Connect With Your Community!
Connect With Your Community!
With a remodel planned for early 2025, Three Forks City Hall will have a temporary location to start the new year.
According to City Clerk Crystal Turner, they will be moving to the Three Forks Community Library basement at 607 S. Main St. on December 30 and 31. They plan to open the temporary space on January 2 when they return to work after the holiday.
"We expect to be there at least three months," Turner said.
In 2023, the Montana State Legislature passed the State-Local Infrastructure Partnership Act (SLIPA), which appropriated $20 million from the state general fund to the Montana Department of Commerce to be distributed to incorporated cities and towns as grants based on infrastructure repair and maintenance. $172,000 of this funding was set aside for the City of Three Forks, requiring a 25 percent match of $43,000.
In January 2024, the Three Forks City Council approved a list of their three top priorities for infrastructure projects to send to the state, including the remodel at City Hall. The list also included a fire hall remodel to add a second bathroom and a shower and a new ADA Automatic Door Replacement at the Three Forks Community Library.
At a July meeting of the governing body, City Treasurer Kelly Smith said the state had informed them the City Hall and Library projects were fine, but they would not be approving the grant funding for the fire department project because it is an addition, not a maintenance project.
Smith said the 25 percent match for the SLIPA grants would come from out of the reserves in the City’s Water and Sewer Funds.
According to City Officials, the remodel project includes:
• Rearranging the bathroom and storage/broom closet to utilize both existing spaces better.
• Removing the courtroom stage platform of the Judge's bench to enlarge this room.
• Removing a couple of walls to enlarge the office and City Council Chambers area.
Turner is super excited about the remodel.
"We are growing and have a lot of meetings during the day right in the same office space. So, when someone new comes in to sign up for water and sewer service, or the phone rings and a meeting is occurring at the table across from our desk, but also using Zoom above mine and Wally's (Ziegler) head, it is very distracting," said Turner. "With the remodel and larger space, we can move the tables and 'meeting space' farther down so that one of us can remain up front to help customers or be on the phone with less cross-interaction."
According to Turner, the City of Three Forks plans to provide the same services at their temporary home.
"It may be difficult for some to come down the stairs, so we are having the public works crew cut a drop slot in the shed in the parking lot for people who don't want to come downstairs to have their payment processed," said Turner. "Also, if they need to meet with us, they can phone ahead, and we can meet with them upstairs in the Library, like if we need to go over some applications or something that needs more time and a 'sit down' style of meeting."
With several months planned in the library basement, Turner respectfully asks the public to be patient.
"We may all be on the phone, and someone is trying to call and ask us to come upstairs and get their payment because perhaps they want a receipt, but we can't answer at the moment. I don't anticipate that happening often, but I just want the public to know that because they won't be able to see us working anymore. And we suggest they call us, even if we end up being on the phone a lot more now...We don't mind," Turner said.
During the temporary move, the number for City Hall will remain the same at 406-285-3431.
