| | |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Paw
Prints A
quarterly
newsletter to
keep you
informed.
|
| Nan
Gabriel
Selected as
Community
Planner for
Bear Paw
Development |
 Bear
Paw
Development
Corporation
recently hired
Nan Gabriel as
the
organization’s
Director of
Community
Planning, with
responsibility
for assisting
local
governments
with their
planning
needs,
including
developing and
updating
growth
policies,
seeking funds
for planning
documents such
as Preliminary
Engineering
Reports and
Preliminary
Architectural
Reports for
infrastructure
projects, and
updating the
Comprehensive
Economic
Development
Strategy
(CEDS) for
Bear Paw
Development’s
five-county
region of
northern
Montana. “We
are very
fortunate to
have Nan join
the Bear Paw
team as our
planner. As a
Hi-Line
native, she
has great
knowledge of
our region and
what makes our
economy tick.
She has also
been connected
to the area’s
business
community for
many years,
most recently
as an Escrow
Closing
Officer with
Hill County
Title Company
in Havre,”
Paul Tuss,
Executive
Director of
Bear Paw
Development,
said. “The
planning
functions in
which we are
involved on
behalf of our
local
government
partners is
key to
securing
funding for
important
priorities and
assists in
providing a
thoughtful
roadmap about
how to get
from where we
are to where
we want to
be.” In
addition to
her work at
Hill County
Title Company,
Gabriel
previously
served as a
real estate
agent in
Havre. “I
look forward
to helping the
communities of
Bear Paw’s
Economic
Development
District to
plan for their
future,
including for
public
facilities and
infrastructure
enhancements
that will
serve them for
decades to
come,” Gabriel
noted. “In
joining the
Bear Paw team,
I’m excited
about being
part of the
effort in
northern
Montana to
grow our
economy,
prepare for
the future and
help assure
the vibrancy
of our rural
area.” |
Vizsla
Brewing Newest
Entrant to
Hi-Line’s
Craft Brewery
Scene |
 Vizsla
Brewing is
Havre’s newest
brewery, and
owners Raymond
Miller and
Maria Naranjo
have been busy
crafting
delicious
brews for
their
customers
since opening
in October.
Named after a
unique breed
of sporting
dog, Vizsla
Brewing
provides an
environment
where dog and
outdoor
enthusiasts
can enjoy a
comfortable
atmosphere
while savoring
locally
crafted beers. Before
opening their
brewery,
Raymond and
Maria came to
Bear Paw
Development to
finalize their
business plan
and request
funding
assistance.
Vizsla Brewing
received
financing
through BPDC’s
revolving loan
fund to
purchase
equipment and
supplies.
“Bear Paw was
integral in
helping us
fine-tune our
plans for the
brewery and in
assisting us
to complete
the financial
package for
our business
endeavor,”
said Raymond
of working
with Bear Paw
Development. The
brewery
currently has
eight beers on
tap with a
variety of
different
flavors and
hop content,
including the
popular
Grapefruit
Wheat and the
more
distinctive
“Don’t Give a
Shih Tzu” IPA
that features
caramel and
citrus
flavors. Vizsla
Brewing often
hosts pint
nights, happy
hours, and
even beer
yoga! To keep
up with their
latest brews
and upcoming
special
events, follow
them on
Facebook and
visit them at
the Holiday
Village Mall
in Havre. To
get more
information on
opportunities
for business
financing
through Bear
Paw
Development,
contact
Tiffany at
406-265-9226. |
Food and Agriculture Development Center News |
Bear Paw
Development’s
Food and
Agriculture
Development
Center
assisted in
submitting
nine Growth
Through
Agriculture
grants
recently to
the Montana
Department of
Agriculture.
The projects
submitted
included
breweries, an
apiary, a
butcher shop,
and even an
apricot and
peach orchard.
Of the nine
projects
submitted,
seven will be
moving on to
the
presentation
phase. We look
forward to the
startup and
expansion of
value added
agriculture
businesses in
rural Montana. We have
also been busy
in planning
the first
Agriculture
Economic
Outlook
Summit. This
summit will
focus on where
Montana’s
agriculture
industry is
headed and how
producers can
stay ahead of
the curve.
Keep an eye
out for flyers
that will
include
details about
the summit,
including
dates
location.
Also, consider
attending the
Montana
Farmers Union
Producer
Conference on
January 25th
-26th
in Havre.
Topics will
include
marketing,
risk
management,
and much more! For
information
about Bear
Paw’s FADC,
contact
Michael Peter
at [email protected] or
406-265-9226. |
Brownfields
Workshop for
Independence
Bank |
On
November 26th,
Bear Paw
Development
led a
Brownfields
101 Training
Workshop in
Havre for over
30 bankers and
lenders from
Independence
Bank. Using
the new
video-conferencing
system at
Independence
Bank, four
other branches
throughout
northcentral
Montana were
able to join
the training.
The
presentation
was led by
Samantha
Chagnon,
Director of
Brownfields
for Bear Paw,
and Christin
Hileman,
Brownfields
Specialist for
NewFields. The
training
highlighted
information
for lenders to
use in
determining
the risk of a
brownfields
site and the
value of
assessment in
facilitating
property
transfers.
Lenders also
received
information on
the grant and
loan funds
available to
landowners
through Bear
Paw’s
Brownfields
Program as
well as
possible
funding
partnerships
with the
Montana State
Petrofund. The
training
concluded with
program
success
stories like
the Big Sandy
Library and
the Boys and
Girls Club of
the Hi-Line.
To find out
more about
Bear Paw’s
Brownfields
Program, or to
request a
brownfields
training,
contact
Samantha at
406-265-9226. |
City
of Harlem
Completes $5
Million Sewer
System Update |
Like
many
communities in
northcentral
Montana,
Harlem is
faced with the
dilemma of
trying to
maintain its
community’s
vital
infrastructure
with very
limited
resources.
Thanks to a
State of
Montana
Treasure State
Endowment
Program (TSEP)
grant and
United States
Department of
Agriculture
(USDA), Rural
Development
(RD) grants
and loan, the
City was able
to resolve
serious health
and safety
code
violations
through a
sewer system
upgrade. Harlem’s
wastewater
collection and
treatment
facility were
constructed in
1949. The
collection
system flowed
to a small
packaged
activated
sludge
treatment
facility. The
packaged
facility
consisted of
two circular
“accelerators”,
a lab/office
building,
anaerobic
digesters, and
sludge drying
beds. The
original
installation
included
21,400 linear
feet of 8- and
10-inch
vitrified clay
pipe. A
major upgrade
of the
collection
system and
replacement of
the treatment
facilities
took place in
1984. Upgrades
included over
8,000 lineal
feet of 8- and
10-inch PVC
sewer line, a
lift station
to provide
service to the
north side of
the city, a
new main pump
station, and a
three-cell
aerated lagoon
system. The
aerated
three-cell
lagoon system
included two
smaller solids
settling
cells, gas
chlorination
for
disinfection,
and discharge
to the Milk
River. While
the upgrades
in the 80’s
were
beneficial to
the system,
over the years
problems were
discovered
resulting in
notification
by the Montana
Department of
Environmental
Quality that
the City’s
wastewater
system was in
violation of
its Montana
Pollution
Discharge
Elimination
System Permit.
The system,
including two
lift stations,
experienced
increasing
issues and
needed
significant
work. Over
several years,
the City
worked with
its partners,
Great West
Engineering
and Bear Paw
Development,
to find a
viable design
solution and
the funding to
bring the
project to
fruition. The
project
included the
following
collection and
treatment
systems
improvements: *
North Side
Lift Station
upgrades but
maintaining
the basic
concrete wet
well and valve
vault. *
Main Lift
Station
upgrades,
including the
placement of a
new wet well
while
maintaining
use of the
existing
building. *
Treatment
System
replacement
with an
aerated
lagoon,
storage lagoon
and irrigation
system. The
robust funding
package
included a
$625,000 grant
from the TSEP
program;
$3,206,000 in
grants and a
$1,205,000
loan from USDA
Rural
Development.
In December of
2018, the City
completed the
final step –
removing
sludge from
the lagoons.
The mild
weather, and
the swift work
by the
contractor
meant the
project could
be completed
by the end of
December.
Century
Companies of
Lewistown was
the prime
contractor and
Youderian
Construction
of Stanford
tackled the
sludge
removal. Congratulations,
Harlem! |
QuickBooks
and Microsoft
Excel
Workshops
Scheduled for
2019 |
Bear Paw
Development’s
Small Business
Development
Center (SBDC)
is excited to
announce its Hands-on
with
QuickBooks
workshop. The class will be an open format where participants
can ask
questions,
discuss
solutions, and
learn from the
experience of
others. If
you use
QuickBooks and
have
questions,
this is the
class for you!
The workshop
will be on
February 28th
from 6:00 p.m.
to 8:00 p.m.
in the Havre
High School
Media Room.
The cost is
$10 and space
is limited, so
register early
at the
following
link: https://fs1.formsite.com/hpsk12/form62801674/index.html?1493048655048 In
addition to
the new
QuickBooks
class, Bear
Paw’s SBDC
will also be
offering a Basics
of Microsoft
Word and Excel
workshop. This
class will
cover basic
formatting,
working with
bulleted
items, mail
merge to
envelopes, and
inserting
pictures and
screenshots in
both Word and
Excel. The
cost is $10
and will be
held February
5th from 6:00
p.m. to 8:00
p.m. in the
Havre High
School Media
Room. To
register,
click the
following
link: https://fs1.formsite.com/hpsk12/form62801674/index.html?1493048655048 Both
of these workshops are being
held through
the Havre
Public Schools
Adult
Education
Program.
For questions
please call
Joe LaPlante
at 265-9226. The Montana Small
Business
Development
Center (SBDC)
is funded in
part through a
cooperative
agreement with
the U.S. Small
Business
Administration.
SBA’s funding
is not an
endorsement of
any products,
opinions, or
services. All
opinions,
conclusions or
recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. All
SBA funded
programs are
extended to
the public on
a
nondiscriminatory
basis.
Reasonable
arrangements
for persons
with
disabilities
will be made
if requested. |
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Bear Paw Development Corporation is a private non-profit
organziation
that works to
improve
regional
economic
conditions in
Hill, Blaine,
Liberty,
Chouteau and
Phillips
Counties and
the Fort
Belknap and
Rocky Boy’s
Indian
Reservations.
To find out
more, visit us
online a t http://www.bearpaw.org. |
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