Success Story
A LONG-IDLE SCHOOL BUILDING WILL ONCE AGAIN
BENEFIT LOCAL RESIDENTS
Shelby, MT
The City of Shelby applied assessment, cleanup and redevelopment funding from multiple
federal and state sources—as well as its own resources—to reuse a cherished, historic
school building in ways that will continue to benefit local residents.
HIGHLIGHT
Environmental assessments
on the historic school site were
financed through a combination of
the city's Housing and Community
Development fund and Targeted
Brownfields Assessment funding
from EPA.
Cleanup of asbestos and lead-
based paint was funded through
an EPA Brownfields Cleanup
grant, matching funds from the
City of Shelby, and nearly $60,000
of in-kind services that included
waived landfill disposal fees for
hazardous materials.
With an estimated completion
date of 2013, this project will allow
Shelby's community to retain the
cherished memories associated
with this building, and at the
same time provide a multi-faceted
community center and greenspace
that will be invaluable to local
residents.
The City of Shelby, Montana is a small community of approximately 3,500
residents located less than 50 miles from the Canadian border. Shelby's high
school building, located on 8.3 acres at the corner of Main Street and 6th
Avenue, has been a fixture of the city since it was built in 1931 and is now
considered a historic structure. When Shelby High School moved to another
location in 1962, the original building was converted into a middle school.
It served in that capacity until 2003, when a new elementary school was
built. Since 2003, the historic structure was only used sporadically for the
occasional adult aerobics class or athletics when the new school's facilities
were overbooked.
ITACTS: U.S. EPA Region 8 (303) 312-6312 or visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at: www.epa.gov/brownfields
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No sooner did the main use of the historic building
end than the City of Shelby began considering reuse
options for the facility in ways that could best serve
local residents. The city understood that the building
had sentimental value for area residents who had
either graduated from elementary school there, or
the original high school. Through collaborations
among the city, Shelby School District #14 and
community representatives, it was decided that a new
community center that retained the historic building's
construction—with space for adult education, youth
activities, and new, recreational greenspace on the
land—would be the property's reuse.
Before updates to the building's interior could begin,
concerns regarding the use of lead-based paint and
asbestos in the three quarter-century old structure
needed to be addressed. Preliminary environmental
assessments began in November 2004 and were
completed the next month, paid for with $11,869 from
the city's Housing and Community Development fund.
More detailed assessments, paid for with $8,678
Targeted Brownfields Assessment funding from EPA,
began in July 2005 and were finished in December.
These assessments confirmed the presence of
asbestos and lead-based paint, but clearly defined
areas of concern within the structure so that cleanup
could begin.
In May 2005, an EPA Brownfields Cleanup grant was
awarded to the City of Shelby, allowing this project
to proceed. The city used $153,200 of the $200,000
EPA grant for cleanup; Shelby provided $40,000 in
matching funds and leveraged nearly $60,000 of in-
kind services (e.g., waived landfill disposal fees for
hazardous materials, and administrative assistance
from city personnel). The cleanup effort began in April
2007 and was completed less than three months later.
Throughout the assessment and cleanup process, the
City of Shelby held multiple public meetings to keep the
community informed of progress and ensure that any
concerns were met.
Redevelopment of the historic building's interior
started in September 2007 and is being completed
in stages. So far, the building's outdated boiler has
been replaced with a modern, energy-efficient model;
asbestos-containing
insulation has
been removed
and replaced with
safe material; and
the entire roof has
been replaced—all
while preserving
the historic
structure's interior.
The majority of
the building's
windows on the
Through collaborations among
the city, the local school
district, and community
representatives, it was decided
that a new community center
that retained the historic
building's construction—with
space for adult education,
youth activities, and new,
recreational greenspace—
would be the property's reuse.
first floor have
been updated as well, through a preservation grant
awarded to surrounding Toole County. And in 2011,
community groups collaborated with local businesses
to fund replacement of the old gym floor, enabling
youth basketball games to begin in winter of that year.
Ongoing projects include the installation of elevators as
well as a new steam piping system.
Gaps in funding have been alleviated through American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants as well
as an Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant from
the Montana Department of Environmental Quality
(DEQ). Through these grants, the city was awarded
$298,000 for boiler replacement, wall insulation and
roof repair; and $50,000 to begin window replacement.
The city itself has contributed more than $80,000
toward redevelopment.
With an estimated completion date of 2013, this project
will allow Shelby's community to retain the cherished
high school and elementary school memories
associated with this building, and at the same time
provide a multi-faceted community center and
greenspace that will be invaluable to local residents.
As many as 15 new, permanent jobs are expected as
a result of this project. The Center will include a new
"Head Start" facility that offers adult and alternative
education; a new production area for the local Toole
County Community Theatre; a new after-school
program; and public, recreational greenspace that will
become part of the city's park system. This property's
reuse will continue to benefit several generations of
Shelby residents.
Brownfields Success Story
Shelby, Montana
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 560-F-12-012
March 2012
www. epa.gov/brownfields/
igion 8 (303)
Brownfields Web site at: www.epa.gov/brownfields
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