[Skyrise406]

For general information on any major/minor developements in Billings, Montana.

[Skyrise406]

By DIANE COCHRAN Of The Billings Gazette Staff
Published on Thursday, July 20, 2006.


A $12 million overhaul planned for St. Vincent Healthcare's pediatrics floor will transform the unit into a regional children's hospital, officials announced on Wednesday.

The three-year project will convert the hospital's pediatric intensive care unit from a wardlike setting into a department with private rooms and remodel the floor's other patient rooms.

It also will set aside space for babies who are released from the neonatal intensive care unit but aren't ready to go home and establish a pediatric emergency department with its own waiting area.

The result will be a hospital within a hospital that could eventually have a separate street entrance, officials said.

"This is a great investment in regional children's care," said Dave Irion, executive director of the St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation.

Hospital officials hope the St. Vincent Regional Pediatric Hospital will allow sick children and their families to stay in Montana for treatment. Kids heal better closer to home, said LaWanna Moran, a certified pediatric nurse.

"It's a much more healing environment for the family as well to not have to be separated from each other," Moran said. "Whoever goes with the kid loses their support system."

Ailments such as head injuries, respiratory problems and metabolic disorders that now require care in Denver, Salt Lake City, Seattle or Minneapolis will be treatable in the new St. Vincent center.

"We want to expand and support the region," said Nancy Kallem, the hospital's vice president of patient care services. "This is a huge state, and pediatric services are sparse."

Despite operating the only pediatric ICU in the region, St. Vincent Healthcare has watched its patient load in that department steadily decline, Kallem said.

That's due in part to a shift in medicine that has forced most pediatricians to refer gravely ill children to specialists, and Montana has few pediatric specialists, Kallem said.

St. Vincent hopes to recruit a half-dozen or more of them to augment its new pediatric center, including a pediatric intensivist, pediatric surgeon and pediatric anesthesiologist.

Adding those physicians to the staff will help recruit others, Kallem said.

Construction on the pediatric emergency department is set to begin in the next couple of weeks. It is the only part of the overhaul that will not take place within the Joel T. Long Women's and Children's Pavilion, a 40,000-square-foot space on the hospital's fourth floor.

The pediatric ER will be adjacent to the hospital's existing emergency department and is slated to be operational in about two months. It will have beds for five patients and its own waiting area.

It makes sense to take kids out of the traditional ER because they need such different care than do adults, said Kallem, who worked for more than 10 years as a pediatric nurse.

"People think children are small adults. They are not," she said. "They are unpredictable."

The rest of the overhaul is expected to begin in November.

In the first phase, workers will gut the pediatric intensive care unit, a single room with four beds reminiscent of an old-style hospital ward. Four private ICU rooms will replace it.

When that's finished, the department's 17 acute care rooms will be remodeled, and four "step down" rooms will be built for babies who are well enough to leave the neonatal intensive care unit but not quite ready to be released from the hospital.

That will ease the load on the NICU, whose 22 beds are often full, Kallem said.

"It's very exciting," said Moran, the pediatric nurse. "To be able to put together a unit that will be safe and user-friendly for patients and their families and for nurses is awesome."

St. Vincent is relying on philanthropic donations to its foundation and a $2.5 million federal earmark from Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., to foot the $12 million bill.

[Skyrise406]

By JAN FALSTAD of The Billings Gazette Staff
Published on Sunday, August 06, 2006


World-class sophistication that will earn a premier rating, yet retain a Montana flavor. An unpretentious contemporary design to replace the drab look of the Billings Sheraton Hotel. On Tuesday, The Hotel Group of Edmonds, Wash., paid an undisclosed amount for the Billings Sheraton Hotel. The deed change was recorded Thursday.

Now the company is launching a $10 million, 15-month renovation project.

In May, The Hotel Group founders Ed and Barb Lee made their first trip to Billings to check out the hotel.

"You can see it from the Rimrocks coming from the airport. So the first impression is it's the centerpiece of the community," Ed Lee said. "And then you get closer."

The all-brick exterior looked fortress-like, he said, but the hotel and city have "tremendous potential."

"It's a vibrant, fairly sophisticated community that is on its way back," Lee said. "So you combine those two factors and you have a good business opportunity."

Big hotel, big plans

Over the next six months, the owners will redecorate the 282 rooms. The balance of the projects, including redesigning the lobby, will take nine more months.

In addition to the sign changes, an architectural band or awning will be installed around the exterior second floor. Other planned improvements include:

Turning the Lucky Diamond bar, with its million-dollar view of the Rimrocks, into conference space.:koko:
Building a bar on the street level that will serve appetizers and light meals. A lobby bar will serve guests and attract other customers from downtown Billings.
Re-evaluating the Lucky Diamond restaurant in terms of cuisine and location.
Upgrading the ground floor Sheraton Club into a club for priority guests, including a pool table, darts and shuffleboard.
Cleaning the inside and outside brick.
Masking the utility substation between the hotel and the U.S. Post Office.
Resealing and landscaping the parking lot along North 27h Street and Montana Avenue.
Then there are the expensive, but less-noticeable changes: mechanical, electrical, plumbing and structural. Collectively, they're known as MEPS."We'll just say there are a few MEPS opportunities that we're looking into immediately," President Doug Dreher said.

Walking the plank?

With his back to Montana Avenue, Dreher stared up above the hotel entrance and wondered. On the second floor with no balcony in sight, two mysterious doors set into the brick open into thin air. "That's actually where we take the employee who has had a bad day," Dreher joked.:haha:

Bill Haynes of Collaborative Design Architects has been hired to load the old hotel plans into CAD computer software, so the designers can start refining their remodeling plans. Haynes, too, wondered about those doors and found the answer in some old blueprints.

"Somewhere in there it says, 'Knockout panel to accommodate future doors to parking garage addition,' " he said.

From dark to dashing?

Nobody on The Hotel Group team used the word "dowdy" to describe the current interior design. However, Seattle-based designer Andrea Dawson Sheehan, who owns Dawson Design Associates, said when she is done redecorating, the Sheraton will be warm, inviting and sophisticated, yet still have a Montana feel.

"Right now, when you walk in, it has the feel of an antique mall," she said. "A cave with a lot of shops."

Plans are preliminary at this stage, but Sheehan and Dreher plan to move some retail shops to the street level. Shopping, a gourmet coffee kiosk and a bar in the lobby that serves appetizers and light meals will help draw customers off the street, Dreher said.

All the Lewis and Clark paintings will be reframed and corralled into a better display.

The lobby's water wall will stay, but it will be cleaned up.

And the Petroleum Club on the 22nd floor will stay put, according to general manager Magnon King.

"The club looks forward to an exciting and prosperous relationship with them," King said.

Independent of the sale, the Petroleum Club is closing mid-August for its yearly maintenance. The private club will reopen Sept. 5.

The elevator buttons claim 23 floors, but the hotel actually has 22 because there is no 13th floor.

Sheehan's company also redesigned the Marriott along Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago. Dawson Design has won consecutive Lodging Hospitality Design Awards in 2005 and 2006.

A reinvigorated downtown was a draw for The Hotel Group. And Walkers Grill across North 27th Street drew the approving eyes of the company brass.

Vice President Lara Latture of Nashville, Tenn., called the mix of Western and contemporary design elegant and sophisticated.

"We want to be the Hotel Walker," Latture said. "It's incredible and the food's good, too." The ultimate goal is to make the Sheraton the premier hotel in Billings.

"We want something that feels like Montana with more of an urban edge," Sheehan said. "People flying in from Los Angeles are going to naturally choose this hotel because it feels familiar."

[RockMont]

I hope they don't remove or close up that 22nd or 23rd floor tavern and restaurant. I love that view from up there.

[Skyrise406]

I hope they don't remove or close up that 22nd or 23rd floor tavern and restaurant. I love that view from up there.

:brickwall:Bad News...they plan on turning the bar area into a conference room.:rant: Even though I do not drink beer, I enjoy having a soda and a burger (best burgers at 200 feet) there and the view!!:eat:

:shrug:Good news...(I think) is that they will be re-evaluating the Lucky Diamond restaurant in terms of cuisine and location. Hope it stays put!!:fingerscrossed:

Oh and the tavern & restaurant are on the 20th floor.

[Skyrise406]

http://www.billingsgazette.net/content/articles/2006/08/17/news/local/45-sheraton_xol_1.jpg
Photo by LARRY MAYER/Billings Gazette Staff

[Skyrise406]

Hmmmm...I wonder if they are going to auction or sell those letters???:D

[Evo5Boise]

I haven't been to Billings in a few years. How is it doing? Still growing?

[Skyrise406]

I haven't been to Billings in a few years. How is it doing? Still growing?
It is doing well...

(as of 2006)
Population (City): Around 100,000
Size: 41 Square Miles
Build High-rises: 5
Proposes High-rises: 2

Wow! Another connection to Billings (even if it's just a visit)!

[Skyrise406]

Work has begun to expand the Park 2 parking garage in Billings which currently has a total of six levels and around 500 spaces. The new Park 2 will be expanded vertically and horizontally to a toal of eight levels and around 900 parking spaces.

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/cs/?id=258066 - Constructions Status

http://www.downtownbillings.com/dbp/ParkII.html - Info and rendering

[Skyrise406]

The Billings City Council is to meet tonight on possibility of an urban renewal plan between Downtown Billings and the MetraPark Arena. Could highrises be in the future?!

CONTINUANCE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND FIRST READING ORDINANCE relating to the creation of the East Billings Urban Renewal Area; and adopting an urban renewal plan, including a tax increment provision. (Continued from 10/10/06). Staff recommends approval. (Action: approval or disapproval of Staff recommendation.)





:shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug:
:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

[Cementglow]

So is the sandstone towers still on the drawing board? What went on with that?

[Comrade Reynolds]

I like buildings with signs on them. Do they plan on adding anything where the old SHERATON was?

[Skyrise406]

I like buildings with signs on them. Do they plan on adding anything where the old SHERATON was?

It now says "Crowne Plaza"

[Skyrise406]

So is the sandstone towers still on the drawing board? What went on with that?

Right now is has been terminated, but I'm hoping it will be proposed again.

[Skyrise406]

By DIANE COCHRAN Of The Billings Gazette Staff
Published on Friday, December 08, 2006


St. Vincent Healthcare is considering a $200 million construction project that would include a new trauma center and demolition of the historic Marillac Hall, the hospital's chief executive officer said on Thursday.

"Nothing is cast in stone," said James Paquette, who led the hospital for 12 years beginning in 1998 and returned as chief executive officer last week. "But there's been an enormous amount of work put into this."

The plan, which Paquette described as on the drawing board, would replace the hospital's existing emergency department and intensive-care unit and overhaul other patient areas.

It would also require relocating the physical plant. To make way for that move, Marillac Hall would be torn down.
The brick building sits adjacent to the main hospital building on North 30th Street. It opened in 1947 as a dormitory for nursing students and nuns and today houses administrative offices, including Paquette's.

A parking garage already under construction elsewhere on the hospital campus is also part of the plan.

Paquette said he asked the hospital's board of directors for three or four months to examine the remainder of the proposal before board members decide whether to move forward with it.

If the project gets a green light locally, blueprints will be sent to St. Vincent's parent group, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth in Kansas.

"This would be a recommendation from our local board here to our health system," Paquette said. "Final approval would come from them."

The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth's 137-year presence in Billings bodes well for the proposal's fate, he said.

"They've made a significant investment in this community and will continue to do so," Paquette said.

Paquette, 59, officially took the helm of the Montana Region of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System on Dec. 1. He oversees St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings, Holy Rosary Healthcare in Miles City and St. James Healthcare in Butte.

He replaced Michelle Hood, who left the position in March after five years to lead a hospital system in Maine.

Paquette was St. Vincent's chief operating officer from 1981 to 1988, when he became the chief executive officer. In 1996, his job description expanded to include oversight of the Miles City and Butte hospitals.

He left in 2000 to lead a three-hospital system in Kansas City also operated by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth.

One of his first tasks in Kansas City was to close one of those hospitals. It had been hemorrhaging money and was determined through a series of community meetings to be no longer viable.

"I really learned to appreciate the resources we had here in Montana," Paquette said.

He and his wife, Patte, are delighted to be back in Billings, where they raised their children, he said.

His familiarity with Billings and St. Vincent Healthcare softened the transition back into his former position, but Paquette said there is still a lot of catching up to do.

He said he wasn't familiar with the details of a plan by the hospital's neighboring medical center, Billings Clinic, to build a multimillion-dollar cancer center and withdraw from a 20-year partnership with St. Vincent that operates Northern Rockies Radiation Oncology Center.

The fate of the radiation treatment center remains unclear, but Paquette called St. Vincent's commitment to cancer care unwavering.

St. Vincent's own multimillion-dollar construction plans are not in response to Billings Clinic's, he said.

"Our motivational factors in doing this building project don't have anything to do with what Billings Clinic or anyone else has on their docket," he said.

He characterized the relationship between the hospitals as healthy.

"There are times we are going to compete, and that's good for the community, and there are times we'll be called upon to collaborate, and that's good, too," Paquette said. "There's plenty of patient volume and need to go around."

[Skyrise406]

By JAN FALSTAD Of The Billings Gazette Staff
Published on Wednesday, February 14, 2007.


Like tracks from a herd of elk, the rumors are hot and fresh and all over town.

Outdoors fans are jumping for joy at talk that the king of outdoor retail stores - Cabela's - may build on 84 acres at Zoo Drive and Shiloh Road.

However, reports that hammers will start flying along Zoo Drive by this summer are premature, Cabela's media specialist James Powell said from Sidney, Neb.

"We would like to build in Montana," Powell said. "But I wouldn't say that we've settled on a location."

A buy-sell agreement apparently exists - but hasn't been executed yet - on land north of Zoo Drive by Peggy Sue's Coffee kiosk.

Foursquare Properties Inc., of Carlsbad, Calif., reportedly is buying the property. The company, with 30 years in real estate development, has been eyeing Billings. The site is described as a 751,000-square-foot development called Shiloh Square.

Foursquare President Jeffrey Vitek said he had no comment on the Cabela's rumors.

A sign on the site also lists Coldwell Banker of Salt Lake City. Calls to that company were not immediately returned.

Steve Corning, who developed the Marketplace retail center at King Avenue West and South 24th Street West, among many other projects across Montana, said Cabela's is a prize tenant. However, he doesn't think any deal is firmed up.

"They do tourist meccas, which Bozeman is," Corning said. "I hope they pick Billings, but we may lose them to Bozeman because of the tourists."

Cabela's is stalking a Montana site, but the decision on where to build is a ways off, Powell said.

"Obviously, Montana would be a good market for us," he said. "If we can get a store in there, the sooner, the better."

City and county planners held a meeting with developers on Nov. 9 to discuss building requirements for the site, but no specific companies were named.

Cabela's Web site claims it is the "World's Foremost Outfitter," a phrase that is a registered trademark.

Many fans are quick to agree; shopping is just one pleasure this retailer offers.

The stores feature natural attractions, including running waterfalls and streams, trout ponds, giant freshwater aquariums stocked with native fish, trophy wild game posed in natural settings, gun libraries, indoor archery ranges and deli-restaurants featuring wild game, among other fare.

Cabela's runs 18 retail stores and is opening 12 more. Eight stores will open this year, with the other four to follow in 2008 or beyond, Powell said.

Last November, Cabela's announced plans to open a 125,000-square-foot retail store in Post Falls in northern Idaho by fall. Several months earlier, in August, Cabela's opened its first Idaho store in Boise. Montana and Wyoming have no current or planned stores.

In 1961, Dick Cabela started the family business by advertising fishing flies for sale in the Casper, Wyo., newspaper. Dick offered "a dozen hand-tied flies for $1," according to the company's Web site.

Cabela's now mails more than 120 million catalogs each year to customers in 50 states and 120 countries. In 2004, Cabela's went public and started trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CAB. The stock closed at $24.01 on Tuesday.

[Skyrise406]

From KTVQ TV


A major retail developer is honing in on the city of Billings. The city's zoning commission has said yes to a development company, representing popular outdoor outfitter, Cabela's. The front company for the retail giant has been approved for a piece of property off of South Billings Boulevard.

On Tuesday night the Zoning Commission approved the request to re-zone 14 acres near Interstate 90 to "entryway commercial". The entire 44 acres of sugar beet land is owned by limited liability company Miller Trois in Billings.

Four Square Properties is the front company for Cabela's, and they would not comment on the move to Billings. Cabela's though, tells Q2 "Billings is a strong market of interest." The City Council will vote on the zone change request on May 29th.

[wrendog]

Nice! thanks for keeping us updated on an overlooked MW city...

[jimthemanincda]

What's new in Billings? Or Montana for that matter. I know there has to be something new between the cities of Billings, Bozeman, Kalispell and Missoula.

[Skyrise406]

By TOM HOWARD
Of The Gazette Staff
First Interstate Bank is building a 65,000-square-foot operations center in the North Park area.

Supporters say the project reinforces the bank's commitment to downtown and provides an anchor that will jump-start extensive development in the corridor between downtown and MetraPark.

The two-story operations center, expected to be completed by September 2009, will occupy the 1800 and 1900 blocks of Sixth Avenue, across the street from North Park and Head Start. The building is designed to handle up to 300 employees, will cost between $13 million and $18 million, and is being designed to meet rigorous standards for environmentally sustainable buildings.

Tom Scott, chairman of board of First Interstate, said the bank looked at a number of sites throughout Billings, but the area east of downtown won out.
"It fits in to our vision to create a better place to live and work," Scott said. "This offered an opportunity to create a better Billings."

Gene Kolstad of CTA Architects and Engineering Inc. said the building is being designed to attain Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design certification. LEED certification is a nationally accepted benchmark for environmentally conscious building design. The building will take advantage of energy-efficient "green" practices to reduce its long-term energy costs as well as long-term maintenance expenses, Kolstad said.

Scott said the bank's operations department has outgrown its current space at 3021 Third Ave. N.

"The new building will accommodate all of our current operations employees as well as some administrative bank departments currently located at the First Interstate Tower downtown," Scott said. Another reason for building close to downtown is that it's convenient for employees, he said.

"We have long been committed to helping enhance and grow an already vibrant and active downtown," Scott said. "It is our hope that this project will help revitalize this specific area of our downtown community and will serve as the catalyst for future development within this area."

The new building will provide a financial boost to the Billings Industrial Revitalization District. The City Council created the special district between downtown and MetraPark two years ago that will use tax money to revitalize the area.

"This is just awesome," said Gordon Tryan, a property owner and member of the tax district's board of directors. "This gives us a five-year jump start on developing that area."

Greg Krueger of the Downtown Billings Partnership agreed that First Interstate's building will provide a shot in the arm for an area that had fallen on hard times.

"It will definitely jump-start that area," Krueger said. "It will provide an anchor for the area east of downtown."

The district is a mile wide and a half-mile deep, stretching from North 22nd Street almost to Main Street near MetraPark and from Montana Avenue to just north of Sixth Avenue North. Tryan said the area has lost about 1,200 jobs since 1979, but First Interstate's project will help reverse that trend.

Scott also credited developer Aaron Sparboe, who purchased the former North Park Trailer Court with the intention of developing it.

Sparboe's company, The Management Group Inc., will oversee construction of the bank building. The design team for the project includes Jones Construction Inc., CTA Architects and Engineering, and Engineering Inc.

Sparboe said First Interstate has demonstrated its commitment to the community and its employees by selecting a site near downtown. He also complemented the leaders of the revitalization district for supporting the project.

Kevin Guenthner, senior vice president and chief information officer for First Interstate, said the operations center handles the technical aspects of banking.

"We're like the 427 engine under the hood of a '68 Camaro," Guenthner said.

The department assures that banking transactions are processed. The department conducts research, provides audits and provides other support for First Interstate, which operates 55 offices in Montana and Wyoming. A First Interstate affiliate, First Western Bank, operates 18 offices in South Dakota.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/content/articles/2008/07/10/news/local/18-bank_2_thumb.jpg

Published on Thursday, July 10, 2008.
Last modified on 7/10/2008 at 12:26 am

[ragerunner1]

Thanks for the article. I would really like to hear more news and see more pics on Billings. Its a very unique city with a lot going for it.

[ragerunner1]

Commercial development sets the pace in Billings
By Tom Howard

"Commercial development has skidded to a halt through much of the country as the economy slows and banks clamp down on lending.

But with numerous large projects either under way or in the planning stages, Billings seems to be bucking the slow-growth trend sweeping the nation.

The Billings Building Inspection Division reports that $26.6 million worth of commercial construction was permitted during the first five months of 2008.

That compares to $23.5 million permitted during the same time last year. Commercial development continues at a strong pace, but fewer homes are being built. A total of 128 single-family homes received permits through the first five months of this year, a 40 percent drop from the 214 issued during the first five months of 2007. Wyeth Friday, planning division manager for the City County Planning Department, said development of new residential subdivisions has also slowed considerably this year.

The Big Horn Resort indoor water park next to the Wingate by Wyndam Hotel is targeting the middle of August for its grand opening. Sean Nichols, the water park's general manager, says indoor water parks are a growing recreation trend across the nation's northern tier. The Billings water park will serve hotel guests. But Nichols expects to do big business with birthday parties and other gatherings for local folks.

In this part of the country, outdoor water parks stay open about three months out of the year because of the weather. "In here, it's always 80 degrees," Nichols said.

The 30,000-square-foot water park features a wave pool, water slides and a kids' splash pool. The building was designed with expansion in mind so that additional water features can be added easily, said Matt Brosovich, a general partner in Big Horn Resort.

The water park features a lot of plumbing. But Billings residents don't need to worry about the park's water usage. Ninety-seven percent of the park's water is reused, Brosovich said.

While numerous projects are under way, Billings hasn't completely dodged the nationwide development slowdown. In January, Cabela's, the national sporting goods retailer, announced that it has delayed its proposed Billings store, which will anchor the Town Square development near Interstate 90 and South Billings Boulevard. Cabela's had planned to open its Billings store this year, but is now hoping for a 2009 opening. Despite the delay, the City Council is moving forward with a tax increment financing district to help pay for improvements that will benefit Town Square and other parts of the South Side.

But a key competitor to Cabela's will have a head start in the Billings market. The Sportsman's Warehouse store at 3676 Pierce Parkway is nearing completion and is targeting an Aug. 30 grand opening, says the company's Web site. Utah-based Sportsman's Warehouse already has stores in Missoula, Bozeman and Helena.

The delayed start on Town Square had a ripple effect for other retailers eyeing the Billings market. Carmike Cinemas, which was considering a spot near Cabela's, opted to build a new 14-screen theater at Shiloh Crossing, just south of where the Kohl's department store is under construction. Sam's Club, a member's-only warehouse that's part of Wal-Mart, is also looking at the Town Square,.

Shiloh Crossing developer Steve Corning believes that Carmike won't regret its decision to move west.

"When you drill down through the data, we felt that we offered the superior site because of the traffic that's going to be generated," Corning said. "We try to make deals that work for everybody."

Corning, who has worked in real estate development for 28 years, said national retailers and lenders are proceeding cautiously in the wake of challenging economic conditions.

"If you're in your New Jersey headquarters, you're probably seeing the world through a different lens," Corning said. "There isn't a retailer out there who isn't very carefully choosing his options right now."

He believes Billings is receiving interest from national retailers for a couple of reasons. Personal income in the Rocky Mountain and Plains states is growing faster than the national average, thanks to higher prices for farm products, oil and other commodities. Secondly, Billings continues to draw shoppers from a large geographic area.

"The great story of Billings is the vast trade area we serve," Corning said.

He described Kohl's as a savvy midtier retailer with a strong balance sheet and a knack for merchandising. While many of Kohl's direct competitors rely on in-house brands, Kohl's emphasizes designer names at competitive prices.

"They do a stronger job of promoting their product. They do drive traffic," Corning said.

Although commercial development remains brisk this year, Brosovich is cautious about the future.

Because the Billings economy often lags behind the rest of the nation, a slowdown is possible, he said.

Realtor Charlie Hamwey doesn't see much evidence that Billings is becoming overbuilt.

"I feel that if we're going to have a slowdown, it's going to be nothing like the national scene," Hamwey said. "With the amount of people we've got rolling in and out of Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas, I still feel pretty positive."

Friday, the planning division manager, said recent zone changes just east of the proposed Cabela's store could lead to more development. Officials approved zone change requests by property owners Robert Medvec and Christ the King Lutheran Church. The changes allow some commercial development near the Town Square development.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis reports that vacancy rates for retail properties have risen throughout the Ninth Federal Reserve District. A survey by NAI Properties shows that vacancies for Billings neighborhood shopping centers remained steady at 5 percent last year. That's the same vacancy rate as in 2006.

Here is a sampling of other commercial projects under way in Billings:

• The new headquarters for General Electric Commercial Finance at 3333 Hesper Road is scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

• Billings Clinic's new $18.5 million surgery center and a $29 million cancer center are under construction and are altering the skyline in the medical corridor.

• A new 14-acre senior campus south of Central Avenue near Shiloh Road is under construction and will be completed next year.

• Prestige Toyota's new headquarters at 1532 Grand Ave. is nearing completion.

• The Walgreens drug store at 1320 Grand Ave. is nearing completion.

• CVS Pharmacy will replace the Overpass Motel."

[Skyrise406]

The General Services Administration now owns 63,000 square feet of prime downtown real estate, and by 2012 there will likely be a federal courthouse on the site.


GSA and local officials gathered in a conference room this afternoon in downtown Billings to sign stacks of documents that resulted in the GSA walking away as owner of the site, which is along Second Avenue North next to the Yellowstone County Courthouse.

Representatives of the city, county, the Downtown Billings Partnership, the Big Sky Economic Development Authority, the White Family LLC and the GSA each took a turn signing papers with Jennifer Smith of American Title and Escrow.

After everyone had signed, Steve Arveschoug, executive director of the Big Sky Economic Development Authority, handed over keys to the old Montana-Dakota Utilities building to Shelley Smith of the GSA. Smith is in charge of site acquisition for the federal agency.
According to the Downtown Billings Partnership, the GSA will pay $3 million for the site. That money will be split among those groups selling or trading property. Jennifer Smith said the GSA will wire the money to an escrow account in the next day or so, and once all the documents are recorded, the money will be disbursed.

Today's closing has been a long time in coming, and those involved say the complex land dealings almost collapsed more than once over the past 19 months. But the GSA now owns the land and it has $80 million with which to build a courthouse, so those behind the deal are relieved.

"This type of cooperation would make this county go so much further," said Greg Krueger, head of the Downtown Billings Partnership and one of the deal's architects. "Let's do more of this."

The deal was so complicated that many of those involved only knew what they were selling or buying, but not what the other parties were doing. Yellowstone County sold a portion of its parking lot next to the courthouse, and it sold the old Wells Fargo drive-up lot for a total of about $560,000.

The city of Billings sold portions of surrounding streets that will be closed for the courthouse. The city received $252,150.

The White Family LLC sold for $900,000 a piece of land that's been in the family for more than 100 years. It's currently a parking lot and now belongs to the county.

BSEDA sold the MDU building for $756,000. It bought the building a few years ago for $750,000. The Downtown Billings Partnership will end up spending about $40,000 to get the deal finished.


By MATT HAGENGRUBER
Of The Billings Gazette Staff

[TonyAnderson]

Go Montana!

[Skyrise406]

A new 80 Million dollar Federal Courthouse is now officially under construction in the Downtown Core of Billings, MT. The only information that I don't have is how tall it's going to be or how many floors it will have but I bet ya it's a high-rise (hopefully Billings' first skyscraper) because of the 80 million dollar price tag...what do you think??

[Skyrise406]

A new 80 Million dollar Federal Courthouse is now officially under construction in the Downtown Core of Billings, MT. The only information that I don't have is how tall it's going to be or how many floors it will have but I bet ya it's a high-rise (hopefully Billings' first skyscraper) because of the 80 million dollar price tag...what do you think??

[TonyAnderson]

Courthouses can be quite expensive due to all the interior work, security, etc. But that is a decent price tag.

[TonyAnderson]

You would think if it's under construction they'd have a rendering of it somewhere...

[jimthemanincda]

It's not under construction yet. Only site work is being done right now. The government still needs to put out bids for the project, so it will be a while until there is a rendering...

[Eeyore]

Pueblo's state court house is going to cost about 80 million and it will be 5 stories so I would be willing to bet that is how tall your federal court building will be..

[Eeyore]

I looked and cant find a drawing either...

[Eeyore]

BTW can you post pictures of billings, I would love to see some pretty pictures!

[Cactus319]

Not sure if they are just speculating or not, but Emporis.com is preliminarily reporting that the new federal courthouse will be at least 30 floors.

I really hope BIL is smart with this one and creates an amazing new centerpiece for the BIL of the future. :tup:

[delts145]

BTW can you post pictures of billings, I would love to see some pretty pictures!

Me too Eeyore... :tup:

View of Downtown Billings
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/3087709190_7d03affd3d_b.jpg
by kla4067

Early October morning views of Billings, Montana
by Michael Photo's. View from the rims overlooking the town. Check out the nice Fall colors.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2340/1506203187_16e6899827_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2408/1506207209_959416d340_b.jpg
An early morning view of the Beartooth Mountains south of Billings, Montana. A dusting of early season snow is apparent.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2368/1507058500_2e22367609_b.jpg
Montana Avenue, Downtown Billings
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/96/260169410_0145c5f645_b.jpg
By Kooimanstra

.

[Cactus319]

DELTS - THX SO MUCH for posting those amazing shots of this beautiful city.:tup: :tup:

I REALLY miss magical Billings...

[TonyAnderson]

Thanks Delts.

Also, 30 floors for a courthouse in a city of that size seems unrealistic

[rds70]

A few Billings photos from the Thanksgiving weekend:

http://www.denver-cityscape.com/images/billings1109-1.jpg

http://www.denver-cityscape.com/images/billings1109-2.jpg

http://www.denver-cityscape.com/images/billings1109-5.jpg

http://www.denver-cityscape.com/images/billings1109-3.jpg

http://www.denver-cityscape.com/images/billingspano1109.jpg

[TonyAnderson]

Thanks for those :previous:

You know, the Billing's skyline reminds me a lot of Boise, especially with those lower, rolling mountains in the background. That's actually an impressive skyline for 152,000 metro.

[Eeyore]

very nice! Thanks.....

[Eeyore]

Thanks Delts.

Also, 30 floors for a courthouse in a city of that size seems unrealistic

It does as Pueblo's is only going to be 5 stories....

[Skyrise406]

It does as Pueblo's is only going to be 5 stories....

Well, lets see what happens. Construction is going to start in February 2010 and hopefully we'll know for sure. The 22 story First interstate Center cost 20 Million to build but that was in 1985. I'll keep you updated.

[Skyrise406]

Also the 30 floor courthouse is just a proposed height and nothing is in stone yet.

[TonyAnderson]

If they're starting construction in a month then I'd assume they'd know all the specific details. Or are they just doing demolition while they still plan it out?

[Skyrise406]

If they're starting construction in a month then I'd assume they'd know all the specific details. Or are they just doing demolition while they still plan it out?

Right now they are demolishing some old buildings on the site and the new courthouse is being designed right now so I hope to see a rendering sometime within the month. If it turns out NOT to be thirty floors I hope it is taller than The First Interstate Center or at least 115 ft. I'll take some photos of the demolition site after this big snowstorm we're having ends Thursday and when it gets to 40 F by Saturday.

[delts145]

Thanks Skyrise on the updates. I'm always interested in Montana, which is one of my favorite States.

[Skyrise406]

From the Billings Gazette
01-08-2010


It will be at least a month before the public is allowed to see what the new federal courthouse in downtown Billings will look like. While design work for the $60 million courthouse is in the advanced stages, the federal General Services Administration has refused to release architectural drawings.
GSA spokeswoman Sally Mayberry said this week that the GSA will hold an open house in mid-February in Billings, at which time drawings of the courthouse will be made public. Mayberry said last week that the GSA was considering releasing the drawings to The Gazette, but after Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., raised questions about the bid process, the GSA backtracked and decided not to release the drawings. “GSA wants to have the opportunity to debrief all of the contractors who didn’t win the award before releasing renderings or more information,” Mayberry wrote in an e-mail to The Gazette. “What I can tell you is that we are planning an open house in Billings the week of Feb. 16, at which point we’ll make the renderings available and have experts who will speak to the project.” Some in Billings wish that the GSA would be more transparent, especially when designing a building that the agency says will be part of downtown Billings for a century. GSA has also instructed the companies involved in the project to direct most inquiries to the GSA in Denver. “Will the people of Billings be able to contribute to the process?” said Bill Haynes, an architect at Collaborative Design Architects. “The building will have a huge impact on our city. We have a right to determine what this building looks like and what it will do functionally to our downtown.” Mayberry said this week that “public outreach is our goal” but said details aren’t available yet on the open house or other avenues for public comment. The project schedule also hasn’t been made public. “I wonder when the last time GSA (was) sued for disclosure,” Yellowstone County Commissioner Jim Reno said. “We don’t do business that way, and I don’t think the state does business that way."Steve Wahrlich, chair of the Downtown Billings Partnership and owner of the nearby Clocktower Inn, was not troubled by the GSA’s stance. He said the GSA came to town in 2007 and the public had a chance to offer comments then on what the courthouse should look like. He said the GSA has listened to people in Billings so far, so he’s not too worried about the government building an eyesore that doesn’t fit with its surroundings. “I don’t have the right to design that. It’s not my building,” Wahrlich said. “I don’t think it’s right that everybody designs that building, but I’d love to see it.” The lead architect for the courthouse project is NBBJ, an American company with 10 offices around the world. NBBJ has designed civic buildings as far away as Seoul, South Korea. The company’s work includes hospitals, corporate offices and stadiums such as Safeco Field in Seattle. Earlier versions of the courthouse project called for a privately owned building that would be leased to the government, somewhere in the area near the Yellowstone County Courthouse. The estimated cost for that building was around $35 million.
But last April, the GSA announced a major change in the plan, saying that it would use up to $80 million in federal stimulus funds to build a government-owned courthouse. Some downtown business leaders were upset with the change, since a government-owned building doesn’t pay property taxes.
After months of wrangling, four government agencies and a business agreed to terms last summer with the GSA and a 63,000-square-foot site was created next to the county courthouse along Second Avenue North. The GSA paid $3 million for the site, or $47.62 a square foot.
The new courthouse will be 146,700 square feet and will house the U.S. District Court, the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Last week, after learning that a $59.4 million contract for the courthouse was awarded to a Minnesota firm, Rehberg wrote a letter to the GSA asking about the bid process. Rehberg questioned why an out-of-state firm was awarded a contract to build the courthouse, especially when a Great Falls company’s bid was about $8 million less. “My staff has been working daily with the GSA, and I have summoned officials to my office next week to answer some tough questions,” Rehberg said Friday. Sletten Construction of Great Falls submitted a $51 million bid, but the GSA told Sletten that its plan had too many administrative deficiencies, said company CEO Erik Sletten. A team from Sletten Construction flew to Denver for a debriefing meeting with the GSA on Thursday, and Erik Sletten said that representatives from Rehberg’s office, as well as from the offices of Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester, listened in on the meeting by telephone. “GSA said our deficiencies were so large that price couldn’t be considered,” Sletten said. “But all our deficiencies were administrative — paperwork items.” Sletten said the problems found by the GSA panel could easily be fixed or were incorrect, such as the GSA’s worry that the Sletten team didn’t have a fire engineer on staff, even when Sletten provided his resume. Sletten said that the GSA’s design requirements were mostly predetermined, such as room sizes and types of carpeting. All of the teams involved were under those restrictions, so he’s unsure where the winning company, Mortenson Construction, could fit another $8 million into the job. “You can only have flexibility in the structure and the façade and the circulation areas,” Sletten said. “Where you’re going to spend another $8 million in this building — I don’t know where it goes.” Mayberry said a panel of five people judged plans submitted by the finalist companies. The panel included technical experts and a representative from the federal court system. GSA officials said the panel members had to sign confidentiality agreements and couldn’t be named. Later, the GSA asked that even the number of people on the panel not be made public. It is believed that Chief U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull was involved in the planning process, but his office didn’t return calls seeking comment. While price was important, it wasn’t the determining factor in choosing the winning bid, Mayberry said. Instead, a “best value” approach was used, and it included design, how the three departments fit into the building and a project management plan. “The selected best-value proposal was technically superior, satisfied all of the terms and conditions of the solicitation, and was awarded at a fair and reasonable price,” Mayberry said. Local companies will work on the project, since the GSA stipulated early on that 60 percent of the subcontracts must go to in-state firms. A separate contract was recently awarded to a Seattle company, Olympic Associates, for construction management. Olympic has teamed with local firm CTA Architects Engineers for the work. Since the GSA doesn’t have enough staffers to have people on site every day, CTA and Olympic ended up with a $4.5 million contract to do some of that work, said CTA managing partner Jim Wertman. “Early on during design we’ll probably have two, three or four full-time employee equivalent positions (working on the project),” Wertman said. “During construction, it’ll probably be a little more than that.” While local officials are pleased to see a courthouse go up, there are a few outstanding issues causing some heartburn. The GSA has yet to pay Yellowstone County more than $866,000 for a strip of land that the agency is taking from the county through condemnation. And next week, the GSA wants to close the alleyway between the county courthouse and the site where the federal courthouse will be built. The closure would last two weeks, but falls during the time when the county will have as many as 500 potential jurors coming to the courthouse for a triple-homicide trial. County officials said tensions boiled over during a Monday conference call when the GSA’s plans for the alley were discussed. “The county has grave concerns on ingress and egress to its parking lot during construction,” Chief Deputy County Attorney Dan Schwarz said. “The county is waiting for a plan, but nothing has been submitted yet.”

[TonyAnderson]

Lame. So it'll be another month before renderings are available.

[acw007]

and probably only five floors

[TonyAnderson]

To put it in perspective, the article states the building will have 146,000 sq. feet. The federal courthouse they're about to build in Salt Lake City will have 367,188 sq. feet, and is 10 stories in height.

[Skyrise406]

From the Billings Gazette
01-12-2010


The federal General Services Administration today released architectural drawings of the new $60 million federal courthouse to be built in downtown Billings. GSA spokeswoman Sally Mayberry said the designs are "preliminary" and that "design is ongoing."


Marvin Doster, project director for Mortenson Construction, the Minnesota contractor that was awarded the contract to build the courthouse, said his company and lead architect NBBJ, is "look forward to working with GSA and other project stakeholders in the coming months to refine the concept/schematic design, finalize the design documentation and build this new home for the courts and Montana."

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/billingsgazette.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/5/08/8f9/5088f94c-ffb5-11de-b3af-001cc4c03286.image.jpg?_dc=1263326508
by NBBJ Architects


http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/billingsgazette.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/b/23/ba0/b23ba018-ffb5-11de-a702-001cc4c03286.image.jpg?_dc=1263326671
by NBBJ Architects

"Not only will this landmark building support the long-term goals for downtown Billings, it facilitates increased workforce collaboration among federal offices through the consolidation of office space,” said Susan Damour, GSA Rocky Mountain Regional administrator. “GSA is proud to be working toward a new energy economy by investing in new, more energy-efficient public buildings.” The new courthouse will be 146,700 square feet and house the U.S. District Court, the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Last week, the GSA refused to release the drawings, saying it would be a month before the public is allowed to see what the courthouse will look like. Mayberry said last week that the GSA would hold an open house in mid-February in Billings, at which time drawings of the courthouse would have been made public. Mayberry said last week that the GSA was considering releasing the drawings to The Gazette, but after Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., raised questions about the bid process, the GSA backtracked and decided not to release the drawings.

[Skyrise406]

Hmm...I really don't like the look of it.

[Eeyore]

I like it. I like how the enterance is large. I would take it anyday in Pueblo.

[Skyrise406]

I like it. I like how the enterance is large. I would take it anyday in Pueblo.

You think so? I read some of the comments on the Gazette and not a lot of people liked the design so far but this is preliminary so we'll see what they officially choose.

Here is the comment page:

http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_68fe3082-ffb5-11de-9abe-001cc4c03286.html?mode=comments

[Eeyore]

Those comments are not realistic. Its a federal courthouse not a sky scraper. Second, out of date. That is far from a 60's tastic building as we have them in Pueblo, in fact our current courthouse was built in the 60's and trust me this is 100% better.

I really like the picture of the interior with all the windows and open stairs as it seems so larger then life. That is how court buildings are suppose to be.

BTW I wonder how they will build the large pillars. When they start construction you should keep us posted as it would be fun to see them build the building.

[Skyrise406]

You really believe that this design is better? Well then I guess It's OK but I'd add a few things to the landscaping like maybe a fountain and a statue. I'll be getting some photos of the site when it gets nicer outside. I have a great vantage point from the parking structure that is across the street from the site but I worry if someone should question me about taking photos of the construction site. I don't want people to think that I'm a you know and I'm not.

[Eeyore]

I have taken pictures of many construction sites in Pueblo and the only time I got yelled at was by the hospital and I just told them I am on public property go ahead and call the cops as what I am doing is perfectly legal and they just huffed and puffed then walked away. Its not like this is super sensitive in fact I bet your paper will have photos of it, just some people get power hungry.

You make a good point about the landscaping as fountains are always good, I was just looking at the building. That being said as long as you get the building they can always add a fountain later and perhaps that is something the city could donate or some other private person or foundation.

[Skyrise406]

I just now heard that there is already a protest on the building from to KTVQ TV...

BILLINGS - Hours after the General Services Administration released architectural drawings of the new federal courthouse in Billings the GSA received notification today of a protest from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for the Design Build contract. Because of todays action there is a statutory stay in effect as a result of this protest. Sources tell Q2 news the protest was filed by Sletten Construction of Great Falls. Sletten's bid was not selected by the GSA who instead went with Mortenson Construction of Minnesota. GSA is evaluating the protest, its impact on the project, and the alternatives for moving forward. In the interim, all performance related to the Design Build contract is stayed. All pending meetings are postponed.

What!? why does Sletten of Great Falls or the GAO care about who gets the contract to build/Design the courthouse in Billings?

[Eeyore]

Sounds like they are mad they did not get picked to build the building. Assuming the process what above board then it should only be a minimal delay.

[Skyrise406]

Yeah I'd love to have it designed/built by Billings contractors but...I don't know. Now it is on hold for about 100 days!!!:brickwall:

[Eeyore]

100 days will go by fast. Don't get me wrong I know it sux but its better to have the issues resolved now and maybe it could mean work for the local work force and that is good in this economy.

[Skyrise406]

I guess so, I'll keep you guys posted on the project and post any new renderings.

[TonyAnderson]

Oh well, it's just a courthouse not a skyscraper or anything. I think the design looked fine - sort of a modern take.

[Eeyore]

Oh well, it's just a courthouse not a skyscraper or anything. I think the design looked fine - sort of a modern take.

I beat you to this analysis!

:haha:

On a serious note I can't figure out which building is the 22 story one? Does anyone have a close up picture?

:shrug:

[Skyrise406]

A thought, I was wondering if they (a Billings contractor) get the picked to build it , are up to the task of building the courthouse using this design by NBBJ if they choose it.:dunno:

Just a thought...

[Eeyore]

I would suspect yes. Pueblo and Billings are about the same size and I know Pueblo contractors could do it so I don't see why yours could not...

BTW I was looking at what you say about the metro being 8 counties? Can you explain it, are they small counties or is Billings extremely spread out?

[Skyrise406]

I beat you to this analysis!

:haha:

On a serious note I can't figure out which building is the 22 story one? Does anyone have a close up picture?

:shrug:

That would be the Crown Plaza Hotel.

http://community.emporis.com/photo/?lng=3&image=722660

[Skyrise406]

I would suspect yes. Pueblo and Billings are about the same size and I know Pueblo contractors could do it so I don't see why yours could not...

BTW I was looking at what you say about the metro being 8 counties? Can you explain it, are they small counties or is Billings extremely spread out?

Billings of course is the seat of Yellowstone County and is bordered by 8 counties. In my opinion, if you add Yellowstone County's population and the 8 that border it, you get around 180,000 and the city limits do not spread into other counties.

Here is the Wiki article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billings,_Montana

[Eeyore]

Good point.

Do you guys have a university in Billings?

[TonyAnderson]

Actually Billings official metro area is 152,000, so you're adding on a little more with your numbers.

I'm really impressed though with the skyline of the city for a metro of that size. And the more pictures the merrier.

[TonyAnderson]

I beat you to this analysis!

:haha:


Ok, but don't tell anybody...

[wong21fr]

Good point.

Do you guys have a university in Billings?

They have two. As well as a junior college.

[Eeyore]

Great. Maybe they can post some pictures!

[Skyrise406]

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/billingsgazette.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/7/f2/fbb/7f2fbb28-000f-11df-b746-001cc4c03286.image.jpg?_dc=1263365242

[Skyrise406]

From the Billings Gazette
01-13-2010



The stalemate over construction of a new federal courthouse in downtown Billings may not be resolved until April. Michael Golden, an attorney with the General Accountability Office in Washington, D.C., said the agency has 100 days, or until April 21, to resolve a protest filed Monday by one of the unsuccessful bidders on the courthouse project. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., met today with General Services Administration officials and said he got no new in-formation out of them, though they did promise to provide details at a later date. "We'll have an opportunity to get some answers, and hopefully get some answers before April," Rehberg said in a telephone press conference later today. The GSA awarded a $59.4 million contract in December to Mortenson Construction of Minnesota to design and build a 146,742-square-foot courthouse at Second Avenue North and North 26th Street. Sletten Construction of Great Falls filed a protest with the GAO on Monday, contending that its bid on the project, which came in $8 million under Mortenson's, was unfairly passed over by the GSA. News of the protest came Tuesday, shortly after the GSA released preliminary drawings of the new courthouse. The GSA builds, manages and leases buildings for government agencies. The GAO conducts audits and investigations for Congress. Rehberg said he asked GSA officials for specifics on why the Sletten Construction bid was denied, but wasn't given any details. They only said that the denial had nothing to do with design issues, only with "paperwork and technicalities," Rehberg said.

[Eeyore]

I like that view....

[Skyrise406]

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/billingsgazette.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/f/22/c59/f22c5966-00a4-11df-b222-001cc4c03286.image.jpg?_dc=1263429429

By Sletten Architects

[Eeyore]

It a tough call, I think I like the second better.

[TonyAnderson]

Interesting. Their version looks bigger and taller, but maybe that's just the angle.

[Eeyore]

That is what I was thinking...

[Skyrise406]

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/billingsgazette.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/f/22/c59/f22c5966-00a4-11df-b222-001cc4c03286.image.jpg?_dc=1263429429

By Sletten Architects

The only thing I would change on it would be to make the facades more symmetrical. Like having the Southwest facade look like the south facade. Now the south facade has the "columns" look. I emailed Sletten today and suggested this idea.

[urbanboy]

Now if they can just preserve that open space around the city. :tup:



http://www.denver-cityscape.com/images/billings1109-5.jpg

[Eeyore]

The only thing I would change on it would be to make the facades more symmetrical. Like having the Southwest facade look like the south facade. Now the south facade has the "columns" look. I emailed Sletten today and suggested this idea.

Good call.

Urban boy,

Open space is good but devlopment is even better.

[Boiseguy]

I think the second version is beautiful and would help with street level appeal for Billings. Downtown billings has some large towers for a city it's size and things like this courthouse in the midrise category add to density and urbanity of the streetscape. I think it's great

[Skyrise406]

Now if they can just preserve that open space around the city. :tup:

Hmmm...I like a balance of open space and development with more high-rises and in the Downtown Core.

[Skyrise406]

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/billingsgazette.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/a/76/b6f/a76b6fe2-3318-11df-bc94-001cc4c002e0.image.jpg?_dc=1268976683
Image from: Billings Gazette

It’s a long shot, and it could take years to complete, but city officials are considering blasting a tunnel through the Rimrocks to replace the tortuous Zimmerman Trail.

The city has long wanted to improve the former sheep trail, which is one of the few roads that descend from above the Rims into the city. The city has $7 million from the 2005 federal highway bill that is supposed to be spent on improving Zimmerman, but the project has languished while other projects, such as Shiloh Road and the Bench Boulevard connector, have taken precedence. The city thought about moving the money to the other projects, but couldn’t do so without an act of Congress.


Now, with the $7 million still waiting for a plan, Public Works Director Dave Mumford is working on three improvement options for Zimmerman Trail: make minor improvements to the road, rebuild it to the arterial street that it has become, or build the tunnel, which would then allow the existing road to become a bike and pedestrian trail.
The city will work with an engineering firm to partially design each of the three options. The early design work should be finished within six months and should give decision-makers an estimated price and other information for each option. “At that point, we go forward with whatever option the community wants,” Mumford said. “Then we start looking for federal highway funds.”


Because federal money is involved, the Policy Coordinating Committee, and not the City Council, will choose one of the options. The PCC includes a representative from the City Council, a Yellowstone County commissioner, the regional head of the Montana Department of Transportation and the president of the county Planning Board.

The options


Mumford said the minor improvement option would add an uphill passing lane on part of Zimmerman Trail, a bike path and some widening in other spots. The $7 million from the highway bill would probably be enough to pay for that option, Mumford said.
“It would be enough to make it a better road than it is today,” he said.


The next option — and probably the least popular among nearby residents — would be to rebuild the road into an arterial, which is wider and busier than ordinary streets. That version of Zimmerman Trail would likely have multiple lanes and would require significant excavating and blasting, something that isn’t appealing to neighbors who live below the roadway. “Of the neighbors in this area that I’ve spoken to, they are at least equally as concerned as we are with these improvements,” said Sharon Ellis, a homeowner who lives on Nolana Drive. Ellis liked the idea of a tunnel, but she wondered about the cost.


At an estimated cost of up to $60 million, the tunnel option would clearly be the most expensive, but it would eliminate the danger of driving on Zimmerman Trail. The 1,000-foot-long tunnel would begin somewhere around the first big bend in Zimmerman Trail as you go uphill. It would go underneath the county-owned Zimmerman Park just west of Zimmerman Trail and come out on the north side of Highway 3, where drivers would loop around to get on that road. The tunnel would have a slight curve, Mumford said, because drivers tend to go too fast when they can, well, see light at the end of the tunnel.

The history


As the city’s West End has grown, so has the amount of traffic on Zimmerman Trail, which can become slippery in the winter and is closed occasionally during bad weather.
The roadway was built over several years beginning in 1910 by Joseph Zimmerman, a cattleman who blasted the path through the Rimrocks as a way to move livestock. The county owned Zimmerman Trail from 1929 until 2005, when commissioners gave the road to the city.


The $7 million appropriation in 2005 from then-Sen. Conrad Burns came as a surprise to county officials, who at the time were responsible for the road but had no immediate plans to work on it. The county had never asked for the federal money. County commissioners were irritated to learn that the city had asked for the money, even though the city didn’t own the road.


In 2007, Mumford told The Billings Gazette that former City Administrator Kristoff Bauer had requested the money in 2005 because Bauer didn’t want the city to accept the road unless it could be brought up to city standards. But the city could never come up with matching funds for road improvements, so Zimmerman Trail was never improved.
“They have to do something with Zimmerman Trail, whether it’s done in place or they do a tunnel or they go some other route, because the traffic on it is unbelievable,” said Bill Johnson, who has owned a home on Nolana Drive below Zimmerman Trail for 19 years. “It seems like it’s a bottleneck. In the mornings, there’s an awful lot of traffic on it.”


The city also plans to begin work this year on an “inner belt loop” that would connect the Heights to the West End at or near Zimmerman Trail with a new road that will run north of Billings Logan International Airport. It should be years before the land inside the inner loop is fully developed, but city planners are expecting significant growth in that area in the coming decades.
Many local officials are convinced that something needs to be done with Zimmerman Trail, given its growing role as a link between the Heights and the West End. Funding the tunnel option would likely take several years of heavy congressional lobbying.

[Eeyore]

^

That looks great. I would perfer the tunnel. Also how much land are they talking about with the inner belt loop that will be devloped?

[alphawolf]

I'm curious how many lanes they're considering for the tunnel option. It seems like it would be a waste not to at least have two lanes each direction to handle future growth, but it sounds like the neighbors around there don't really care for it.

[Skyrise406]

The Government Accountability Office on Wednesday denied a protest filed by Sletten Construction of Great Falls over the contract award for construction of a new federal courthouse in downtown Billings.
The GAO’s dismissal of the protest means that planning and construction on the courthouse can resume, according to the General Services Administration, the agency that is in charge of the project.
“What does this mean to Billings? It means that GSA will move forward as originally planned,” GSA spokeswoman Sally Mayberry said. “Next steps include having GSA’s project team meet with the project stakeholders and contractors to work out the new plan for project completion.”


Sletten was one of six finalist companies for the courthouse contract, but in late December the GSA chose Mortenson Construction of Minneapolis and awarded the company a $59.4 million contract. Sletten’s bid was $8 million less, company officials said.
A few weeks later, Sletten filed its protest. The company claimed that the GSA violated the terms of its own request for proposals by failing to consider price, especially as the proposals became more equal on technical grounds during the scoring. The GSA has said repeatedly that it used a “best value” approach and that price was just one of several factors used to score the proposals.


The GAO, known as the investigative arm of Congress, had 100 days to investigate Sletten’s protest after the company filed it in January. GAO head procurement attorney Ralph O. White said Wednesday that the agency’s ruling is sealed until both Sletten and Mortenson have a chance to review it. Proprietary information will be redacted, and a copy of the ruling should be released by next week, White said.
Sletten CEO Erik Sletten declined to comment, saying that his company hadn’t reviewed the ruling yet.
The GSA released a statement after receiving the GAO’s ruling. GSA spokeswoman Mayberry said the courthouse project can now continue as planned. She said there will be a stakeholders’ meeting in early May where everyone involved in the project will regroup and plan the next steps.


“GSA’s goal is to focus on getting people to work and getting the project under way as soon as possible,” Mayberry said. “More information will be available once the project team has had the opportunity to meet and assess the revised project schedule.”
The 146,700-square-foot courthouse will be built on a 63,000-square-foot site next to the Yellowstone County Courthouse. The GSA paid $3 million for the site, which was pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle from different landowners. Half a block of North 26th Street near the courthouse has already been permanently closed to traffic, and the site is ready for construction. Two buildings were dismantled to clear the site.


he new courthouse will replace the James F. Battin Federal Courthouse, which is laden with asbestos and will likely be torn down someday. The new courthouse will house the federal courts, the U.S. Attorney’s office and the U.S. Marshal. The Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Reclamation, now in the Battin courthouse, will be moved to new offices eventually.


For several years, those involved in the project were expecting a privately owned courthouse that would be leased back to the GSA. But a year ago, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., announced that the GSA would spend up to $80 million in stimulus funds on a courthouse owned by the GSA.


Had the GAO agreed with Sletten’s protest, the GSA could have been ordered to restart the bidding process. GSA officials were worried about that prospect, because the lengthy process would have to be completed before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

[Skyrise406]

This sucks! The majority of people liked the Sletten design way better than :gaah:Mortenson's ugly design and plus, Sletten's beautiful design came in at 8 million dollars cheaper at around 52 Million bucks vs Mortensons at around 60 Million Bucks. Stupid move of the GSA!!!

[Eeyore]

Which building is it again?

[Skyrise406]

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/billingsgazette.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/5/08/8f9/5088f94c-ffb5-11de-b3af-001cc4c03286.image.jpg?_dc=1263326508

[Skyrise406]

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/billingsgazette.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/f/22/c59/f22c5966-00a4-11df-b222-001cc4c03286.image.jpg?_dc=1263429429

[Eeyore]

This sucks! The majority of people liked the Sletten design way better than :gaah:Mortinson's ugly design and plus, Sletten's beautiful design came in at 8 million dollars cheaper the Mortinsons. Stupid move of the GSA!!!

Thanks. I agree with you 100%

[Skyrise406]

Sletten is a Montana based company out of Great Falls and Mortinson is based out of Minnesota.

[Skyrise406]

There has been much news about the new courthouse but here is some good news I think...the judge Richard Cebull, didn't like the Mortinsen design in favor for a more traditional design. Hopefully, there might be a new design in the works?:shrug:

[CPVLIVE]

This sucks! The majority of people liked the Sletten design way better than Mortenson's ugly design and plus, Sletten's beautiful design came in at 8 million dollars cheaper at around 52 Million bucks vs Mortensons at around 60 Million Bucks. Stupid move of the GSA!!!

I'm with you - to a certain extent. I would choose the Sletten design providing what's shown in the rendering isn't stucco and cast concrete. If it is I would prefer Mortenson's design in that it appears to be using marble and stone.

[TonyAnderson]

I think the Mort design just needs a few additional renderings to give a better idea about how it looks.

[Skyrise406]

The new federal courthouse in downtown Billings will be five stories, with three courtrooms on the top two floors. The building is being designed to reflect the character of the surrounding area, from infusing sandstone into precast concrete to building local landscape features into doors and walls, building designers said Wednesday. “We’re looking to find materials that really connect to this place,” said Kate Diamond, an employee of NBBJ, the company tasked with designing the building.Local officials and the public got their first extended look at the courthouse design at an open house Wednesday in downtown Billings. The General Services Administration hosted the event, with representatives from NBBJ and Mortenson Construction, the company that will build the $60 million courthouse. The first floor will house the federal Clerk of District Court’s office, while the U.S. Marshals Service will be on the second floor and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will be on the third floor. A federal magistrate’s courtroom will be on the fourth floor and two courtrooms on the fifth floor will be for the U.S. District Court. Solar panels on the roof will collect 3 percent of the building’s energy needs, while pumps at the other end of the building will pull energy from underground to warm and cool the building. The courthouse is expected to earn a LEED Gold certification, a rating that recognizes the building’s high sustainability, NBBJ officials said. The building is designed to use daylight whenever possible and features a walkout terrace over the third floor. Anyone who passes security and is in the courthouse can access the rooftop terrace. “The notion is people can go out there for some respite,” said NBBJ’s Jeanne Iannucci. The building’s final design will be reviewed and approved in mid-July by GSA officials, and construction is expected to begin in the fall. Work will continue through the end of 2012. Marvin Doster, project head for Mortenson, said his company intends to award 60 percent of the subcontracting work to Montana companies. Interested contractors can contact the company directly, but Doster strongly recommended signing up with the federal government’s contractor database at www.ccr.gov (http://www.ccr.gov).

Turnout for the meeting was light compared with Monday night, when more than 200 people showed up to hear more about job opportunities on the project. Bidding will begin this summer and will be done in phases, Doster said Monday night. Local officials seemed pleased with the design. Yellowstone County Commissioner Bill Kennedy said the courthouse will fit in well with other downtown buildings and reflect natural features like the Rimrocks. Kennedy said he is particularly excited about the GSA’s next building project, which will relocate two federal agencies from the James F. Battin Federal Courthouse to a new home. The Battin courthouse is contaminated with asbestos, which must be carefully removed if the building is to be torn down or reused. The GSA is working on the new building project now and will know more this summer, according to Sue Damour, regional head of the GSA. The agencies’ new home could be a new building or a renovated building, but it will be privately owned and leased to the GSA, she said. Kennedy said the county was interested in obtaining the Battin courthouse in the future and renovating it for a joint city-county justice center, possibly with courtrooms on the first few floors and private offices above. That would require a federal appropriation, but exploration is already under way, Kennedy said.


http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/billingsgazette.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/8/72/e99/872e99b0-7423-11df-8605-001cc4c03286.image.jpg?_dc=1276128179
(C) NBBJ

[Eeyore]

I kind of like it. Has the feel of a federal building.