The Great Falls City Commission conducted a work session that included updates on two significant projects: the preservation of the historic Boston & Montana Barn and the fire department's new training facility.
Richard Ecke, chairman of the Save the Boston & Montana Barn Committee, presented the group's request for more time to raise private funds for the deteriorating structure.
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"What we're asking tonight is for the city to give us more time to continue to raise money from private people and not spend city dollars on the barn," Ecke said.
The barn requires extensive repairs to address structural damage. Ecke described the building's current condition and the committee's restoration priorities.
"It's like an L-shaped building. And each roof on each side has partially collapsed. Most of the walls are in fairly good shape. But what we'd like to see is the walls stabilized first, and then we'll need to rebuild the roof on the building," Ecke said.
The preservation effort carries historical significance for Great Falls residents. Ecke emphasized the importance of saving this piece of the city's industrial heritage.
"Back in the 80s, the smokestack, which was a symbol of Great Falls, it was torn down and destroyed. And we think it was a mistake that the community wasn't able to save that. But we have a chance to save this building, the last smelter building now. And so we hope we take advantage of that and don't let it get knocked down as well," Ecke said.
Meanwhile, Great Falls Fire Rescue provided updates on their training facility project. Assistant Chief Operations Jeremy Virts reported on recent progress, including ground stability testing.
"Right now we had the ground tested. We had TDH Engineering come in and do some core sampling of the ground that's going to go underneath that building just to see the stability of it," Virts said.
"The next phase will be putting the building that we specced out out for bid to different companies to see who would be interested in building that facility for us. So engineering will do that. I think December 8th is the timeline to get that bid out to various companies," Virts said.
The new training facility will provide realistic scenarios essential for firefighter preparation. Virts explained the importance of hands-on training in preparing firefighters for real emergencies.
"With firemen they have to feel some heat of what a fire feels like in a structure. They have to feel the exertion of climbing multiple sets of stairs and getting in a hose. You know, water is 8.2 pounds per gallon. Getting that up to the fire is just training and context. Ultimately, to deliver that service to the public," Virts said.
GFFR said the fire training facility project is expected to be complete in the spring of 2027. Regarding the Boston and Montana Barn, city commission said city staff will research what the city is capable of doing for the historic preservation committee. The city commission will hear a staff report on December 2 during their work session.
