownfields funding awarded for Bas
Summary
HPO Kate McCourt told the commission SHPO concurred on revised Phoenix Building plans, the BSB Demolition Grant for 725 Maryland Street was canceled pending reapplication due to inconsistent estimates, and BSB received a $95,281 EPA Brownfields award for hazardous cleanup in the Basin Creek Caretaker's House.
Historic Preservation Officer Kate McCourt updated the Historic Preservation Commission on several staff matters at the March 3 meeting, including SHPO review of a housing project, a demolition-grant cancellation for inconsistent cost estimates, and federal brownfields funding for the Basin Creek Caretaker's House.
McCourt said the State Historic Preservation Office provided concurrence on modified plans for the Phoenix Building third-floor housing project; SHPO Director Pete Brown reviewed the project and concurrence was received the day before the meeting. Separately, the owners of 725 Maryland Street had applied for a BSB Demolition Grant for an alley house; the committee found differing scopes in the estimates submitted, canceled the award, and asked the owners to reapply with matching estimates. The owners had not yet refiled the application as of the meeting.
McCourt also reported that Butte-Silver Bow will receive $95,281 from an EPA Brownfields grant to pay for hazardous-material cleanup inside the Basin Creek Caretaker's House. She noted BSB also applied for a Montana Historic Preservation Grant (MHPG) through the Montana Department of Commerce, but any award would not be received until after the 2027 Montana Legislature, creating a funding timing gap and a risk that the house interior could be re-infested by packrats before MHPG-funded work can begin.
McCourt closed her report by noting that the week of the meeting marked her fourth anniversary as HPO and thanking the commission and BSB colleagues for their support.
Why it matters: SHPO concurrence advances a federally relevant review for the Phoenix Building project; Brownfields funding provides immediate resources to clean hazardous materials at a historic caretaker's residence; the demolition-grant cancellation highlights grant-administration controls intended to ensure consistent scopes and cost estimates.
What comes next: Owners of 725 Maryland Street were instructed to reapply with consistent estimates; HPO and staff will coordinate Brownfields cleanup and monitor timing for potential MHPG funding.
