The gold shovels were out beneath a gray sky Friday morning as officials held a quick groundbreaking ceremony for the new Downtown Walking Mall building for Boyd Andrew Community Services.

The region's alcohol and drug treatment program center will move from its current home in the Medical Arts Building to a new 7,500-square-foot building at the south end of the Walking Mall in about a year.

"This offers an opportunity for our clients to receive our services and our staff to work in a much nicer environment," said Mike Ruppert, the organization's CEO.

The new building, just north of the Colwell Building, will fill one of the last open spaces on the pedestrian plaza. It's being built on top of what was formerly Miller's Cave and more recently a preschool.

Longtime board member Norma Jean Boles said she's happy to see Boyd Andrew remain downtown.

"I've been involved with this project since the 1980s, and I've continued to see Boyd Andrew grow and prosper," she said.

The building, designed by Schlenker & McKittrick and built by Diamond Construction, will have group meeting space in the basement and offices and more private meeting areas on the upper floors. Ruppert said client confidentiality will be stressed throughout the design.

Boyd Andrew has grown significantly in the last eight years, though its downtown workforce remains fairly steady at around 15. (The organization employs around 65 people across all of its programs.)

In recent years Boyd Andrew has added pre-release services to its offerings along with management of the Elkhorn Treatment Center, a facility for women with methamphetamine addictions in Boulder, and leadership of a statewide consortium of residential treatment facilities around Montana.

Ruppert said he's hopeful the staff can be moved into the new building by September or October. Work has begun on demolition and sewer work, and he hopes to have a building permit in hand within a couple of weeks.

"In terms of the fiscal crisis, we're lucky we got our loan before that happened," he said.

Reporter John Harrington: 447-4080 or john.harrington@helenair.com