Current SMDC Brownfields clean up in action.
Please click on the links below to learn more about each.
HARLOWTON MILWAUKEE RAILYARD
Wheatland County-Harlowton, MT
The City of Harlowton acquired the 180-acre Milwaukee Road Railyard and Roundhouse when the railroad went bankrupt in 1980. Since 2015, DEQ's Brownfields program has been assisting the City to receive over $1.8M in grants to assess and cleanup 5 acres of the most heavily contaminated section of the railyard. Approximately 14,000 cubic yards of petroleum contamination has been removed, with 15,000 additional cubic yards to be removed in 2021 and 2022.
​
Future: The City is actively planning the transformation of this 180-acre railyard and 15,000 square foot roundhouse into a city park, wetland nature walk, event center, and potential RV camp and amphitheater.
PETROLEUM COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Petroleum County-Winnett, MT
The Petroleum County Courthouse property, located at 302 East Main Street in Winnett, Montana, is a brownfields project with plans for redevelopment into office space and low-income residential housing. The property is currently developed with a two-story, 15,270-square-foot commercial building, originally constructed in 1917. This building has served various purposes, including housing a bank, offices, and a hardware store, before being leased to the county in 1928 and converted into a courthouse. The first floor continues to serve as a courthouse, while the basement and second floor remain mostly vacant.
Plans for the future include renovating the second level into residential housing. However, the presence of hazardous materials, such as asbestos and lead-based paint, poses significant health risks, and the cost of hazardous material abatement represents a major financial challenge for the county. Despite these obstacles, this redevelopment project offers a unique opportunity to revitalize the property and provide much-needed office space and low-income housing for the local community. SMDC has been instrumental in supporting this effort by providing funding to assist the county with these redevelopment efforts, helping to ensure the success of the project and its positive impact on the area.
