Two state grants were recently awarded locally – one grant for $750,000 to Powder River County, which will help to replace the Moorehead Bridge, and another grant of the same amount to Broadus Schools, which will assist in the high school re-roofing project.
The Delivering Local Assistance (or DLA) grants were enacted in 2019 through MT House Bill 652, in order to help local governments and school districts in Montana to complete infrastructure projects.
County Commissioner Lee Randall told us that the 750,000 dollar grant for the county will be used along with another 7 million from the federal government, and another 1 million in funds from local coffers to help pay for local bridge replacement.
First on the docket will be the Moorehead Bridge, which was deemed unsafe by inspectors last fall, due to settling of the bridge.
A modular bridge is planned to replace the old design. Randall says the modular design is able to be emplaced in a short amount of time, once the old bridge is removed.
Plans are for the bridge to go in this year, and traffic to resume crossing the river.
The school’s $750,000 grant is the largest grant the school has attained in recent memory, according to Broadus Superintendent of School Jim Hansen. A grant for 300K was attained some years ago for asbestos abatement, according to Hansen.
The school is currently looking to replace the roof of the high school, and the 750K should allow funding for improved insulation for the project, as well as cutting costs to local taxpayers.
Julie Emmons’ hard work and knowledge of navigating the complicated grant application process were instrumental in helping to attain the grants.
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