The Whole Plan — Joshua Tree · 1316 Bozeman · Helena

Status: Green on research, Yellow on money — the City is live and Stephen is in motion. Working priced exterior as of August 23: $84,680.59 (handicap entrance $5,000 in). Graffiti wash still open.

Corrected and re-researched 2026-08-17, restated August 23 from Diane, ramp quoted August 23.

1. File	2. City match	3. Work	4. Done
Friday, August 28. Ellie is Diane’s City reviewer.	Up to half the outside. About $42,340 if they match 50% of the August 23 priced total.	Most of the exterior in 2026. Private shop inside stays private.	End of 2027. Building working as Joshua Tree Cabinetry.

1. Corrections to the record

Three things I said before were stale or wrong. Here is the corrected truth, from the raw files in Diane's folder.

I said before	The truth
Lead the story with Nash-Finch.	Do not. Diane: the Kleinschmidts built it about 1879–1880 (hardware and grocery, then Helena's grocery warehouse / Union Mercantile). Nash-Finch was maybe seven years of a hundred and forty. A chapter, not the book.
"The City match is pending a first call."	The City is already working with Stephen. Diane's draft application says "per our conversation yesterday" and "Stephen has already invested $ to begin the project" and "Applicant's Ability to Perform — already begun with projects."
Treat downtown HURD / BID façade as this filing.	No. HURD is downtown. RURD is the rail line. This application is Railroad District only. Jobs fund and historic grants remain other lanes, not downtown money.

The building story (Diane’s three history files, checked Aug 23): Kleinschmidt and Brothers groceries and hardware about 1879–1896 (Theodore H. Kleinschmidt; maps 1880 and 1884). Then Helena's grocery holding warehouse / Union Mercantile. Nash-Finch was a later, short occupancy. 1935 earthquake: State Liquor Warehouse next door shattered; this building stood; the State still owns that liquor-store parcel. Capital Transfer & Storage (Horne family, 1949 – July 1, 2026; Horne full-time 1971, brother 1974, eight people at close) → Joshua Tree Cabinetry (Stephen Banker, 2026 onward).

2. The full money stack

Lane 1 — City Railroad District match (PRIMARY, live)

City of Helena can match up to half of eligible exterior work: windows, wells, doors, masonry, gutters over the stonework only (not aluminum), ADA ramp.
This filing is due Friday, August 28. Diane meets Ellie Monday morning. Railroad District TIF only — not downtown HURD. Then City process as Ellie directs.
The building is proven inside the Railroad District (the tax card literally says "TIF Rlrd URP"). Taxes current.
Hard rule: money spent on matched work before approval may not be matched.

Lane 2 — downtown façade / BID (PARKED — not this filing)

Helena's downtown BID façade program is a different district. This building sits on the rail line. Diane stripped downtown HURD from this application.
Do not mix it into Friday's packet. It can be a later conversation after Railroad TIF is in.
Main Street grants (mid-November cycle) remain a later lane, not this ask.

Lane 3 — State jobs fund (NEW)

Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund — up to $5,000 per new job ($7,500 in a high-poverty county).
A local government (Big Sky Economic Development) applies on the business's behalf. Requires net-new jobs, a wage floor (170% of state minimum wage or the county average), a match, and a "basic sector" (out-of-state sales) test.
This funds the shop expansion and jobs, not the stone. Keep it separate from façade invoices.

Lane 4 — state historic grant (next cycle, not this one)

Montana Historic Preservation Grant — up to $350,000, 1:1 match for for-profits.
The Feb 28, 2026 deadline for the current biennium passed. Next round: March 1, 2028. Calendar it. Do not promise current-cycle money.

Lane 5 — owner's tax credits (John Horne's side)

Federal ~20% + Montana 25% of the federal amount — claimed by the owner, not the tenant.
Gate: the building is not on the City's historic-district map; SHPO/HPO must first say it qualifies.

Checked and ruled out (so nobody wastes time)

Helena Area Community Foundation — nonprofits only, not small business.
Indian Equity Fund — Native-owned businesses only.
Kansas IRONED / Louisiana / Minnesota Paul Bruhn — wrong states.

3. Where we show off — and how that is scoring, not decoration

The RURD criteria, in the City's own words, gives consideration to projects that "more fully develop a marketing initiative that is based on the RURD's distinct history and cultural/economic importance… a cohesive, comprehensive branding and marketing plan with an associated implementation plan."

That means the story work is worth money, not just nice-to-have.

Story site — "Bring the Light Back" — built, with real photos of the stone, the poured-shut openings, the barn doors, the old plat.
Board presentation — built.
Short film — parked on your word.
John Horne oral history — the single highest-value asset. 76 years of living memory, on record, is gold for both the board and the marketing criterion.

Being assistive: this project does the City's own marketing job for it — a working craftsman restoring a railroad-district warehouse is the district's story in one building.

4. What already exists (inventory)

Deliverable	Where	Status
Research brief (property, history, board, codes, windows)	`planning/diane-helena-warehouse/RESEARCH_BRIEF.md`	Done (corrected)
Stephen Banker dossier	`…/STEPHEN_BANKER_DOSSIER.md`	Done
Window & egress strategy memo	`…/application/WINDOW_STRATEGY_MEMO.md`	Done
MCA eligibility map	`…/application/MCA_7-15-4288_MAP.md`	Done
Project narrative (draft)	`…/application/PROJECT_NARRATIVE.md`	Draft
Cost worksheet	`…/application/COST_WORKSHEET.md`	Working priced board $84,680.59 (Aug 23 night) including handicap entrance $5,000. Graffiti wash still open. Do not file from the old worksheet.
Owner permission letter (Horne)	`…/application/OWNER_PERMISSION_LETTER_HORNE.html`	Ready, unsigned
Precedents (Pattern House ~$75K, YWCA ~$150K)	`…/application/PRECEDENTS.md`	Done
Story site	`…/site/index.html`	Built
Board presentation	`…/presentation/BOARD.html`	Built
Private worksite	`…/worksite/index.html`	Built
Grant stack	`…/grants/GRANT_STACK.md`	Updated
Plane board	`localhost:8085/genesis-kingdom`	Live — 12 items

Raw source: ~/Desktop/Diane Historic Home/ (~146 files: photos, 5 window/shop PDFs, 11 docx/xlsx history + application drafts).

5. What still blocks a City filing (facts, not essays)

John Horne's signed permission + phone + email + lease with permission to change the outside. (Horne is the building owner — not a mystery third person.)
The lease (term, permission to alter exterior)
~~Dollars Stephen already invested~~ — ANSWERED Aug 17: up to $250,000 line of credit + own funds already in
~~Remaining trade bids~~ — priced board is $84,680.59 as of August 23, including handicap entrance $5,000. Still open: graffiti wash bid, exact gutter metal name (not aluminum; over stonework only — locked), written ramp quote in the packet.
Headcount — two numbers from Stephen only (now, and planned at 1316). Do not guess. Capital Transfer’s eight people were Horne’s old company.
~~Basement use~~ — not a use. Glass is weather only; Stephen installs.
Written window-quote extension past August 27 (file is August 28).
Confirm the eligibility call happened — filing is Friday, August 28

6. Next steps, in order

Confirm the City TIF is live. Filing is Friday, August 28. Diane meets Ellie Monday morning.
Get John Horne's signature + lease.
Get the $5,000 ramp quote on paper, the graffiti-wash bid, and the window-quote extension.
Do not mix downtown BID into this Railroad District filing.
Put Big Sky jobs fund on the list via Big Sky Economic Development.
Calendar MHPG for March 1, 2028.
Raise tax credits with John Horne.
Finish the packet and file — on Carter's word only.

Nothing sends. Nothing files. Nothing is paid — until you say the word.

The film waits. The story is built. The City is live. The extra money is now mapped.