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(Revised January 31, 2011)
House Bill 645 (HB 645), the Montana Reinvestment Act passed by the 2009 Montana Legislature, provided $4 million "for the awarding of grants to public or private entities for the preservation of historic sites within the State of Montana."
Quick links to topics below:
Overview
From the $4 million allocated by the Legislature, HB 645 set aside funding for three specific historic preservation projects:
Marcus Daly Mansion at Hamilton: $50,000 for Restoration and Preservation
St. Mary’s Mission at Stevensville: $40,000 for Restoration and Preservation
Traveler’s Rest Historic Site at Lolo: $180,000 for Restoration and Preservation
In addition, the Legislature provided that 2.71% of the appropriation ($105,540) may be used by the Montana Department of Commerce (MDOC) for administration of the Historic Preservation Grant Program. This resulted in $3,624,460 available for new historic preservation grants.
Eligible activities for grant awards included the following:
- modifications to a historic site to meet fire or building codes;
- provisions for ADA handicapped accessibility (ramps, elevators, restrooms);
- installations of heating, cooling or ventilating systems;
- work to stabilize or rebuild a building foundation or structural components;
- reconstruction of buildings that no longer exist at a historic site;
Provision of parking lots or spaces, gift shops, meeting rooms, interpretive displays, display cases, furnishings, or archival storage for a historic site had a low priority for grant funding, in comparison to the activities described above. Moreover, the following activities were ineligible for grant funding:
- The relocation of historic structures to other sites, or
- Demolition of historically significant buildings or structures or historic parts of buildings or structures.
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Applications and Awards
MDOC received 135 applications requesting over $20.1 million in historic preservation funding.
The links below list all of the applications received. These lists are sorted by project location and by historic site use categories.
Applications by Location (Adobe Acrobat pdf)
Applications by Category (Adobe Acrobat pdf)
A committee of MDOC and State Historic Preservation Office experts ranked all 135 applications based on the five competitive criteria identified in HB 645:
(1) The degree of economic stimulus or economic activity, including job creation and work creation for Montana contractors and service workers;
(2) The timing of the project, including the access to matching funds if needed and approval of permits so the work can be completed without delay;
(3) The historic or heritage value related to the State of Montana;
(4) The successful track record or experience of the organization directing the project; and
(5) The expected on-going economic benefit to the State as a result of the project completion.
MDOC offered awards to the 56 top ranked applicants. These grantees span the entire State of Montana and are listed in the link below:
Historic Preservation Awards (Adobe Acrobat pdf)
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Applicable State Laws and Regulations
HB 645 historic preservation funds are state general funds and are not subject to federal requirements, such as the federal Davis-Bacon Act. When applicable, all state statutes and regulations apply when using these funds, such as state laws for local government bidding thresholds and procedures. State prevailing wage rates, often referred to as “Little Davis-Bacon” wage rates, apply in situations where they are currently applicable.
Because the grants are not federal funds, federal requirements applicable to projects funded directly under the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) DO NOT apply. The Montana Legislature did, however, in Section 54 of HB 645, mandate the reporting and accountability requirements listed in the federal ARRA.
If local government officials have questions about state requirements, such as procurement, we suggest they refer to the Administrative Manual for Treasure State Endowment Program (TSEP). The TSEP Manual provides a good summary of State requirements that could apply to a HB 645 Historic Preservation project.
Property owners cannot sell or transfer the property during the duration of the grant contract without notification of and written approval by MDOC. Sale or transfer without consent, will require the return of all grant funds to MDOC. Additionally, when applicable, grantees must comply with the Montana State Antiquities Act, MCA 22-3-421 through 442.
Finally, property owners must also comply with the following preservation easement requirements for a period of (5) five years: they must assume the cost of continued maintenance and repair of the assisted historic property. These efforts must preserve the architectural, historical, and/or archaeological integrity of the property. Property owners must also allow MDOC, its agents and designees, to inspect the property at all reasonable times in order to ascertain whether the conditions of this agreement are being observed.
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Grant Administration
Grant recipients have entered into contracts with MDOC, specifying the terms and conditions associated with their project. MDOC will reimburse grant recipients as they incur eligible project costs. Substantially incomplete work, or work that does not adhere to that proposed in the contract, will not be eligible for reimbursement.
Only costs incurred after April 5, 2010, are eligible for reimbursement. HB 645 Historic Preservation Competitive Grant funds cannot be used to reimburse expenses incurred prior to this date.
All HB 645 funds must be expended by June 30, 2011.
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Forms for Grantees
MDOC has developed several forms for Historic Preservation Grantees. Please use the links below to access templates of these forms.
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Reporting Forms
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Closeout Report (Adobe Acrobat pdf - must accompany the final drawdown request)
Note: HB 645 funds cannot be used for administrative costs or overhead. The Legislature intended HB 645 funds to be used only for project costs directly related to construction, including architectural or engineering design, purchase of equipment or materials, and construction expenses, including labor. Grant recipients must absorb the costs of grant administration with their own resources.
Examples of ineligible expenses include, but are not limited to: contractor insurance, bid advertisements, "general requirements" charged by contractors (unless itemized), "construction administration" charged by professional services (unless itemized), and bidding and negotiations. If you have any questions regarding an expense, please contact the program.
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