Commissioners approve Brownfields subgrant for Basin Creek House after debate on scope and funding

The Butte-Silver Bow council on March 4 concurred and placed on file an emergency subgrant (communication 2026-6128) that authorizes a Headwaters RC&D subgrant to perform abatement work at the Basin Creek House. Commissioner Thatcher moved the suspension of rules to add the item and later moved to concur and place the subgrant on file; the final vote on the subgrant recorded 10 yay, 1 nay.

Commissioner Mark Fisher expressed concern about additional spending on the Basin Creek House and questioned whether the work should have been completed in a different order. Fisher warned that the house contained vermiculite/zonolite insulation, which he called a cancer-causing substance, and criticized repeated spending on the property (he referenced roughly $95,000 in prior grant activity as part of his remarks).

Director Karen Burns (Community Development) and other staff clarified the funding path. Burns said the Brownfields program can now cover interior hazards—including asbestos, lead paint and other hazards identified in a Phase I assessment—and that the current subgrant is the cleanup step following an assessment. She said the coalition Brownfields application (led by Melissa Wanamaker) is for a separate $1,500,000 grant that would support broader coalition work, while this subgrant covers abatement at Basin Creek House and that Brownfields and Headwaters will pay the bills for abatement work rather than funds flowing directly to the county.

Director Burns also noted prior work (a historic preservation grant to replace windows) had been completed and that this subgrant is one step in a multi-phase effort to make the house habitable; additional funding will be pursued to restore utilities and complete interior work. Commissioners asked for clarification about program scope and sequence before voting. The council approved the subgrant with a recorded vote of 10–1.