Plans for Fort Missoula superpark, hydrogen facility look promising

Fort Missoula’s future may be closer than we think.

In a rare happenstance, the diverse stakeholders – city, county, state, federal, private – who own the fort’s acreage agree on a preliminary development plan for the area.

By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian

http://missoulian.com/articles/2004/06/28/news/top/news01.txt

Even more astounding, the plan includes a hydrogen-powered university campus as a main feature http://www.cte.umt.edu/MTFutures/ .

If it all works out, Fort Missoula will be home to a 245-acre superpark unlike any in the United States.

Imagine this: 10 kilometers of walking trails that meander along the Bitterroot River and wander the periphery of new soccer fields and softball pitches worthy of regional competitions. Trails that connect the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula and the Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History to new picnic areas, a swimming pond, a series of gardens and lead to the Hydrogen Futures Park, the University of Montana’s new College of Technology campus and the state’s first hydrogen-fueled facility.

Imagine wandering through the campus and stopping at a dessert bar, a soda fountain or restaurant operated by UM’s culinary program.

It may sound like a farfetched idea, but so far, it’s one that seems the most plausible for this long-battled-for ground.

"The idea of all these people working together for a common goal is surprising to say the least," said Barbara Evans, a Missoula County commissioner. "And at the center of this is the College of Technology."

About two years ago, COT dean Paul Williamson first started talking about adding hydrogen energy to his school’s curriculum.

The concept, he said, was greeted with polite skepticism, and the questions: What is it and what does it do?

Since those early days, Williamson has taken his innovative plan across Montana, educating everyone and anyone who is interested in alternative energy, developing a billion-dollar industry for the state, weaning the United States from foreign oil, and bringing thousands of jobs to Montana.

He continues to explain with contagious enthusiasm that hydrogen energy is a nonpolluting, clean industry that extracts hydrogen from a myriad of sources – including landfills and air – and, with the right equipment, can do all the jobs of gas and electricity.

After he pitched the idea to Montana’s congressional delegation, the lawmakers helped him land a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy this past spring to investigate what Montana, Missoula and UM need to do make it possible.

The timing is perfect, Williamson said. The project needs a home, and it is abundantly clear that the COT needs to expand its facilities. Many of the school’s professional programs, particularly in the health care fields, have student waiting lists two to five years long.

Why not combine the present with the future?

When word spread that UM was looking into growing COT’s satellite campus near Fort Missoula, discussions began to spark among other players in the fort’s future.

Representatives of Missoula Parks and Recreation, the mayor’s office, Missoula County commissioners, JTL Group Inc. and the Fort Missoula Planning Committee began calling UM to find out more about COT’s future, and soon all the parties began talking.

The outcome? Possibilities.

What is now a mosaic of land ownership, with parties owning scattered and noncontiguous acreage around the fort, would be rearranged to be more development friendly.

Land parcels would be swapped so that each party has a consolidated chunk of property to work with, and UM would give COT’s main campus to Missoula County Public Schools in exchange for some property MCPS owns at the fort.

With the new COT campus would come the infrastructure to support the fort’s expanded recreation, in particular, parking lots to handle the kind of traffic soccer and softball tournaments would attract.

"Although these are just baby steps we are taking, this is the closest we have ever come to having all of the players at the same time working together and representing all of the different agencies," said Donna Gaukler, Missoula Parks and Recreation director.

"The amazing part is that when the discussions are done, in theory and philosophy, everybody seems to have an understanding of each other’s need to accomplish their mission," she said. "Everybody seems genuinely interested in moving the pieces of this puzzle to help each other out."

As the preliminary discussions move forward, everyone involved agrees to achieve the vision without tapping the public’s pocketbook.

"This could all happen through a series of agreements and land transfers and easements," Gaukler said. "There is nothing on the table to suggest going to taxpayers for more money."

While this newfound spirit of collaboration is refreshing in and of itself, the concept for a 245-acre superpark that combines recreation, sports, history, culture and education may just produce some financial aid, said Charlie Brown, a Missoula veterans counselor who is involved with the Fort Missoula Planning Committee.

"These kinds of community projects are the kinds of things that attract federal funding," Brown said. "Although nobody has openly said that, I think most people understand that.

"Collaboration is a buzzword with federal grants."

Williamson said he is pleased his hydrogen vision is a catalyst for communitywide discussion about Missoula’s future. It’s only fitting that something called a "Futures Park" would prompt such dialogue and he’s confident that more good things will spring from it.

"Not only will we get the resources to do this, with hydrogen as the hook, but we will be the gateway to foster hydrogen and alternative energy in Montana," he said.

If plans unfold as he envisions, the Futures Park would be home to UM’s hydrogen energy education in addition to the school’s existing programs. On property UM has secured in Missoula’s Industrial Park will be a development center to create hydrogen energy products and new ways to use hydrogen energy.

To make his vision happen, Williamson said it will take about $60 million.

"For Montana, this is a huge project, but we are the state best situated for doing this," he said.

"We have all the renewable resources for this industry, we have a flagging economy, and we can become leaders in an industry that will demand high-quality workers and bring into this state about $20 billion a year."

"Somebody’s got to do it," he said. "Somebody will do it – soon – and there’s about 20 states ahead of us."

Both Montana U.S. senators agree with Williamson and are on board to help find some of the funding.

Sen. Max Baucus said the project is an example of innovation and determination to change America’s reliance on foreign sources of energy, and he’s working to encourage these traits by supporting energy tax incentives that will boost alternative energy production.

Sen. Conrad Burns said he believes the Hydrogen Futures Park has great potential, and believes that 20 years from now, our world will be hydrogen-fueled.

"As we continue to search for ways to wean ourselves from foreign oil, we look toward hydrogen as a very real solution to our nation’s energy needs," Burns said.

"Montana has the potential to be a leader in hydrogen production based on the resources we currently hold, and it is incumbent upon us to forward this research and development not only to strengthen our economy and create new, high-paying jobs in the state, but to leave this world a better place for our children," he said. "We as a state can be part of that new frontier."

Over the next year, Williamson will use the Department of Energy grant to further develop the hydrogen education plan, which will lay out the "to do" list for the next five to 10 years.

"How quickly we move forward is dependent on the amount of support we can gain from federal, corporate and state sources," he said.

Whatever the timeline, Williamson said, "I remain very hopeful and positive that we will see great things come from this project for the future of Montana."

In the meantime, all the Fort Missoula property owners will continue to hammer out a community-use plan that makes sense and is agreeable to most people. Before decisions are made, all the governing boards of the landowners, such as the Missoula City Council and the Montana Board of Regents, would have to give their input.

"I think we are all curious to see how this will develop," said Missoula Mayor Mike Kadas. "Our position is that we are interested, but this is all still preliminary."

"I’m all for it," Evans said. "If this will benefit the park and our schools. If this could improve the COT and still provide open space for Missoula, if this could possibly lead to more jobs in Montana, I don’t see very many people losing out.

"It looks promising," she said. "It’s just possible this dream could take place."

Reporter Betsy Cohen can be reached at 523-5253 or at [email protected]