PROJECT
The Montana Department of Military Affairs has facilities located throughout Montana. Their Readiness Center in Havre, MT serves as the headquarters for the Montana Army National Guard’s 639th Quartermaster Supply Company. The facility was afflicted by inadequate parking and drainage, in addition to deteriorating retaining walls, crumbling stairs, unstable railings, and a non-functioning radio tower. These factors posed a risk to personnel, impeding the unit’s operational readiness. The Montana Department of Military Affairs hired KLJ to make numerous improvements to the Havre Readiness Center to address these issues.
SOLUTION
Among the issues impacting the Havre Readiness Center, the most severe was the lack of adequate parking availability as the sloped landscape posed obstacles for design and engineering. KLJ explored multiple options and, together with the client, settled on a gravity block retaining wall design to support a tiered parking lot and improve drainage issues. This cost-effective and time-saving method was the best option to maximize the parking space on the sloped landscape. We also constructed new, stable stairs; emplaced secure railings along the retaining walls around the parking area; installed security fencing for sensitive equipment; and located and replaced broken conduits to restore function to the high-band linear radio tower.
RESULTS
The Havre Readiness Center now better – and more safely – accommodates the military personnel who work and train there, which increases the readiness capabilities of the Montana Army National Guard and the Montana Department of Military Affairs. This project was awarded a 2019 Engineering Excellence Award from ACEC Montana.
