Construction boom

The numerous construction projects in the city of Havre and the surrounding area may show hope for forward progress for an area that has experienced some weakening population numbers.

The construction of Timber Creek Village, the soon-to-be-started new Montana State University-Northern Auto-Diesel Technology building, the renovations of Havre High School and Sunnyside Intermediate School, and many others may be testaments

Paul Tuss, the director of Bear Paw Development Corp., said he thinks the construction projects around the city and the area are a good sign of economic progress.

He said that it would be difficult to compare the construction in Havre to other Montana communities, but the most appropriate comparison is to Havre's past. He has compiled an informal list of construction projects that have been finished or started in the last few years and ones that will soon break ground and found that more than $60 million has been spent in revitalizing buildings, expanding businesses and creating new buildings.

He also said that he has been talking to many people about the push in construction, including people who have been in business in the area for decades. One builder he spoke to said he has not seen anything like this in his 50 or 60 years of working.

"The level of construction is far surpassing what's happened in the area in decades," Tuss said.

Tuss said the construction is a great indicator of development in an area and shows that a community or region is moving in the right direction economically.

"Hopefully it's a trend that will continue and a trend that can be sustained," he said. "We don't have a crystal ball to know what's going to happen. ... It paints a good picture. Positive things are happening."

At the annual Havre Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Bill McGladdery, the director of hotel operations for Town Pump, spoke about the expansion of the Town Pump in Havre and the effect of tourism on the area.

The remodelling of the Town Pump on 1st Street in Havre is going to more than double the retail space of the store, expand the deli section, add nine more cooler doors and five new fueling lanes, and add have a new dual-bay car wash and RV dump. The second floor of the building will hold office space, a training area and storage space for mechanical equipment.

The new store addition will be completed by Feb. 15, and McGladdery said he hopes to have the car wash opened in April, weather permitting.

In addition to the renovations at the Town Pump, the other businesses in Havre owned by the company have been through remodelings and revitalizations as well.

According to the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research, 11 million people visited Montana in 2014 and spent $3.98 billion while they were visiting. More than $34 million was spent by nonresidents in Hill County in 2013, according to the research. which makes up about 1 percent of what they spent in the state.

More than $14 million of that was spent on gas and restaurants, and casinos took second place with $5.4 million. Grocery stores took third with $4.9 million in expenditures.

"Every business in this state - in this community - benefits from tourism," McGladdery said.