REDC Brings Coal Tax Dollars To Savage Public Schools

Richland Economic Development is very pleased to have brought back coal tax dollars which will help Savage Public Schools with badly needed repairs. The school's loss of tax dollars from the Savage Mine has had a devastating effect on their budget and their long-term plans for facility upkeep. The award of $281,000 from the Montana Coal Board will allow them to continue necessary repairs to the building, including windows, insulation to cinder block walls, siding, soffit and some roof repairs.

REDC Executive Director Leslie Messer explained that the first time she ever submitted a grant application to the coal board was through Richland County last December. The grant was to help fund an Economic Diversification Strategy and a consultant to create that strategy. The dollars were awarded to the county in January. REDC also applied to the EDA and was awarded $100,000 in August. Messer said that she matched the Coal Board money with the EDA money to hire consultants to complete the strategies. She had never applied to the coal board before because REDC is not directly eligible since they are a non-profit and because she thought the funds had to have a direct impact. However, the coal board has revised the scope of their guidelines, allowing for more entities to apply.

Because of Messer's ability to write that grant successfully, the chairman of the coal board reached out to the manager of the Savage Coal Mine and asked him to get in touch with Messer about working with the Savage School on a grant. Messer appeared before the school board in February and offered to assist them with the grant application. As the school worked through the budget process in August, intended repairs were totaling $308,000 due to the age of the building, creating a huge hit to the budget. With the grant, and the school's matching portion of $25,000, the vital work can continue.

Messer and Savage School Superintendent Martha Potter attended the Coal Board meeting on Sept. 12 along with nine other applicants. An interview that is supposed to last about six minutes went on for 22 with the board asking Potter multiple questions including whether the school had established good prudence in spending other funds such as ARPA. Messer said her answers were always on point. After the presentations were concluded, the board conducted other business, then awarded the grants. Savage School had its money by 11:45 a.m.!

The total amount requested of the coal board was $4.3 million with roughly $3.5 million available. Savage was awarded the full $281,000 it had requested. In all, seven applications were approved, one withdrew and two were denied. Other entities that applied were: City of Roundup, Forsyth School, Colstrip School and City of Colstrip, Town of Hysham, and Stillwater, Bighorn and Rosebud counties.

Messer is pleased that REDC and her grant writing skills were able to help the Richland County community. "It was an amazing experience, to bring coal money for a school facing a lot of mounting challenges in their budget," Messer said.