Butte moves ahead on community hub project after acquiring $100K grant

BUTTE, Mont. — Butte-Silver Bow officials said plans for a community resiliency hub are still moving forward, even after a $20 million community change grant, awarded through the EPA, was revoked last spring.

The project is planned for a site behind the Butte Civic Center. City officials said a newly announced $100,000 donation gives the effort an early boost as they continued searching for funding avenues.

The donation comes from Montana Resources and the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation. Chief executive J.P. Gallagher says that the money will help Butte move ahead with early design, programming and planning work for the hub.

"Since losing that EPA grant, it kind of put the development on hold," Gallagher said. "What we're able to do is we can start moving forward. We've already had it pretty much designed. Now, we can look forward to trying to raise money and get this facility built."

The hub is planned to serve several community needs, including a space where people could take shelter during wildfire smoke events, along with recreation options for a wide range of ages.

Gallagher said survey feedback conducted through Butte-Silver Bow Parks & Recreation indicates that the hub is the most requested facility among residents in Southwest Montana.

"We're missing facilities," Gallagher said. "We talk about places for practice for kids, whether that's in sports, but it's also after-school activities, daycare facilities, after-school programming, maker space for people to go do activities. It goes from kids age 0 to adults 100 years old. This center would meet everybody’s needs."

Butte-Silver Bow aims to secure full funding within the next two years and finish construction of the hub within the next five.