BUTTE — Butte is one of 105 communities across the nation that will receive federal grant funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency to build a state-of-the-art rec center at a site that formerly contained historic mine waste. Reclamation of the site of the Parrot Tailings was completed in 2023.
"It’s fantastic for the community when you can get a $20 million grant, which is the largest grant award that Butte-Silver Bow has ever been awarded—it's always great news for the community," says JP Gallagher, Butte-Silver Bow County Chief Executive.
Chief Executive Gallagher says Butte-Silver Bow approached private partners to help fund a feasibility study and write the grant for the Butte Community Resilience Hub that will be used for health, education, arts, and cultural programming.
"We went out and got private partners which was, Montana Resources helped fund the study for us, and we worked with Water Environmental Technologies to write this grant," says Gallagher.
According to the EPA’s website, the Community Change Grant is intended to help disadvantaged communities tackle environmental and climate justice challenges. It is made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act.
"We live in a community that has high poverty and needs within the community and we also don’t have a clean air facility that locals can go to when we have the impacts of wildfire and forest fires within the region," says Gallagher.
A summary of the grant that is listed on the EPA's website says the building will be equipped with solar power and satellite communication as well as other modern amenities like an air filtration system.
"It’s a no-match grant and so, we’re going through the process now, making sure we’re checking all the boxes and meeting all the needs within the grant. And then hopefully the full-funding grant award will be given to us soon," says Gallagher.
More details about the project will be available in January and Chief Executive Gallagher says the building will be completed within the next three years.
