Firm Receives 2026 ACEC-Montana Engineering Awards

Montana State University Wellness Center

The Montana State University Wellness Center project won the Building/Technology Systems category award.

When Montana State University’s (MSU) 1970s-era gyms and recreation facilities were permanently closed in 2019 after two roof collapses, the university faced both an urgent challenge and an opportunity. Instead of simply replacing lost space, MSU envisioned a student-centered facility that would unite health services, counseling, recreation, and exercise science into one integrated hub for wellness. The new Student Wellness Center delivers on that vision. Located in the heart of campus, the building consolidates programs that had been scattered across outdated or repurposed spaces into a modern, purpose-built facility to support holistic well-being. Students now have access to preventive care, mental health counseling, fitness, and academic research in a vibrant, inclusive environment that reflects MSU’s vision of whole-person wellness and enhances the overall student experience.

The project team included Matt Carr, Caiden Crawford, Kyler Harkins, Chad Houska, Ryan Maroney, Trent Pearson, Celine Saucier, Carly Svenvold, Daniel Tanascu, and Pete Weber.

Yellowstone Mountain Club Reclaimed Water Snowmaking Project

The Yellowstone Mountain Club Reclaimed Water Snowmaking project won in the Waste and Stormwater category.

The Yellowstone Mountain Club (YMC) Eglise Reclaimed Water Snowmaking Project is a groundbreaking initiative in water reuse, watershed management, and sustainable snowmaking in Big Sky, Montana. For the first time in Montana, highly treated wastewater, Class A water, is used to create a base layer of snow. Using this innovative approach, the resort can store up to 25 million gallons of water (as snow) annually in the upper watershed, gradually releasing it as the snow melts. Utilizing natural hydrologic processes, the project recharges the aquifer, sustains late-season cold-water flows into the Gallatin River, and provides downstream benefits for agriculture, fisheries, and recreation.

The project team included Chip Nielsen and James Nickelson.

Kinross – Fort Knox Mill Modifications, Cyanide Mixing System

The Kinross – Fort Knox Mill Modifications, Cyanide Mixing System project took home the Industrial and Manufacturing Processes category award.

Fort Knox is an open-pit gold mine near Fairbanks, Alaska. The mine uses conventional open-pit methods, with ore processed at a mill and heap leach facility. The Fort Knox process plant needed to undergo modifications to make it possible to process ore from both Fort Knox and another site: Manh Choh, a gold deposit 160 miles away in Eastern Alaska. Kinross Gold hired Morrison-Maierle’s industrial team to help with its mill modifications project, which improved the existing mill complex so that it could batch process both Fort Knox and Manh Choh ore through the mill. The mill modifications project was divided into 10 subprojects, including the cyanide mixing system. ISO containers make the overall process safer for truck drivers, the traveling public, plant operators, and employees.

Brian Aschim, Brie Balgeman, Jerry Chambers, Chuck Davis, Kurtis DeShaw, Ken Fields, David French, Zack Garcia, Zane Green, Joe Grill, Melinda Hankel, Matthew HarshbargerSam Hazlett, Tanner Holwick, Pat Honsinger, Kurt Keith, Randy LaRance, Cody Lewman, Brian Literski, Morley Mathewson, Christina Paxton, Angel Popma, Dave Sims, Tyson St. John, Ben Watson, Lane Urick, Jody Waverek, and Russell Williams,

Congratulations to both the clients and teams behind these excellent projects!