Commissioners Look To Purchase Armory Building
The Roosevelt County commissioners recently sent a letter to Gov. Greg Gianforte with the request of assistance in purchasing the National Guard Armory building in Culbertson.
It was announced in June 2024 that soldiers who are part of Detachment 1, 260th Engineer Company in Culbertson will consolidate with the rest of the unit and attend drills in Miles City or Billings no later than December 2026. In addition, six full-time staff members who work at the field maintenance shop in Culbertson will transfer to similar facilities elsewhere in the state. Field maintenance shops perform maintenance on Montana National Guard ground vehicles. The Culbertson field maintenance shop is also scheduled to close no later than December 2026.
The commissioners’ letter to Gianforte notes that the county holds the first right of refusal to purchase the property at fair market value, which has been appraised at $1,085,000.
“We are very interested in acquiring this asset and transferring ownership to Roosevelt County for continued public use that will significantly benefit our communities,” commissioners wrote.
The county’s plan is to transform the associated vehicle maintenance shop into a fire hall in Culbertson. The commissioners said the three large back doors would be ideal for the Culbertson Volunteer Fire Department. The department provides fire protection services to Culbertson, Froid, Bainville, Fort Kipp and Brockton and also offers mutual aid throughout Roosevelt County.
The former Army Readiness Center portion of the property would be repurposed for Roosevelt County Fair operations, a satellite office for the county sheriff’s office and other community events such as wedding receptions. It’s possible that the space would also be utilized as an emergency operations center and emergency shelter during natural disasters or other emergencies.
“We have reached out to our congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., to explore potential federal grant opportunities,” commissioners wrote to Gianforte. “In addition, we respectfully request your assistance in identifying or securing one-time state funding in the amount of $1,085,000 to help facilitate this purchase and allow the asset to be transferred from the National Guard to Roosevelt County.”
Commissioners concluded, “This acquisition would preserve an important public facility, strengthen public safety and emergency management infrastructure, and ensure continued community use of the property for generations to come.”
