Perfect.

Good evening, everybody out there in Radio Land.

Uh anyway, this is Economic Development Committee.

Uh Commissioner Anderson uh chairing the meeting, Josh O'Neill, Vice Chair, Eric Mankins is skewed.

We are also joined by our sketch special guest star.

Really need to learn how to speak.

Uh Kelly Sullivan.

Uh with the Butte Local Development Corporation.

The first item on the agenda, as always, is Kelly Sullivan presenting on behalf of Butte Local Development Corp.

Uh their ongoing uh involvement to make our community better and more livable.

So at this time, I would turn over the meeting to Kelly.

Thank you very much for being here today.

Thank you for having me.

So we'll kind of kick off with some chat about our loan department.

Um we've got one new application going in front of loan committee on October fifteenth.

We have two Brownfields loans in the pipeline.

Um they're pending some contract work, but one is for a nonprofit and one is for a privately owned business.

Um they're both projects here in Butte Silverbow.

We have one prospective client in the application stage right now.

They're working on their application.

Our total available to lend right now is one point three million.

That's across all of our funds.

So we got that submitted uh approved by our board last week and submitted this week.

Regarding the Headwaters Tech Hub, myself and Jay Doyle from our team attended the Tech Hub Summit September 10th to the 12th in Bozeman.

I spoke on a panel of economic development professionals from around the state on the topic of why when you're looking at locating a business in a community, would you want to use your economic development organization first?

Why do you want to go to them first?

We got some great feedback.

There were a few businesses potential potentially looking at Montana in the crowd.

And a few who did not know were not that familiar with economic development organizations, didn't know all the things that we do, and so we're excited to kind of hear us speak on that topic.

I'm partnering on a grant application right now with Montana Tech for a substantial grant that could be put towards germanium usage in Butte.

And Butte's being looked at for a lot of critical minerals work.

But germanium is one that it has properties as a semiconductor and a usage in electronics.

And we're going to assist in the grant application.

Although I confess tech is doing the heavy lifting because this is a topic way outside of my knowledge.

We also met with a client that's considering Butte for an underground mine tour at the Underground Mine Education Center at Montana Tech.

That was the day before we went over to the Tech Hub Summit.

They came to Butte specifically for this.

We had some reps come down from Montana Department of Commerce, leaders from Montana Tech, and then Chief Executive Gallagher was also a part of that.

And these folks continue to work very closely with different departments at my organization.

They're talking to the loan department, they're working with the Small Business Development Center.

They're excited to bring their business here, and they want to come yesterday, but they're realizing how much there is to kind of putting it all together.

So we've been able to guide them through a lot of that.

The Apex Accelerator, which is our government contracting division.

The lead of that, Deanna Langman, has worked for them for about 20 years, and she recently resigned kind of unexpectedly.

So we're not sure what the future holds for that program.

But we're hoping that it continues and that they can find a good replacement to lead that.

We've turned over some SARDA funds.

So the BLDC got some SARDA funds about five or six years ago.

It was before my time, so I'm I'm gonna say maybe it was about six years ago to do some work in the Lizzie Block alley, which is the block behind the MM, and you've seen those lights in that alley, and there's a mural back there.

So there were there were plans for some other work back there, but then the MM burned down.

Now Gamers is under construction, and that alley is kind of not where we hoped it would be, you know, when we got those funds six years ago.

So we were approached by the Uptown Master Plan Association to see if we'd be interested in turning over what remains of those funds, and I don't know the exact amount, it wasn't much that was left, maybe a couple thousand dollars.

If we wanted to turn it over and put it towards the Uptown Master Plan's wayfinding efforts, and we said yes that we would do that because we felt like the Lizzie block is just not in in any shape right now for us to continue that project.

Um I've signed up for the Grow America Economic Development Finance 101 course and two other people on my team are going to be taking that with me.

Oh, I already said that about the work plan.

Uh Sonata, which is the Norwegian battery company.

We continue to have calls with them about every other month, and we had a call with them recently, um, still planning on coming to Butte, but of course, as I report often, there's a lot of work to do on their side of things before they can actually make that a reality.

Um, but their intention is still to land that business in Butte at some point.

Uh we've begun working on our fiscal year 2026 budget.

We'll bring that to our board for approval at the end of October.

Uh we've actually uh Sue, our fiscal analyst has done quite a bit of work, and then the two of us have taken a first pass together on it, and it's coming together really well.

Um Kayla responded, God, I did some horrible typing on this.

Kayla responded to two requests for information from Department of Commerce before she left us.

And I think, did I say this last month that Kayla is now with the county?

She's now with the county, and she took Kristen Rose's job.

So she left BLDC to come over and take Kristen's job, and she's gonna be a great fit for that and do a really good job.

We were very sad to lose her, but she'll do well.

We've gotten calls from a couple of business owners, one that's based in Dillon looking to potentially expand to Butte.

And then a Denver-based property owner that has some land and wants to market that land.

And we're I'm kind of back and forth with him every couple of days, so I don't have a whole lot of details yet, but we're we're drilling down on that.

Our small business development center has nine new clients and 25 active clients right now, just to give you an idea of what they've got going on on a day-to-day basis.

Quite a few folks they're working with right now.

We did a tour, a couple of us of John McDermott's business park south of the Butte TED with a Southwest Montana company that is thinking about coming to Butte.

So we looked at some land that is so far undeveloped, but they might be curious about locating there.

And then I went to the ribbon cutting event of the Amazon Last Mile facility.

It was really nice, and it was really interesting to see what they do out there.

It's called the last mile facility.

People actually deliver in their own cars.

People are working for them who don't deliver in an Amazon branded vehicle, but in their own cars, like if you got Doordash or something.

But it's Amazon.

So that was pretty interesting to see how that all works.

And then I wanted to mention October 9th, the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.

I didn't put that on the report here, is having what they call a rehirement event at the Butte Job Service.

And businesses have been invited that might be looking for employees, and this is to some of you were talking before the meeting started about some of the new restaurants that are going to be opening up out in Cornerstone Plaza, and how are they going to staff those?

The rehirement event is kind of targeted at high school and college age young adults, but also at folks that maybe have retired and might want to come out of retirement to work a shift or two a week somewhere, you know, just to pick up a little extra cash and kind of help with uh the workforce.

So that'll be again October 9th.

Um that starts at I think nine in the morning at the Butte job service.

And I'm gonna be out of town then, but uh I do have someone from my team that'll be attending on our behalf.

And then praxis, oh, nine o'clock on October 9th.

Yep.

Okay.

And then praxis.

Um I've been talking to Ray, and he said there's quite a bit in the works, but he wasn't quite able to share with me yet what he's got going on.

Um he's doing some traveling this month and next, he's doing quite a bit of traveling.

So he did say that he would come with me in December to council, and that he will give a report at the December council meeting, probably that first Wednesday, I'll come to this meeting, and then we'll also get put on the agenda for December, and I don't know that exact date.

He's been traveling for a couple of years.

Yeah, he's gone, right?

Well, thank you very much for the report.

Uh I'll open it up for any questions or comments.

Uh Commissioner O'Neill.

Please.

Thank you, Chairman.

Um Kelly question the small business development center, the one who says nine new clients, 25 active.

What building's that, or where is that?

That's in with us.

In with you guys.

That's in with us.

That's part, that's a division of our organization.

Okay.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Appreciate it.

And then the Commissioner Haley.

Thank you.

Um, somebody was just wondering, I have to read this.

How the money works with the Amazon facility with the amount of the 110 million?

And how how is that like divide it out or do you know?

Like I don't know what the 110 million is.

Okay.

I haven't heard of any hundred and ten million either.

I can almost guarantee you that was from some other pot of money not dealing with the council.

So the person there may have to go outside and find that answers somewhere.

Uh Commissioner.

Thank you, Chairman.

Uh, just a couple quick questions.

On the um the money that we were you were talking about that was SARTA money.

Does that money does that decision have to go back through the SARTA board?

Yeah, and it's going to.

Okay.

Yeah.

Sarda and Sarda had connected with us as well.

I should have said that, not just the Uptown Master Plan, but Sarda had reached out as well, Julia Crane, who still runs Sarda.

Okay, great.

Yes.

Just wanted to clarify on that.

Yes.

And then follow up if I could.

Uh on Sonate, can you maybe talk to us a little bit about what their biggest hurdles are for if you know uh you know, the the decision making process and eventually, you know, them them citing here.

Is there anything that uh us as a body can do to help that along or I don't think so.

Uh I think it all has to do with some of the research and development work they're doing on their end and some of what they're producing or manufacturing and getting things tested out on their end.

So it's more of a it's more of a decision-making process on on their end regarding is it business business particular things or is it tariffs or is it uh it's more it more has to do with research and development and manufacturing.

Okay.

Yeah.

All right, that's all the questions I had.

Thank you.

Okay.

Commissioner O'Neill.

Thank you.

I'm piggyback on the sonata.

They pick did they purchase the land?

They're in a purchase and sale agreement with Butte Silverbow, and I think that that is going to be requested to extend that out a little further.

I think that'll be coming before council soon to extend that out a little further.

And my take on that is that absolutely that is something we would want to do.

Uh follow-up.

Thank you.

Uh no, I I do agree, but is it is it still marketable, the land?

Meaning, could somebody put a backup offer on it or no, not where it stands today.

So there's basically a buy-sell agreement that hasn't closed, and they just have like is there so we're gonna extend the do you know when the time frame is?

Obviously, that's kind of just curious.

I don't know the time frame that'd be for Karen Burns and Kayla Lappin to address.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Yeah.

And Commissioner Walker.

Okay, you mentioned the MM and the alley behind it.

What about on the side of the MM?

Is there any word on when they're gonna clean that up?

I haven't heard anything about the M.

Any other questions, comments, concerns.

Uh I did have two questions, but they were already asked.

So that's always nice.

Thank you, Commissioner O'Neill and Commissioner O'Leary.

Uh I do have one more.

Uh you're talking about partnering with Montana Tech for a substantial grant that could be put towards germanium usage.

Any idea what germanium is?

I'm thinking of the plant, but I'm sure that that is wrong.

It's a mini, it's a mineral, and the exact uses of it, I don't know more than that.

Okay, that is interesting.

I'm gonna have to reach out to some people a lot smarter than myself to figure that one out.

And uh I uh those have all been answered.

Any idea what's going on with the gamers construction?

I've seen that they've been doing an awful lot of work.

Are they going to be reopening the restaurant?

Uh rehabbing the upper floors, any idea?

We haven't heard anything about the restaurant, but um they are rehabbing the upstairs, and we heard that those are for rental and not to be condoed out and sold, but to be rentals.

Okay, great.

Uh Commissioner O'Leary.

Thank you, Chairman.

Uh, I can speak to that just a little bit.

They they did apply for the um that his they're gonna do historic preservation tax credits, I believe, in that building.

And they also applied for the uh the grant program, the commercial grant program, which I'm forgetting the name of uh through the through the city.

It was a grant program that forgetting the name of it now, but is it URA?

No, it's not URA, it's um there was $750,000 that came in from uh a federal program and it's being uh a bunch of folks have applied for commercial projects uh in in the uptown area, they've applied for that.

So it sounds like uh significant renovation of the whole building.

Uh Commissioner Healy I did still have a question on the praxis because you know it was when I first started and we extended his loan.

And then in the summer I asked about why he hasn't come to speak.

And I was told then that he was gonna he was traveling a lot and he would come in the fall, and now it's fall, and now he's extending it to December.

So how is he able to when we voted on extending the loan to a certain date, then how is he not responsible for showing up to speak when we extended the date?

Do you remember when the date was that we extended the loan?

I don't I don't know if this would be I I don't know if Kelly would be able to answer those questions.

Uh the body did this body did make uh that proposal.

What I would suggest is as you were planning to put in a communication asking those questions and uh uh even asking those to uh county attorney and he would be better able to uh answer those questions and get this on the agenda so we can ask him those questions.

The other thing I would say is when he does come before this body, it sounds like he is planning that that first week of December is to uh let him know our opinions on his lack of communication with this body.

He uh has asked us to uh extend loans and a lot of other things in in the past to help with this program, which I think we're all uh quite happy to do in some cases, but it would be nice if he was uh a bit more forthcoming with uh communicating to this body, and uh I will try to reach out to him with some of the concerns also in case he is able to uh answer some of those questions or respond to them or uh come before this body sometime and comment in any comments on the agenda off not on the agenda at the end of the meeting.

If he's able to do that, that might be a time where he could speak uh and give us a little bit of an idea before uh December if he was able to, and I'll reach out to him on both of those issues.

Any other questions, comments, or concerns?

Uh seeing none, I will uh ask for a motion to adjourn.

The motion has been