For Immediate Release Contact: Theresa Doumitt
February 17, 2025 Call: 406-323-3793
E-mail: tdoumitt@hotmail.com
Wier Building Revitalization Partners and Update
by Theresa Doumitt
Roundup, Montana – Musselshell County offers this article as an update to the community regarding the Wier Building Revitalization project. The project is a collaborative and innovative effort to address Roundup’s workforce housing and retail service needs while intentionally preserving an important piece of our cultural heritage.
From January – September of 2024, the County completed exhaustive due diligence measures to assess the fiscal and logistic feasibility of the project. The County determined that the planned course of action will be less expensive than demolition, and will return our investment in less than 20 years after completion. All of these discussions and decisions have been documented in the minutes and recordings available on the County website or YouTube page.
In October of 2024, the County acquired the building and is currently working with an architect to design the structural repair plan for the building. A Request for Proposals was released on February 10, 2025 to select the contractor for the County’s scope of work. A contractor will be chosen by March 10th.
The County’s scope of work includes the repair of the structural issue in the southwest corner, clean-up of the hazardous materials, and installation of a new roof. Once the building is stabilized and “clean”, an intentional developer will be chosen through a Request for Proposal process to own and complete the full renovations. Roundup is fortunate to have two developers currently interested in the project and their proposals for renovation and use will be presented to the County by May 1st.
The County’s funds committed to the project will be sourced from the Federal Mineral Royalties funds and NO MILLED TAX DOLLARS will be used for this project. For more information on the use and source of the Federal Mineral Royalties funds, please see: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-30/chapter-XII/subchapter-A/part-1202
Most importantly, the County would like to recognize and thank our partners on the project who have committed over $822,000 in grants toward this critical improvement for our community. The Signal Peak Community Foundation awarded $50,000 toward structural repair and as local match to raise more grant funds for the project. The County was then awarded a $290,000 grant from the Montana Main Street Program, $182,000 grant from the Montana Coal Board, and up to $500,000 equal parts grant/loan funds from Snowy Mountain Development Brownfields program. All proceeds made from the sale of the Wier Building will be applied toward payoff of the Brownfields loan funds. In addition, the County would like to thank the City of Roundup for sponsoring our grant application to the Montana Main Street Program and enabling that grant opportunity.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Brownfields Program has also partnered with the County to provide over $50,000 in grant funds to cover the assessment costs for hazardous materials clean-up. The EPA-Brownfields also enabled the professionals at Kansas State University (KSU-TAB) to work with the community to create a market analysis and visual renderings of the potential uses of the building based on local needs. These products can be viewed on Roundup Community Partners Facebook page and were created at no cost to our community.
The County extends our gratitude to our project partners. Without each of these amazing partners, this intentional revitalization effort would not be possible!
Last modified: February 18, 2025
