Sign up for the free Helena This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Helena city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events.
03/30/2025
School district moving forward with community center proposal
The Helena School Board of Trustees tentatively approved entering an agreement regarding the former Hawthorne Elementary property as plans to transform the building into a non-profit community center advance.
During a school board work session last Tuesday, Superintendent Rex Weltz recommended that the board move forward with a short-term contract, set to expire in July, to not sell or lease the Hawthorne property as project applicant Bob Schmitt works to establish a non-profit organization.
“[Schmitt] needs to be able to show investors that we are on board,” Weltz said during the work session. “It would be really difficult for Bob and his team to go out to investors and say we need money, but the school board may or may not be in it. So we really need to be able to say ‘Yes, we’re in it. We’re committed to this endeavor.’”
The district issued a request for proposals last November for the May Butler building and Hawthorne, both of which are decommissioned.
The school board voted to officially close Hawthorne as an elementary last year, and Schmitt’s proposal to turn the school building into a multi-use community center was the only application the district received.
During the meeting, Rachel Robison, the center organization’s vice-chair and former trustee who was the only member to vote to keep Hawthorne open, told the commission that some of the potential uses for the proposed community center could include day care programs, a teen center, a craft space, adult education programs, a music studio and meeting rooms.
Schmitt, who lives across the street from Hawthorne, told Montana Free Press Friday that since the school’s closure, there has been a lack of focus and sense of community.
“ It is just a natural place in our neighborhood for people to gather,” Schmitt said. “We feel like the physical location is ideal for a community center, at least for this neighborhood.”
The building faces a significant backlog of maintenance needs, a major factor in the school district’s decision to close the school. Weltz said that, as the official lease agreement is written, the parties will specify who is responsible for maintenance upgrades, but he noted that the school district is not in a position to take on major infrastructure improvements.
Schmitt said that as the nonprofit for the project develops the center and raises funding, it anticipates needing between $9,000 and $10,000 a month for the building, plus additional funds for maintenance and improvements. He added that as the organization begins fundraising and securing donors, it will have an operating fund and a maintenance endowment.
“That’s our initial plan,” Schmitt said. “We just have no clue about the appetite of people to support this center. The way I think about this is this: This is an experiment, and we’ll see whether people are willing to actually pay money to keep the school open. The other options for this land and the facility aren’t good. We’ll just see what the community wants and is willing to support.”
Schmitt said he hopes to have the nonprofit fully established by the end of April.
In Case You Missed It
Last week, MTFP reporter Zeke Lloyd covered the multiple efforts by residents across Helena, Missoula, Butte and Bozeman to support TSA agents amid federal funding fights. At the time, TSA employees hadn’t been paid since the partial government shutdown, so community members collected food and gift cards, organized food drives and made other donations as agents continued to show up to work. Read the full story here.
I also covered the Helena City Commission’s decision to rescind its resolution that restricted local police from working with ICE. The action comes after Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen threatened to sue the city for violating a state sanctuary law, a move the city’s legal team said could be detrimental to the city budget. Read the full story here.
5 Things to Know in Helena
Local nonprofit Good Samaritan Ministries plans to expand its existing thrift store, 3067 N. Montana Ave., to provide space for its day resource center after the city awarded it a $134,000 grant last week. The center, Our Place, was temporarily located and owned by the Helena Area Habitat for Humanity but needed to move after its lease was up.
Last Monday, the city commission put on hold an ordinance that would have closed nighttime parking lots at six city trailheads. While community members voiced concerns about whether to keep the trails open at night, commissioners discussed funding options for four trail projects at Nob Hill, North Benton Trail, DeFord Trail and Oakes Street Trail. The commission will continue the conversation about next steps for both agenda items at a later meeting.
The Helena School Board of Trustees last week approved ballot language for three proposed school levies that will appear on the May 5 school ballot. The district is requesting a $953,618 operational fund levy and a yearly increase of $1.6 million in its technology levy for the elementary district. The trustees are also proposing an annual increase of $850,000 for its high school technology levy. If all three levies pass, property owners with homes valued at $300,000 would see their taxes increase by about $54 per year. Homes valued at $600,000 would have a tax increase of about $115 per year.
The Montana Department of Transportation is seeking public comment on a proposed project to flatten slopes and install guardrails for a 30-mile stretch of I-15 running through Helena. The project, planned to begin in 2030, will be between mile markers 174 and 204 from Jefferson City to nine miles north of Helena. Visit the MDOT website to learn more about the project and to submit a comment.
Last week, Helena police arrested C. R. Anderson Middle School paraeducator James Michael Huber after he was accused of sexually assaulting a student for the past three months, according to an IR article. Huber was arrested on a warrant alleging three counts of sexual intercourse without consent and one count of indecent exposure. Huber appeared in Justice Court last Wednesday, and Helena Public Schools have placed him on administrative leave pending the case’s outcome.
Public Notice
The city commission administrative meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 1, has been canceled due to a lack of quorum, according to a city press release. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 6, at 6 p.m. at the City-County Building.
Might Be Fun
Helena firefighters will host their second annual Easter Egg Hunt at Centennial Park, 1200 N. Last Chance Gulch, Sunday, April 5, at 1 p.m. The event is free and open to all ages, featuring separate egg hunts for different age groups. Kids will also have the opportunity to meet their local firefighters and explore a fire truck.
