County officials and outside consultants spent the largest portion of a meeting reviewing estimates and next steps for abating hazardous materials and demolishing the county hospital building.

Consultants said initial cost estimates vary: Ingraham provided an estimate for hazardous‑materials abatement and related work in the low‑$200,000 range; other proposals and budget packages from Tetra Tech and Newfields ranged from roughly $300,000 to $431,000 for abatement and project management. County engineering staff said a realistic planning budget for the entire demolition — including abatement, disposal, trucking and demolition — should be between $400,000 and $500,000.

“Based on what you've received, you should be budgeting at least $400,000 for this project, and I would say safely a half million dollars,” a consultant summarized during the meeting.

County staff and consultants discussed a Brownfields grant option that could provide $200,000 toward abatement. They also considered project‑management models: one consultant (Tetra Tech) proposed a full service approach that would prepare documents, coordinate with EPA and manage bidding and oversight; alternative approaches would have the county engineer prepare bid documents and hire abatement and demo contractors separately. Staff noted unfinished items in existing reports: roof testing, disposal site assumptions and contingency planning needed clarification before a bid package could be issued.

No procurement or contract was authorized at the meeting. Commissioners directed staff to gather remaining documents, confirm disposal and hauling costs (Miles City and other options were discussed) and refine a project budget and procurement approach for future action.