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5/12/2025
Developer says concerns about safety unwarranted
On April 29, Cascade County sent public hearing notices to residents in an upscale Great Falls neighborhood that a chemical dependency treatment center had sought permits to move into a large house nearby. In the following days, those neighbors spoke out in emails and social media posts.
The neighbors warned of falling property values and safety concerns. One resident warned of lawsuits to come. County documents noted that while there are treatment centers in Great Falls, there aren’t currently any in this neighborhood, a quiet, upper-class area on a hillside above Fox Farm.
The treatment center, Healing the Circle Lodge, would have a maximum of 18 residents and at least three staff on site at all times, according to application documents. It’s a for-profit enterprise, and the residents would enter the program voluntarily, according to Mike O’Reilly, who leads a group of partners to start the venture.
“We wanted to be somewhere where we’d truly be a benefit to our community,†O’Reilly told ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ. “Great Falls could use some more treatment beds, frankly.â€
Currently based in California, O’Reilly has been in the treatment center business for 20 years, both as an operational manager and a consultant. He’s also a former addict who has been through treatment himself and works closely with a partner, a therapist, for the proposed center. O’Reilly said that a former business partner was running a center in California and could not take a growing number of referrals from Montana due to insurance restrictions. That started a process to build a program and find a suitable location in the state.
O’Reilly and his team ultimately landed on a massive residential home at 2601 Jasper Road on Great Falls’ southwest end. The seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom home is .
“I fell in love with that house,†he said. “We’re literally going to be able to open up without doing any construction. None, which is an incredible feat by itself.â€
The group is in the process of acquiring the property, getting a license through the state and applying for a special use permit through Cascade County. O’Reilly said that he and another partner will relocate to Great Falls to run the center. say that the center is allowed under current zoning with a special use permit. The home sits on county land but is across the street from neighbors within the city of Great Falls.
“Present impacted homeowners and resident[s] might well sue the county and the city to stop this action,†wrote Jerrold Weissman, who lives a few blocks away, in emailed comments to the county.
Other neighbors that the treatment center would be “inconsistent with the intended use†of the zoning. Many wrote about fears of violent offenders, drugs and the potential harm to neighborhood children. MTFP reached out to multiple commenters. Most did not respond, and one declined to comment. Weissman texted to say he was traveling and unable to speak, but he referred MTFP to his emailed comments.
While studies on the impacts of treatment centers are limited, there is some evidence that these facilities have little effect on and .
After 20 years in the business, O’Reilly said that he’s heard many of the same concerns. He stressed that this is a voluntary system, not court-ordered, and that the residents are people who are seeking positive change to beat addiction. There aren’t “people breaking out and running away from guards,†he said. Most residents pay for treatment through health insurance.
“It’s not the addicts in treatment you have to worry about,†O’Reilly said. “It’s the ones in your neighborhood not getting treatment that you need to worry about.â€
The Cascade County Zoning Board of Adjustment is holding a public hearing on the center’s special use permit at 9 a.m. on May 15 at the courthouse annex building, 325 2nd Ave. N.
Verbatim
“We pray for the pope in our key prayer, the Eucharistic Prayer, every Mass. For a couple weeks now, we have not had a name to have there, and now we do. So it reminds us of just how connected we are to people across the world.â€
— Bishop Jeffrey Fleming, Catholic Diocese of Great Falls-Billings
Fleming said it was a surprise to learn that the papal conclave chose an American cardinal to lead the Catholic Church. The new pope, Leo XIV, hails from Chicago and is the first U.S.-born pontiff.
5 things to know in Great Falls
The unofficial election results for the Great Falls Public Schools Board of Trustees put incumbents Paige Turoski (8,341 votes) and Gordon Johnson (7,611 votes) back on the board for additional three-year terms. Newcomer Craig Duff (7,123) will also join the board for a term of the same length. Tony Rosales (4,732) finished fourth in the race and will not join the board. The election canvass is scheduled for May 14 at 3 p.m. at the county election office.
The Great Falls City Commission approved the first reading of an ordinance to dissolve an ethics committee that was created in 2017. After handling three ethics complaints through the committee, the commission and city staff said the structure created complications between the commission, the city manager and the city attorney to assess the merits of complaints while working together on routine city business. This setup required the expense of third-party attorneys to avoid those conflicts, according to a city memo. If the commission eliminates the ethics committee, ethics complaints would go to the Cascade County attorney, which was the process in place prior to the formation of the committee. A public hearing on the matter will be held at the May 20 city commission meeting before a final vote.
The Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine held a commencement ceremony for its first class of 15 students to complete a master of science program in interdisciplinary studies in biological and physical sciences. Students who completed the yearlong, 42-credit program with a 3.45 GPA can qualify for admission to Touro’s doctorate program.
Mighty Mo Brew Pub will host a Raise a Pint Night fundraiser on May 12 to support the Montana Bookstore Trail, a consortium of independent bookstores that includes Cassiopeia Books in Great Falls. The event will include a raffle and a 50/50 drawing. More information can be found .
Author Leslie Budewitz will give a talk and reading at the Great Falls Public Library on May 13 at 5:30. She is the author of the historical fiction “All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories,†which imagines the travels of Stagecoach Mary in Montana during the late-19th century.
3 questions for
In December, Bryan Lockerby after a 12-year run as the administrator of the Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation. The agency assists regional law enforcement and investigates cases related to the conduct of those local units. He started in law enforcement as an officer of the Great Falls Police Department, where he worked for 31 years.
But an empty calendar wasn’t the retirement Lockerby had in mind as he returned his focus to Great Falls. As he pondered ways to be involved with the city, Lockerby ended up filling an interim role as the deputy city manager.
MTFP reached out to ask how Lockerby is adjusting to this new stage after leading a high-profile state agency for more than a decade.
Last fall, you filled out a form to join the Park and Recreation Advisory Board. How did you go from that to deputy city manager?
After retiring, I knew I still wanted to stay involved in public service in some way. I wasn’t looking for anything big — just a chance to stay active, give back and keep connected to the community. Joining the Park and Recreation Advisory Board seemed like a good way to ease into retirement while still being part of something meaningful.
The call from City Manager [Greg] Doyon really came out of the blue. He asked if I’d consider stepping in temporarily as deputy city manager while the city conducted the search for a permanent hire. It wasn’t something I expected, but knowing the position was temporary made it easier to say yes. It offered a chance to continue serving the public, but from a broader municipal perspective.
It also made sense. I’ve spent over 30 years with the city and another 12 with the state, so I was familiar with the people and the issues. It just felt like a natural fit. I’ve learned over the years to embrace unexpected opportunities and to always remain a student of leadership. This role has allowed me to apply what I’ve learned while continuing to grow.
What has been an unexpected challenge in the new role?
City Manager Doyon did a great job of setting the stage for what to expect, so nothing really blindsided me. That said, coming from a background in public safety, it’s definitely a shift to think about city operations through a wider lens. You’re no longer focused just on violent crime and drug smuggling — you have to focus on the complex network of services for the community. Local government operations touch every aspect of daily life — clean water, streets, parks and recreation, housing, planning, utilities — and I’ve had to quickly familiarize myself with these new layers of complexity.
It’s a lot to learn quickly. And on top of that, the financial side of city government is its own challenge — different revenue sources, tight budgets, and changing state legislation that can impact how you operate. You have to be creative and nimble with how you lead and support staff across so many different services. So while it hasn’t been unexpected, it has definitely been an adjustment — but one that I’ve enjoyed tackling.
How does it feel to direct your personal and professional energies toward Great Falls after more than a decade working through Helena?
It feels like coming full circle. My time in Helena with the Department of Justice was a tremendous opportunity, but it all started with the foundation I had here in Great Falls. I wouldn’t have had those doors open at the state level without the mentors, colleagues and experiences I had in this community.
Throughout it all, Great Falls has always been home. It’s where we raised our children, they were educated in an excellent school system, we benefited from the city’s parks and community events, and built relationships that have lasted a lifetime. The experiences I had here not only shaped me personally but also influenced how I approached leadership at the state level. Many of the initiatives I developed at DOJ were inspired by the values and community-focused practices I learned locally.
The staff here are highly capable and dedicated, which makes my job easy. They approach their work with professionalism and a strong sense of responsibility, making the most of the resources available to them. It’s clear they care about delivering quality services to the community. I also appreciate the steady support from the city commission and leadership team. They take their role seriously and consistently work in the best interest of Great Falls.
Public notice
The U.S. Air Force will hold town hall public meetings around central Montana about the Sentinel missile project, a massive undertaking that aims to replace the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. Those meetings are:
May 13 at the Fergus County Fairgrounds in Lewistown (6 p.m.)
May 14 at the Fairfield High School in Fairfield (5 p.m.)
May 15 at West Elementary School in Great Falls (6 p.m.)
The meetings will offer an overview of the project and an estimated timeline, according to Air Force public affairs. A Q-and-A session will follow each presentation.
The Sentinel program is expected to have a big impact on Great Falls and Malmstrom Air Force Base, home to the 341st Missile Wing that operates and maintains the nuclear arsenal. It’s expected to be a long-term project and has already experienced some delays and reviews. A year ago, a government of cost increases approved a new, $140.9 billion price tag for the program. In February, the Air Force paused some design work for major components of the missile systems. And just last week, defense outlets comments from Air Force Gen. Thomas Bussiere that suggested the project may require the digging of all new missile silos, a massive undertaking that would expand the scope of work.
There are 150 operational Minuteman launch silos in Montana that are overseen by 15 missile alert facilities, which are staffed around the clock. Across the three missile wings that include Malmstrom, F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming and Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, 400 Minuteman III missiles are on alert at all times, according to Malmstrom public affairs. There are unused missile sites, such as the 564th Missile Squadron in areas between Choteau and Shelby, which could be used in the Sentinel transition. General project information for Sentinel can be found .
Following up
There are updates to several items previously covered by this newsletter.
During its May 6 meeting, the Great Falls City Commission gave final approval to a two-year fee schedule for trash pickup service, which will include increases of 10% for the next two fiscal years for residential service and 8% for commercial service. For residential customers, that amounts to monthly rates of $18.71 starting July 2025 and $20.20 starting July 2026 (up from the current $17.33). The commission action also approved the phasing out of the senior discount, which was not keeping up with expenses, according to Public Works Director Christoff Gaub. That rate will be replaced with a low-to-moderate income rate for those who already qualify for that rate for water and sewer service. Gaub said at the meeting that there is not yet a resolution to the city’s objection to landfill operator Republic Service’s passing of construction costs to rate payers.
Read coverage of the rate increases here. The new sanitation fee schedule is on page .
The city commission also approved a plan to administer a $20,000 grant that will pass to the Union Bethel AME Church, the site of Black civil rights and community history in Great Falls. The grant helps to cover some design work while the church seeks a $497,000 historic preservation grant from the National Park Service.Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 448, which will honor Jim Loud Thunder Gopher with a memorial highway section in west Great Falls. With that final move, the Montana Department of Transportation will create and place two signs along the stretch of the Northwest Bypass and Vaughn Road to recognize Loud Thunder Gopher. Read about his story here.
