Havre Beneath the Streets restoration on track for Spring

Havre Beneath the Streets may be six months away from a major restoration that will see a substantial area of the subterranean museum, closed since 2017 due to deterioration, and the sidewalk above completely repaired after receiving an almost $360,000 grant from the Montana Legislature.

The area, a display of a motor services shop in its own basement and the attraction's main entrance until 2017, has been closed to the public for years after deterioration of the area became a serious problem.

Havre Beneath the Streets Office Manager Christy Owens said they'd noticed the area becoming problematic and had to close it down five years ago after bringing in an engineer to examine it, but the cost of restoration was so high that it would take years to raise the necessary money.

Since then, Havre Beneath the Streets has slowly but surely raised more and more money to restore the area, and the money they raised is being used as the 20 percent match for this Montana Historic Preservation Grant, one that was awarded by the Legislature through House Bill 12, along with a donation of $20,000 for grant administration from Bear Paw Development Corp.

Bear Paw Development Director of Community Development Sara Strissel, who assisted with the facilitation of the grant process, said this Montana Historic Preservation Grant should address all structural needs of Havre Beneath the Streets, as well as the broken sidewalk above it, which has been cordoned off for safety reasons much like what lies under it.

This includes the attraction's handicap accessible ramp and its original entrance, which has been closed since 2017, much to the hinderance of the underground museum.

Owens and Strissel said there are some things the grant won't pay for, like new shelving units, lights and display cases, so there will be a few aesthetic compromises, but all the structural and safety issues will be covered.

Owens said having to rope off a substantial chunk of the area has been a detriment to the attraction, and though they have moved much of the display items into useable rooms, it makes for a slightly more disjointed tour that guides have to explain.

And, of course, she said, not having their handicap ramp has been a huge deal for people with disabilities and that is always something they are concerned about.

Strissel said finally being able to address the sidewalk above is also huge, as it is currently an eyesore and safety hazard, in a downtown that Havre is increasingly trying to revitalize as well.

Owens said she was hoping to have shovels in the ground this fall, but agreed with Strissel that that may have been an overly ambitious timeline, but work will definitely begin this spring.

She said she can't give exact dates due to the unpredictability of weather, as well as contractor and material availability, but once work gets started after the weather fully breaks, it should only take a few weeks to complete.

The road to House Bill 12

The road to getting the grant was a long one, with the initial application being submitted to the state in February of 2022, but that road saw the project get a lot of support locally and otherwise.

After submitting the application, Owens said, they were ranked very highly on the state's priority list for project funding by the Montana Department of Commerce which gave them confidence that they would get support.

However, early this year, they still had to make a case to the Legislature to follow through on the department's recommendation.

Thankfully, this didn't appear to be a heavy lift, as the project was almost immediately recognized as one of importance to the area and the state.

Montana Rep. Paul Tuss, D-Havre, who is also the executive director of Bear Paw Development, said it didn't take much coaxing for his fellows in the Long-Range Planning Subcommittee to get on board, especially with the help of his Republican colleague Montana Sen. Mike Lang of Malta, who was also a huge advocate for the the project.

"When I talked to legislators about the project and encouraged them to support it, there was nobody that hadn't, either been through Havre Beneath the Streets or wanted to," Tuss said. " ... It was not a hard sell."

He said his efforts were benefited by the quality of Havre Beneath the Streets' grant application, but the value of the project seemed almost self-evident in the Legislature with the grant being approved to go in House Bill 12.

He said recipients of state money like this are expected to make substantial progress on their respective projects by the next legislative session, and it seems like things are coming along already.

Owens said she is confident they can meet the expectation of the Legislature.

Continued community support

Tuss said its important in all of this to acknowledge that while this grant funding is to be celebrated, they would not have it without the continued financial support of the community, which contributed to the $72,000 that the organization needed for their minimum match.

Owens said they are thrilled to see the community's continuing support over the years, especially during the pandemic, when they had to cancel a lot of the events they would normally use for fundraising.

"We are very thankful and appreciative to the community for their support for this project," she said.

Tuss said Havre Beneath the Streets is a unique asset to the area and if the community hadn't stepped up, he doubts it would even be here in 10 or 15 years, but they did, and that kind of support gives him confidence in its future.

One last funding push

While the grant will cover the essential work that must be done at Havre Beneath the Streets, Owens and Strissel said a few question marks still exist that may require one last infusion of funds to cover.

Owens said the flooding experienced earlier this year made them expand the projects' scope to include flood prevention, which will come with an added cost and there is always a chance that they may encounter complications that require some extra funding.

Strissel said overages always exist in grant-funded projects, and, especially when dealing with historic areas, its not at all uncommon to unearth something that makes projects more financially cumbersome.

To address this, Havre Beneath the Streets will be holding another fundraiser Oct. 6 at the Havre Eagles Club, with a dinner, live and silent auctions, raffles, music and games.

Owens said they are still seeking donated items for the silent auction and basket raffle.

She said tables are still available and tickets for the event, which will include dinner, are $35.

She said they are hoping to raise between $10,000 and $20,000.