Alluvion Health is working to remove the shipping container walkway along Central Avenue in downtown Great Falls. The agency bought the vacant Rocky Mountain Building in 2019, and began renovations in 2021 to turn the building into a clinic.
The shipping container was placed as a protected walkway for pedestrians during construction. When the project was halted, the containers remained.
Originally placed for safety reasons, over the years the shipping container has become an eyesore for the community, filling up with trash and graffiti.
Alluvion Health’s interim CEO Bill Preston says, “We know that we'll get the containers gone, enhance the look of the downtown by getting rid of those, and then secure our building so there's no safety issues."
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Alluvion Health is currently working to set up a meeting with the city and their partner construction company, Sletten Construction, to figure out a plan to secure the sidewalk for pedestrian safety.
Later this month, Sletten Construction will be working to enhance the structural integrity of the building.
Preston says, “The plan right now is working with the city and Sletten to remove the containers. We will put up scissor lifts so we can start moving material inside the building. Once that is completed, which may be a four to six-week project, there won't be any need to have any additional containers or protections along the sidewalk."
As for the future of the building itself, once the building’s stability is enhanced and a structural inspection is complete, Preston says it’s uncertain.
“The building is listed. Our realtor is searching for investors, equity partners, looking for people who want a portion of the building. I mean, we're open to just about any and every opportunity that's out there right now."
According to Preston, due to construction costs and inflation, the project jumped from $20 million to around $44 million.
“It just outgrew our vision”, he says. “When you talk about doubling a project, when you're only prepared to pay half that, you know, we hit the brakes."
Negotiations between Alluvion Health, the city, and Sletten Construction on the removal of the containers are expected to begin within the next few days.
Built in 1914, the Rocky Mountain Building was previously the home of Rocky Mountain Fire Insurance Company, the Pantages Theater, and Public Drug. In May 2009, a fire compromised the integrity of several floors of the building, and it has been vacant since then.
