Boys & Girls Club eyes building rehab

The Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line is a step closer to receiving a grant to rehabilitate its building on 1st Street.

The Havre City Council Monday night authorized Mayor Tim Solomon to apply for a grant of up to $425,000 from the Montana Commerce Department.

Krista Solomon, executive director of the HELP Committee which oversees the club, said the completion of the building expansion means that the staff no longer has to turn young people away — there is room for everyone who wants to participate.

But now the club has to turn to rehabilitating the rest of the building, she said.

The work will involve building repairs, installation of fire alarm systems and an intercom.

Should the grant be approved, she said, the work will extend the longevity of the building.

Other projects,, including renovation to Eagles Manor, were paid for from this grant program, she said.

In other business at Monday night’s City Council meeting:

Highland Cemetery will soon be annexed into the city.

Council unanimously approved a proposal to annex the county-owned land into the city. It has been surrounded by the city for many years.

The council also approved annexation of six properties that are adjacent to the city limits.

One created some controversy. Justin Kallenberger had asked the city to delay annexation of his property.

He owns a home in the city, but the adjacent land is in the county. He hopes to build a home there, but asked the city to delay annexation until construction begins, he hopes in a year or two.

But council stood firm, contending that the city has a plan to annex properties adjacent to the city and there have been too many delays already.

Council also agreed to renew its participation in Bear Paw Development Corp., which provides professional planning services to the city and to five counties, two Indian reservations and numerous smaller municipalities.

Recently, Bear Paw Development handled many of the administrative and financial matters in the construction of the expanded wastewater treatment plant.

The city’s share of the cost will be $21,250.

Council member Terry Lilletvedt praised Bear Paw and its staff for the services it has provided the city over the years. What the city pays is a very small sum compared to what it gets back from Bear Paw, she said.