County approves subdivision for new FedEx facility in Havre

A new FedEx facility may be coming to Havre as soon as June, with Big Equipment Owner Ron Harmon finalizing a subdivision near the Havre City-County Airport with the county Thursday that will free up the land necessary for the building to go up.

In the Hill County Commission’s weekly business meeting Thursday, Harmon said FedEx approached him some time ago about building a facility in Havre so they can more easily service the Hi-Line from here instead of from Great Falls.

The six-acre lot where the facility will be built has already been cleared, Harmon said, with the facility expected to be built by June.

He said the facility will be around 21,000 square feet with plenty of parking space.

“It’s gonna be a really nice facility,” he said.

The commissioners asked Hill County Clerk and Recorder Sue Armstrong what her department thought of the project, and she said they approve.

“It’s wonderful,” she said.

Harmon said more information on the facility will become available when FedEx makes an official announcement.

The commissioners approved the subdivision 3-0.

The commission also approved an amended plat for another subdivision Harmon is making, one which will allow him to gift Montana State University-Northern with 42 acres of land near Schine Electric for a new equestrian center.

Harmon said he’s been talking to Northern about this for several years and his family believes it will be a boon to the college and, by extension, the community.

“We feel it’s a good use of the property, we appreciate working with the university, we think it’s a major part of the community, and we think it will bring in more students,” he said.

Northern Alumni Foundation CEO and Executive Director Shantel Cronk said the land would be gifted to the university through the foundation, which is typical for this kind of contribution.

The commissioners approved this 3-0 as well.

Harmon thanked the commission, the city, the foundation and everyone who put work into making these projects happen and the commissioners thanked him for his continuing work to support the community.

The commissioners also approved a resolution amending the county’s Narcotics Canine Program budget to receive more funds from the Montana Department of Justice.

They also approved a contract between the Hill County Council on aging and a grant writer to assist them with applying for an American Rescue Plan Senior Demonstration Program grant to combat senior abuse in the area.

Hill County Commissioner Diane McLean said the council has asked to use some of their ARPA dollars to pay for the contract with a grant writer.

The commissioners voted to approve the contract upon receipt of the document, which they had not yet received due to technical difficulties, though they had seen screenshots of its contents.