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8/11/2025
Officials at growing airport aim to anticipate community needs for next 20 years
Helena airport officials are seeking public input to solidify a master plan that aims to secure federal dollars for airport growth over the next two decades.
Helena Regional Airport director Jeff Wadekamper, along with other airport officials, held a public meeting last Monday to present a master plan that details terminal, runway and other expansion options for the airport’s 14,000-acre property.
The plan is required by the Federal Aviation Administration for the airport to secure some funding for projects.
Wadekamper said that not all of the recommendations are subject to federal funding, so the plan acts as a tool for officials to determine what projects the FAA could pay for.
“ They [FAA] fund specific infrastructure for aviation…,” Wadekamper said during the meeting. “Partial funding of terminals, the runway, taxiways, those kinds of things. And then the other stuff, the airport authority has to fund it.”
Wadekamper added that the airport is seeking public input about how and where it should grow before proceeding to funding options and plan finalization.
Some of the recommendations included adding two more terminal gates, expanding TSA and luggage areas, decommissioning a runway and choosing what to do with the southwest region of airport land.
“ We have several opportunities for developing the southwest side,” said Mike Carlson, an airport planner with engineering consulting group Morission & Maierle.
“This is a kind of a mix of uses that include corporate aviation, airport support like firefighting and snow removal, and non-report use, non-aviation use like an expansion area for Helena College,” Carlson said.
According to its report, the airport saw a total of about 201,800 passengers last year, a 13% increase from 2023. Additionally, airport officials anticipate a continued increase in passengers for the next 20 years and plan to acquire more land for future airport development.
The master plan is expected to be available within the next 30 days on the airport’s website, where residents will have the opportunity to submit comments. The Helena Regional Airport Authority Board will then review and determine preferred options during its October meeting before the plan is submitted to the FAA for approval.
“ We’re looking out 20 years from now, and we don’t obviously know exactly what’s gonna happen,” Carlson said. “At the same time, we want to know better and make sure that the airport is prepared to accommodate demand and also to be able to respond to opportunities that might be unexpected to come up.”
Public Notice
School board meeting: The first Helena School Board of Trustees meeting of the new school year will be Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 5:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Center, 1325 Poplar St. Residents can find the meeting agenda on the district’s website.
Absentee ballot info: Absentee ballots for the Sept. 9 election will be mailed Friday, Aug. 22, according to Lewis and Clark County election staff. Voters must return their ballots to the City-County Building, 316 N. Park Ave., by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. Visit the county election office website for additional ballot information.
5 Things to Know in Helena
City taxable value update: During a city meeting last week, city finance director Sheila Danielson updated the commission that the Montana Department of Revenue released its certified property value numbers, showing market values increased by 22.26%, and net taxable values decreased by 7.71%. That means while properties hold a higher value, the city will receive lower tax dollars because the taxable amount has been reduced. DOR staff told Danielson that the new tiered tax structure, recently passed by the Legislature, was responsible for the decrease. Danielson said she was disappointed since Helena has seen notable development growth in the past year. Because of the significant reduction in newly taxable value, Danielson said, the city will need to adjust its budget.
BID award rejected: The city commission rejected a bid for a Broadway stormwater project. The project was to improve a stormwater system by installing an 80-foot-long storm main, inlet and manhole near Jefferson Elementary, which often floods when it rains. However, the city only received one bid for $266,700. The amount exceeded the city’s budget of $150,000 and was nearly double the city’s engineer’s estimate of about $136,300. City staff said they will go out for another bid during the winter when they hope to receive more competitive offers.
Rabies detected in the county: Lewis and Clark Public Health announced last week that rabies has been detected in local bats. LCPH Environmental Health Specialist Laura Hendley said in a press release that people are only at risk of rabies exposure if they have had direct contact with a bat. To avoid exposure, people should avoid handling, being bitten or scratched by a bat, or getting bat saliva in the eyes or an open cut. Health officials advise people to report bat contact at (406) 457-8919 and to seek medical attention. Visit the Montana health department website for additional information on rabies.
Hawthorne appeal update: The Lewis and Clark County Superintendent of Schools last week dismissed an appeal filed against the Helena Elementary School District over the closure of Hawthorne Elementary, according to documents in the case. County Superintendent of Schools Katrina Chaney found that her office lacks jurisdiction to consider the appeal. The appeal was filed in early July by parents Hannah Cail and Beagan Wilcox Volz, who alleged that school district officials didn’t provide sufficient evidence to support their decision to close down the school. A similar lawsuit filed by the parents in district court is pending.
North Star water update: The Montana Public Service Commission approved fining the North Star subdivision nearly $87,000 after disruptions in water supply services and for not cooperating with a commission investigation. Customers of the subdivision initially filed complaints last summer about water-user restrictions and boil-water advisories. North Star can negotiate with the commission, pay the fines or pursue other legal action in response to the PSC decision. Read the rest of the story here.
For the Record
While Helena celebrated its annual Pride events at the end of July, discussions about whether the city should fly a Pride flag continued last week during a city commission meeting. Commissioner Melinda Reed asked City Manager Tim Burton to move forward with displaying the flag at the City-County Building for one week, with Commissioners Emily Dean and Andy Shirtliff supporting the request.
In June, city deputy attorney Matthew Petesch informed the commission that Helena could fly the flag and still comply with a new state law because the city of Missoula had adopted it as an official city flag. HB 819, passed by the Legislature this year, states that no flag or banner may be displayed in or on government property, with exceptions that include the official flag of another municipality.
However, since the City-County Building is co-owned by Lewis and Clark County and the city of Helena, Burton said the city will need to “engage” with county officials before the flag can be displayed. Additionally, Burton said he wanted to double-check the legality of what was discussed in June.
“I think there’s some interpretation out there that one designation counts for all,” Burton said during the meeting. “I think we’d want to be absolutely clear from the city perspective what our legal position would be on that. So I think there’s probably a little more work to do before we fly a flag.”
Commissioner Sean Logan was the only commissioner to say he would not support displaying the Pride flag.
“I always sort of viewed municipalities as being nonpartisan and not favoring one group over another,” Logan said. “So the flying of flags, I guess that seems appropriate to me, are those of the nation and the state.”
Eye on Helena
The education advocacy group Yes! For Helena Schools held its kickoff campaign last Monday in front of Helena High School to support additional funding for the local school system. Parents, teachers and students filled the street, rallying to urge voters to approve nearly $280 million in proposed bonds to replace Helena High and Kessler Elementary buildings and to renovate Capital High.
Helena High board of trustees student representative Brock Gardipee was among those who spoke during the event, describing why students need a new high school.
“ I’m not exaggerating when I say we have mice and bugs crawling in our classrooms and hallways,” Gardipee said. “…These problems aren’t new. They’ve been around for years. These conditions are a real challenge for learning and building school pride. I am proud to be a Bengal, but I’m not proud of the condition of this building.”
The bonds will be on the Sept. 9 ballot. Visit the school district website for more information.
Might Be Fun
The Lewis and Clark County Historical Society, in partnership with the city-county heritage tourism council, will lead walking tours on Sunday afternoons during the month of August, beginning at 4 p.m. The “Mansions & Millionaires” tours will focus on the city’s westside neighborhood that features some of the area’s largest and oldest homes. Tour tickets are $5, and children are free
