Crane being removed from Alluvion project downtown
The crane that has been towering over the Rocky Mountain Building for the last few years is scheduled to be removed this week.
The crane removal is expected to begin around noon May 1, according to the Brock Cherry, city planning director.
Cherry said it’s anticipated that the crane removal will also result in the reopening of the sidewalk and parking lot.
The building is owned by Alluvion Health, which had started a major renovation project to create a full-service clinic.
Alluvion announces CEO’s resignation
Last summer, Alluvion said it had paused work on the Rocky Mountain building downtown due to funding shortages.
Maia LaSalle, Alluvion’s communications and marketing director, told The Electric on April 29 that the status of the building remains the same and “we are not moving forward with further construction at this time.”
She did not answer follow-up questions on the building or whether the agency was still dealing with Medicaid claim processing backlogs or the former Roosevelt School building.
Local agencies working to provide crisis response after Alluvion cuts program
Alluvion’s initial budget was set around $22 million, but has since been revised to more than $40 million to account for inflationary impacts, LaSalle told The Electric in November.
The building has been vacant since a 2009 fire.
Alluvion is still providing services out of it’s 601 1st Ave. N. location, their dental clinic at 202 2nd Ave. S., their space in the Cascade County City-County Health Department and their Chouteau clinic.
Alluvion Health announced Jan. 31 the resignation of Trista Besich, the organization’s chief executive officer, effective March 1.
Last fall, Alluvion cut several positions and the Adlera Lab and furloughed other employees due to funding shortages from Medicaid claim processing backlogs at the state, Besich told The Electric at the time.
In November, the agency ceased providing mobile response team services to local law enforcement.
In late March, Alluvion announced it had rejuvenated it’s grant funded PATH Program for homeless outreach.
Last fall, several construction liens were filed against Alluvion for the Rocky Mountain Building.
In October, Sletten Construction filed a construction lien for $3,434,462.97 for their work for the property listed as 3 6th St. N.
According to the lien filed in the Cascade County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, Sletten began providing services and materials under a construction contract on or after April 22, 2022 and last furnished materials and services on Aug. 4, 2023.
In late October, William M. Kronmiller and Company, or WMK, placed a construction lien on the Rocky Mountain Building project for $752,102.12 of unpaid bills under their contract, plus interest at the rate of 18 percent per annum from and after Nov. 19, 2023.
WMK was contracted for labor and materials for steel and steel erection, according to the filed lien.
WMK began providing services and materials on April 7, 2020 and last provided services on Aug. 3,2023, according to the lien.
In early November, Liberty Electric, as a subcontractor on the project, filed a construction lien on the property for $252,631.07 for unpaid bills for services and materials.
According to the lien, Liberty was hired for labor and materials for electrical and fire alarm work that they began on April 12, 2022 and last provided services and materials on Oct. 3.
In August, SouthernCarlson filed notice of its right to file a lien for unpaid services as a subcontractor to Sletten.
Alluvion cutting, furloughing staff due to Medicaid claims backlog
Besich told The Electric in November that Alluvion had identified partners they’re working with for the tax credits and lending partners, but “it would be inappropriate to disclose them until the completion of the funding package. The construction liens will not impact that process and the total costs associated with the project have been accounted for in whole.”
Alluvion isn’t the first entity to struggle with redeveloping the building.
In 2018, the Great Falls Business Improvement District approved a letter of intent to purchase the building with a plan to then sell it to NeighborWorks Great Falls to develop apartments on the upper floors and retail space on the ground floor.
The building was listed for $475,000 at the time.
In 2015, Dale Nelson and Mark Cappis was part of a group of owners of the building who were planning an $11 million renovation to develop commercial on the first floor and residential upstairs.
That project received city and county tax abatements, but it never moved forward, so those abatements weren’t applied.
Alluvion pauses Rocky Mountain Building construction
Alluvion was established after the entity split from Cascade County, where it had previously operated under the county as a federally qualified healthcare center.
It remains a FQHC, but split and formed itself as a nonprofit organization in 2019.
The health center itself was originally established in 1994.
Efforts to redevelop Rocky Mountain Building downtown continuing [2018]
Alluvion’s board of directors is comprised of at least 51 percent active patients and the agency is funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Primary Health Care, according to Alluvion.
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