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State grant advisor outlines timeline and match for historic-preservation grant; commissioners authorize CIP pursuit
Summary
A state grant writer told Daniels County that historic-preservation grants require a 50% match and take over a year from application to award; commissioners approved pursuing a capital improvement plan and potential grant applications with Interstate Engineering.
A state grant adviser told the Daniels County Board of Commissioners on July 21 that the historic preservation grant program for building envelopes requires a 50% local match, that applications are due in early May 2026, and that awards are typically made in June 2027 after legislative action.
Lynette, a grant writer from Helena introduced to the board, explained that the program covers building-envelope work — including walls, roofs, doors, facades, windows, foundations, electricity, plumbing and heating — and that the maximum grant awards she has seen are roughly $350,000. She advised commissioners to collect contractor estimates and to decide which components they would include in a single grant application because procurement rules consider the entire project when determining bidding requirements.
Commissioners discussed using a planning grant (Community Development Block Grant planning awards), which can pay up to $50,000 with a 25% match, to develop a capital improvement plan (CIP). An adopted CIP would help score future construction grant applications, Lynette said. Commissioners moved to pursue a CIP through Interstate Engineering to inform future grant priorities and to position the county for competitive funding; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
The board discussed prioritizing foundation and balcony repairs identified in a structural assessment and whether smaller improvements such as electrical upgrades could be performed earlier or used as estimates for the grant application. Lynette clarified that costs cannot be counted toward the match until the date of a formal award and that projects under $80,000 are still bound by state procurement rules when the full project exceeds the threshold.
Next steps: staff will gather contractor estimates, determine a draft project scope and work with Interstate Engineering on CIP planning and future grant applications starting when guidelines are released in March 2026.
