How long is the pause? That's the big unanswered question regarding a proposed new mental-health hospital in eastern Montana.
Nearly two weeks ago, Gov. Greg Gianforte announced he was putting a pause on plans to build the facility, which state officials say is much needed.
Watch proposed state hospital story here:
State authorities are under a deadline to spend the $26.5 million allocated for this facility.
One state senator from Billings is trying to keep the project on track.
“It's on hold, so I am a champion that I believe that it will be a great plus for eastern Montana,” said State Sen. Mike Yakawich, a Republican. “And I do believe the best location to be Yellowstone County... If it's on hold for a year or so, yes, we will, it will have to be it it will have to go into the next legislative session and potentially we may not have money. So it may be a dream.”
The dream was possibly to use a site on Skyway Drive in the Billings Heights to build a state forensic mental health facility, but plans changed and the future remains unknown.
MTN News asked for an update from the governor's office. A spokesman sent an email saying the administration and the department are committed to working with all partners to build the facility.
“Given the importance of this project and the need to keep it on track, that work is underway,” said Sean Southard, spokesman for the governor’s office.
MTN also reached out to the Department of Public Health and Human Services for an update on the next steps, but a spokesman directed the inquiry back to the governor's office.
Gianforte, a Republican, has called funding for a state mental health facility a "historic investment."
But city and county officials want more details on that historic investment, saying the state is moving too fast and not providing the community with enough information on what may be coming to town.
“We have some (architecture information) and some people looking into it, but it has not gone to this point of actual blueprints,” Yakawich said. “It could be 20 beds. It could be 30 beds. We're not sure."
Yakawich is sure of the need to get these questions answered.
He shared his five-page plan of action to get the answers the governor's office is seeking.
“I've met probably 15 to 20 providers in he community already,” Yakawich said. “And I'd say 80 percent of them are all for it.
“So the search continues and the clock is ticking down.”
