The former ASARCO East Helena smelter is being transformed into a property that will bring at least $1.6 billion in investment over the coming years, including thousands of housing units and other improvements.
Or as one person called it at a recent meeting: “The Miracle of East Helena.”
The November 15 meeting was hosted by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Montana Environmental Trust Group (METG) as part of the site’s annual cleanup update.
The lead factory, which operated from 1888-2001, once processed 70,000 tons of lead ingots annually and provided livelihoods for thousands. Contamination, including arsenic and selenium in the site’s soils, caused groundwater seepage and levels above safe drinking water standards. In 1984, the EPA declared East Helena a Superfund cleanup site.
The smelter closed in 2001, and after later declaring bankruptcy, ASARCO put about $96 million into a trust managed by METG.
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Those involved in the cleanup effort updated the community at the meeting.
The trust sold more than 830 acres to four groups in 2023, officials said.
Cindy Brooks, managing director of the Montana Environmental Trust Group, said the trust sold 72 acres to Habitat for Humanity; 26 acres next to Power Townsend; 7 acres to American Chemet and 776 acres to Oakland Cos. She said 45 acres were donated by Oakland to the city of East Helena for new city services and a new rodeo arena in the East Helena Valley.
They also have a contract with Habitat for Humanity for a 136-acre parcel.
In total, METG has transferred 1,663 acres of the 2,035 acquired by ASARCO.
“We have 372 acres left that we own,” Brooks said, adding that 211 acres are undeveloped, 5 acres will be donated to the city of East Helena and 20 acres will be available for sale.
They said the land has already been used for two schools, a subdivision with 300 single-family homes, a 30,000-square-foot shopping center now under construction and an 8-mile trail system also under construction.
Future uses include 1,230 single-family and multi-family homes, a light manufacturing center with rail access, commercial development, city services and a rodeo arena.
“You’re looking at over $1.6 billion in investment in this community,” she said, citing infrastructure and property improvements, jobs and taxes.
She said the last project METG was involved in was the Unfumed Slag Removal Project and continues its work with Metallica.
Brooks said the goal is to remove 2 million tons of unvaporized slag, which is the last major source of selenium loading in groundwater.
She said Metallica breaks the slag into 2-inch pieces, then moves it on a conveyor belt about a quarter-mile to a warehouse and rail yard, where it is loaded onto railcars and goes to Vancouver, British Columbia, and is loaded onto ships bound for South Korea . He will go to Korea Zinc Co. Ltd., the largest zinc smelting facility in the world, and will be used to produce cement.
As of Oct. 31, 109,878 tons had been shipped, she said, adding that the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. When the project is complete, the trust will braid or cover the slag pile.
“This is the final, permanent solution for the East Helena facility,” Brooks said.
She said Metallica had “significant design challenges” similar to those in 2022, noting rail issues that included labor and railcar shortages, rail bridge weight issues and a strike that closed the port for two months. During this time, no material was able to leave East Helena.
Brooks said one of the bigger achievements since 2022 has been the removal of the temporary bypass.
“We’re basically done with the East Bench,” she said.
Brooks said the soil repository at East Field was in use until April 2022 and is now permanently closed. Meltway Repository has been created.
East Helena Mayor Kelly Harris expressed his gratitude for the trust.
“When I was a kid (the smelter) was where people went to work,” he said. “Now this is where people will live, people will play and people will recreate. And there will be manufacturing jobs there. Interesting to see the future there. We are all very excited.”
Jacob Koontz, executive director of Helena Area Habitat for Humanity, said they have a 72-acre section of Montana Highway 282 minor, the former site of the East Helena Landfill, and another 137 acres under contract across the street.
He said they want to build a world-class community and Habitat hopes for at least 1,000 homes. He said they are going through a design process that will happen in February and will include trails, streets and infrastructure.
The plans are for the construction of single-family houses, townhouses and apartments. He said it will probably be two years before the first wall goes up on a house.
Kuntz said the thanks shared at the meeting weren’t just hype.
“It really is an amazing project,” he said. “All these people working together and seeing the vision of what the land could be and what the community needs are — it’s pretty inspiring.”
He said he’s calling the property conversion the “Miracle of East Helena,” jokingly adding that he will trademark the phrase.
“It’s really stunning what has happened to this piece of land,” he said.
Landy Leap, COO of Billings-based Oakland Cos., said his company is planning a new project called Prickly Pear Estates.
The real estate investment firm has been in East Helena since 2018 with the 100-acre Highland Meadows project.
He said every development Oakland tackles has unique characteristics it must overcome.
Leap said the Superfund site is “an interesting new world for us.”
He said of the 780-acre Prickly Pear Estates, “The more we talked about it, the more it made sense to us.”
Leep said they closed on the property in September and will have the first 100 subdivision lots in 2 1/2 to 3 years. It envisions at least 1,000 homes over the next 20 years.
“We see East Helena as a major housing market for the area,” he said.
Leep also mentioned that there will be 50-70 acres of commercial properties, hotels, shops, car washes and retail. He told people they could see activity on the site as early as next spring. He said this would include access roads and infrastructure.
“We understand the responsibility we have,” he said. “We’re going to be here for a long, long time. I promise you that you are in good hands. We will take good care of this property and make you proud to be part of East Helena.”
Mary Hollow, executive director of the Prickly Pear Land Trust, and Nate Kopp, its director of programs and trails, said two parks, The Grove and Prickly Pear Creek Park, will be on the property.
The Grove, about 80 acres of land formerly contaminated by smelters and 2 miles of new trails in East Helena, officially reopened to the public in May.
Kopp said Prickly Pear Creek Park should open in the spring. Construction will include installing the bridge in March or April with a grand opening this spring and moving the Manlove Cabin.
Kopp said occupying 300 acres of parkland is a “big ask,” so they will bring in a parks coordinator in the spring.
Prickly Pear Land Trust officials also said they will focus on the Greenway project to connect Helena, East Helena and Montana City.
Kathy Moore, Lewis and Clark Public Health’s environmental division administrator, said she has been involved with the site since 2006.
She said she will retire and Beth Norberg, head of environmental programs, will oversee the program.
Moore said she is happy to see the changes coming to East Helena. She said the remediation program is now exploding and she is excited to see the progress.
“I couldn’t be happier,” she said. “This was something I was hoping would happen and here it is.”
“I’m excited,” Moore said. That’s pretty cool.”
To watch the presentation, visit: https://bit.ly/3MTup1m.
Associate Editor Phil Drake can be reached at 406-231-9021.
