Prime Cut

A Les Schwab Tire Center is being built on the former Prime Cut site at 3219 10th Ave. S.

The city deemed the building permit application complete this week, according to city planning.

The project includes demolition and a new concrete block building for the site with a showroom, offices, six service bays and tire storage, according to the application.

The project is an estimated $2.35 million, according to the application.

In 2018, O’Reilly Auto Parts was planning a new store on the site to replace their location a few blocks down, but that plan changed.

O’Reilly Auto Parts planning move to new, larger store two blocks down 10th Avenue South

Coffee Republic

A new coffee shop is planned for 3615 10th Ave. S.

The city planning office received a permit application for a remodel of the former Gabe’s Auto Sales location into a Coffee Republic.

The project is an estimated $150,000, according to the application.

Business Bites: OP closed; Paniolo Cafe open; Life in Bloom opening; Mike’s Movies closing; Act Normal Theater performing in March

Enterprise Rent-a-Car

Enterprise Rent-a-Car is going into the former Sound Pro site in the 3300 block of 10th Avenue South. The city issued a building permit for that project a few weeks ago.

Great Falls Clinic

The Great Falls Clinic Hospital is breaking ground in May on a $58 million expansion of its 19-inpatient bed hospital.

The hospital is located on the 12-acre, Great Falls Clinic campus directly attached to the Great Falls Clinic Specialty Center.

The hospital is a two-story facility featuring three operating rooms, 19 inpatient beds and seven emergency room bays, that opened in early 2016.

The hospital is currently about is approximately 60,000 square feet.

Business Bites: Community Rec Center offering winter break activities; Big Iron truck wash groundbreaking; former Fox Farm Diner owners sued in district court; Benefis opening Women’s and Children’s Center; PRo Rodeo Circuit Finals tickets on sale; Reisig elected as vice chair to national board

The expansion plans are set in three phases to add 58,800 square feet to the existing facility, bringing it to a total of about 117,800 square feet, according to a release.

Phase one will consist of building the new hospital tower, which will include a cardiac diagnostic and intervention suite, 10-bed intensive care unit and procedural space. The second floor will include an 18-bed inpatient medical/surgical unit and the upper floor will serve as administrative spaces but will be shelled to add an additional 18-inpatient beds in the future, according to a release.

Phase one is scheduled for completion in August 2023.

Phase two involves the expansion of the west wing, which will include a new high complexity laboratory, pharmacy space, expanded sterile processing and two operating rooms.

Phase two is scheduled for completion in January 2024.

Business Bites: New Starbucks location; thrift store closing; Rainbow International open in new location; First Command’s new location; Falls Print Works has moved; UP 12 days of giveaways; Embark merging; Citizens Alliance new branch open; Malone named to national council

Phase three will include interior renovations to accommodate growth in the clinical spaces and will include updates to the cafeteria, central supply, emergency department, and support services, according to a release.

Phase three completion is tentative based on the first two phases, according to the clinic.

Construction will not interrupt existing patient care or scheduled surgeries and the hospital will operate normally, according to the release.

Housing Summit

The Great Falls Development Authority, NeighborWorks Great Falls and the Great Falls Association of Realtors are hosting a housing summit March 15 from 9-11 a.m. at Great Falls College MSU in room B101.

The event is a follow-up to the housing assessment study that GFDA recently released.

Business Bites: GFDA releases housing needs study; New City Church moving into former Tribune building; Leadership Great Falls fundraising for Alliance for Youth; new casino planned for 10th Avenue South; The Wild Hare set to open in March; Family Promise opening new shelter; GFPS hosting orchestra festival; Central Catholic gets donation for scholarship; AWARE working on office space; life coach accepting clients; work on downtown church ceased

The event will review the housing study findings and include a question and answer period; information about housing projects underway this year; and an employer led housing demand panel.

Register here.

Malmstrom Air Force Base

The 341st Contracting Squadron awarded a $588,000 contract to replace sump pumps at Malmstrom air Force Base to James Talcott Construction.

Business Bites: The Commons on Central coming to former JJs Bakery; The Wild Hare renovation progressing; demo permit issued for former China Buffet; Studio Barre celebrating third anniversary; Cassiopeia hosting events; Hi-Line Climbing expansion continuing; NWGF acquires more land

The period of performance for this award is 120 calendar days after issuance of the notice to proceed, according to a Malmstrom release.

“Unless otherwise stated, the bidding for this contract was open to all contractors and the contract was awarded based on performance-price trade-off to provide the best value to the government,” according to the base.