by Butch Larcombe 24 The Montana Air National Guard has a long history on Gore Hill, with the rst military ying mission established in 1942. Since then, the hill has seen light bombers, ghter jets and most recently, large transport planes, along with civilian and commercial aircraft. In early April, the Montana Air National Guard learned that its 120th Airlift Wing would be among the rst installations to get latest aviation upgrade in the form of eight C-130J “Super Hercules” cargo planes. The planes, expected to be delivered in 2026, will replace the C-130H models currently in use. Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the four-engine turbo-prop lanes are expected to handle larger loads, with more e cient engines o ering better performance. The price tag of the new planes was not included in the April announcement. $8.46 million: That’s the amount of a contract awarded to Wadsworth Builders to repair dormitories at Malmstrom Air Force Base. $5.8 million: The nal cost of improvements to the façade of the Great Falls Civic Center. A ribbon-cutting on the multi-year CASCADE MONTANA NATIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024 GREAT FALLS YEAR/YEAR CHANGE 16.6% STATEWIDE YEAR/YEAR CHANGE 3.9%/3.1% 3.4%/3.3% 3.9%/3.8% AIRLINE BOARDINGS FEBRUARY 2023/24 6.6% FEBRUARY/MARCH FEBRUARY/MARCH FEBRUARY/MARCH 5.8 million in improvements to the facade of the Great Falls Civic Center to begin this spring. project, nanced by tax increment bonds, was held in midApril. The original cost estimate from a local architectural rm in 2011, was $3.5 million. The Civic Center was constructed in the 1930s with funding from the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal program. $4 million: The value of a building permit issued to Wadsworth Builders for a project to expand the evidence room at the Great Falls Police Station at 112 1st St. S. 26 million: The number of gallons estimated to be leaking each year from the City of Great Falls water tank on 33rd St. on the east end of town. 4.75 million: The capacity of the tank, one of two that stores water for the city. $2.94 million: How much the city will pay to repair the tank under a contract awarded to the same New England company that built it 80 years ago. 92: The number of housing units that could arise as part of the Bayview housing development on the west side of Broadwater Bay. The developers are proposing a phased development of mostly apartments with a possible seven townhomes. The city commission recently approved a rezoning of the 4.46-acre site, a key step in its development. 2: Soon to be the number of locations in Great Falls for Wendy’s and Co ee Republic. Both currently have locations on 10th Avenue South. Wendy’s will land at 139 N.W. Bypass, while Co ee Republic is headed for 1000 Central Ave. W.
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