Emily are the speakers on.

Yeah, great.

They're on.

All right.

Are there any disclosures from the morning?

Changes to the agenda.

I have none.

Approval at the minute.

We have the February meeting, March meeting minutes that we approved our fiscal year 27 working budget.

We're looking for a motion in a second, and we'll do a vote.

I move I move to approve the minutes from last meeting.

Okay.

Second.

Great.

And I'll do a vote.

Eric Nelson.

Hi.

Susan Neybauer.

Elena Angelin.

Hi.

Randy Schooling.

Hi.

Mark Kiki.

Hi.

Great.

Thank you.

Public comments.

If you are in the room or online and would like to make public comment, please use the raise your hand feature or step up to the podium.

We have no public comment.

First up, we will have, she's not here quite yet, but we'll have Kate Sutherland who is with the MSU strategic plan team, and she is just kind of hitting different groups throughout the community.

So she wanted to um take advantage of our meeting today while she is in town and get input from the board and kind of give an overview of the timeline.

Ellie's been serving on the strategic plan team for MSU and Ellie, I don't know if you want to give any kind of background just while we wait until Kate's here.

Yeah, and you know, I'll I'll let her get to this because she's the professional.

But uh yes, I've been sitting on this.

It's going to be a process that goes through the summer and early into fall.

The plan is for them to write it in the early fall and present it to Board of Regents in November at the end of November.

So that's the plan and their timeline.

They have made their way through a lot of meetings and time of on campus.

And this was with intention.

They're attacking um on campus groups first, everyone from staff to faculty to students to graduate students and beyond, I can tell you.

And um, and then they will do a lot of their sessions with uh community leaders to luncheons, uh, you know, breakfasts and also tabling at local events.

And the target really is to get into the community through this summer and early into that fall time period.

The committee is not writing this plan.

Uh we are simply listening and and being there to to support Kate and her facilitating, and um and then she will compile compile all these key insights and so much data that she is getting together.

She has a team um in the on the East Coast doing a lot of data compiling for her, and then she will come back and present that to um the president and his other kind of leadership team up there, and they will write it.

So the plan is we are not writing this plan, we are we're supporting the efforts, and then they will go back and have professionals on campus actually rewrite the strategic plan that will be presented.

So it's been pretty awesome to be a part of it.

You know, I I did I should have maybe mentioned this during changes to the check the agenda.

I had thought uh Emily was gonna have an E an EDD report, but since we had presentations, I assume you know we wouldn't have time.

Just a quick uh parking update, because I know that's always a hot topic, and we have been working on this parking vision plan.

We had over 1400 completed surveys.

We were really, really excited about that, and none of them spam.

So that was also exciting.

Um I will tell you the information that we're getting is incredibly powerful, and we have hit users in a really big way.

So um, if you look at some of the the data, over 80%, I want to say um are users that use downtown parking facilities weekly.

So um, you know, we we're really we think we have some really great data, and um McLaren and her team are gonna come back the first week of May, I think May 1st, and then the next steps will be to bring to each of the boards, including the transportation board and um and parking working group and present and get feedback, and then we will um outline key insights and vision plan from there.

So that's it.

Will we get a chance to look at the comprehensive survey results at the end of the day?

100%.

Yeah, so um the next steps are for us to get these key insights this early May, um, review them with the kind of core team of um Cola and John Henderson, Ben Bailey, Nick Focket, and myself, and um and then get to a point where we come back, get you guys also the key insights and the survey results and get feedback.

So this will absolutely be a you know very open discussion.

The intention will be really to to talk through and and get y'all's opinions and feedback.

So um that will be a very critical time.

So the vision plan will be presented um, you know, quite a bit after we have these discussions with you all because your feedback will be just as critical as the surveys.

You said 1400.

Yeah.

So that's a you're happy with that number.

We are.

We think that's pretty significant, actually.

Yeah.

Great.

And I will tell you that from out of those 1,400 respondents, um we know that these are like I said, users.

It was really we we really, really tap feel we tapped into a group that truly are people who um are educated, use you know, parking, um, you know, our everything from employees to residents to business owners to property owners.

So we really think we got to the right group and the right group completing uh the survey.

So yeah, any questions about either of these?

No, no, I was gonna switch gears for just a quick second.

What might be helpful um in advance of our presentation?

Can you give a snapshot of any uh formal or quasi formal relationships or what's our current relationship with MSU as it relates to this board?

I mean, as we weigh in on this question.

Their strategic plan, like what are we actually doing now?

What do we what do we, you know, what kind of relationships would we want to foster in the future, et cetera.

Yeah, I mean, I I will definitely look to you all to for suggestions truly.

I feel like we've always had a robust relationship.

Is it formalized?

Not really.

Um, you know, President Crusado and I were friends, and we hit it off day one.

So I think that that was part of the catalyst of you know, just some of our relationships.

She, you know, spoke at a lot of our you know, conferences or you know, came to the breakfast or or things like that.

I was always um invited to be on you know, specific committees and groups up on campus.

Um we work pretty closely with um communications, so like Amy Canook and the communications department work very closely with MSU Athletics we work very closely with, even throw you know, several events.

I think Amy Canook with communications, I mean, we've got her on speed dial, I'd say for sure.

Uh, but yeah, that I would say those are in general our our our relations with them.

I think there could be more for sure.

Um, but I you know, I I would love to you all to see you know where that fits.

One thing that I think has been really consistent that I haven't seen as consistent the past few years is um MSU representatives on our boards.

So I think the BID Bob I Tela and we had a pretty long stretch of having MSU representatives on both the BID and the URD boards.

Currently, we do not have anyone.

Um so maybe that's if if that's something you all feel would be important, maybe that's something we can bring out to Kate.

Um does that kind of answer your question there.

Yeah, I was just curious.

I know they have and I know it's not under the direct purview of this board, but like their you know, rallies and other things, our relationship you know, broadly with their student population, relationship with their existing, you know, faculty, et cetera, just kind of what they're be I'm just curious what they're gonna present and what you know, obviously how we might relate to that.

What if there's anything we're doing today that we like or don't like, or we want to, you know, it sounds like you know, having them engage just in general is a is a positive, and I would agree with that.

So um that's all.

Well, I could tell you the just through these sessions, I've learned a whole lot.

Um, a few you know notable things that that I've taken home with me is one the students specifically and staff, not as much faculty, but students and staff, they want to be engaged with this community.

They want to be here, a lot of them want to stay, right?

Um that's very different from the university that I went to, right?

I was like, peace out.

Um and so you know, I think we as a community um need to do a better job of harboring that.

Um, I think there's opportunities there.

So maybe just something to ponder when when she's when she's talking.

And this is pretty um, this has been documented.

Students want to be involved in the community.

So it's just a note.

Um, I will say the the board meeting or the board member you know participation, I think personally would be really great.

Um, you know, when I um oversaw the DBA, we had a really consistent MSU representative on there, and I always felt like it was just a really great way to say we work directly with them.

We have somebody who has a line of communication with them.

Um, one thing that I see as just a community member and working with MSU on a consistent basis, um, their lines of communication within MSU are not as robust as I had thought, right?

Because I'm not on campus and I'm not there kind of viewing, and so um, so I've seen it firsthand through these sessions that they can see that too, that they'd like to see that you know, everyone's kind of talking to the different departments, and then the departments are also talking to the community.

So that's just something for me that you know when I get a chance to give feedback to Kate and not just listen, that that those are some of the feedback notes that I give her.

One of the things about our board is it's supposed to be by statute property owners.

Property owners.

Yeah, you don't get you guys don't get one.

Our board really wouldn't relate as having a board member from MSU, but I see it as part of a partnership, perhaps with the DBA.

And so that we know what's happening up there and what the downtown marketing and uh you know relationship would enhance that relationship between MSU and downtown and how that may impact some students being able to graduate and stay here and find jobs.

Exactly.

And you know, I I I think too, maybe this will give you all just a reminder to give some feedback to to myself and Emily to you know keep in mind through all of this, um, all of these discussions with MSU and how we see you know our relationship going because right now it's mostly about announcing events and being part of the fun stuff and letting you all know that you know the they're going to the national championships, and you know, we do a great job of making sure you know all the fun stuff.

Um but maybe there's some more strategic and and pragmatic things to do with them.

So did we see Kate join us?

No, that's right.

Oh, we need to be.

All right, thanks.

Hello.

Hi everyone.

Sorry to put you in the hot seat, but join us.

I'm in.

Yeah.

I did um forewarn Kate a little bit that it's a relatively formal setting, but this group is pretty informal.

So this is the most people I've ever been to one of our board meetings.

We have another presentation after this, so we have soon you're all for the other presentation afterwards.

Hey Ellie, thanks for being here, Kate.

I'll give you the mic, but please let me know if you want me to do any additional updates or get them any additional information.

Not at all.

So uh thank you for having me.

I feel weird.

Um I'm Kate Sutherland.

I was hired by uh President Tasman's office and uh a steering committee that Ellie is part of to help uh solicit input for President uh Tessman's new strategic plan and just a little you know setting the stage for this.

Montana State has not done a new strategic plan for seven years, and now you've got a new president, and it's really very much, and Ellie can test this, what he would he would present as really the roadmap to his presidency, at least at this point in time.

So uh he and his executive team are taking it very seriously.

I am a consultant facilitator hired um to work with Ellie and a group of staff faculty and students on a steering committee to kind of make sure that we are getting input on the strategic plan.

Now that comes from a lot of different sources, as the land grant university, you're probably all aware.

You got teaching, you've got research, and you've got extension.

So our focus since January has been up on campus, talking to those campus constituencies, including the most important one being students, obviously.

Um now we are moving a little bit more out into Gallatin Valley, not just Bozeman, but Belgrade and some other communities that are hosting um MSU students, staff, and faculty, and and the businesses that really rely on them in some cases.

So that's the kind of the point that we're at now.

And then as we go throughout the summer, we are going to go around the state.

We've already begun that.

I I've hit Calsville and Missoula already this week, and it's still Wednesday.

Um so we are I'm gonna be the person in Boston who knows more about Montana than anybody else.

Um I have a billings husband, I like to say that, so I have some cred to be here.

Um, but haven't gotten far much beyond Bozeman and Billings until now.

So we are really trying to make sure that all of those um families, citizens, taxpayers, business people, and uh important in industry and agricultural sectors are part of this plan.

And just to be clear, you all know what a strategic strategic plan is, but it's really where MSU is gonna put its focus of its resources, its executive focus, it's staff and faculty focus.

So it's very real in terms of of how they're gonna be behaving up there uh for the next few years.

And the president's also hoping to make it very um agile.

So he's not setting you know five-year-old goals, but more like we're gonna fix this, and here are two activities we're doing now, and as soon as those are done, I'm gonna add two more, and we're just gonna continue to make this a very dynamic roadmap again.

So, with with that in mind, um Ellie, I appreciate the background that you've given me on the BID, and I just want to would appreciate the opportunity to go kind of person by person, understand you know what your angle is and and having heard my lead in there, you know, what can Montana State do better?

What has Montana State been doing that you want to throw some some rocket fuel on?

Um, what are you worried about?

How can how can they be part of the bigger solution for you know the the business community in Bozeman?

So with that.

Well, I I really want to let you guys each have a chance to chat, but I did just want to know on that, Kate, that um these early sessions have all been just like this.

They are listening sessions.

And Kate is an incredible listener.

So you know, you're gonna have several other chances to potentially um you know fill out surveys, maybe she even comes back to to boards or are different downtown groups, but this is really a chance for you guys to just kind of get out some thoughts and ideas to her.

So, Mark, maybe you can join or start.

And before you jump in, Mark, is it okay with everyone if I record this with an AI just transcriptor?

Okay if it's not.

Sure.

Okay, thank you.

It helps me um helps me stay on track.

All right, go ahead.

Thank you.

Hi, um Mark Kiki, thanks for joining us.

This is really interesting.

I was picturing a casual small group, but you weren't, I don't know, I wasn't casual small group.

Um are you also including Gallatin College in what you're doing?

Oh, we sure are, yeah.

It's part of MSU, yep.

Yeah, I think that sort of my observation would be everything that the university at Gallatin College can do to build workforce appropriate for where we are now and where we're going, and produce students out of both Galton College and the and the greater university that build that kind of future workforce for Montana.

To me, that's the most critical thing that we need, and I think the the big challenge for the university.

And from your personal angle, can you just tell you what what's the what's the student, what's the credential degree major that you want to see more of, or that you would hire I think it's the whole spectrum.

It goes from the you know, very basic technical jobs that MSU um or Gallant College does and teaching, you know, HAC and all that all the way up to the business school, the professional schools, the design schools, and what they do.

I think the focus on those students to produce students that come out of the college ready to go to work in the industries that we have here, and particularly that we're gonna have here in the future.

So the tech side, I think is the other critical element, what's coming out of the engineering school and innovation campus and all that.

Great.

Hi, Kate, how are you?

Andy, good, how are you?

Fine, thank you.

Um thank you for being here today.

Oh, my pleasure.

Uh just you know, just expanding on what Mark was saying.

I think uh as our city continues to grow, we're gonna see that we're gonna have more needs from from MSU to maybe improve their um the courses that they're offering so that they can we can take some of those uh students that are at MSU and move them into other sectors that are that are growing.

We have new schools that are that are here or that have been starting the last 10 years, and there's some uh they all have different focuses.

So having um someone in the uh educational department who would move into one of those sectors would be really important as well.

And Mark was talking about you know the uh technology that's obviously growing here as well.

So um I uh I think that would be something that I'd love to see um expand with RCD growing as well.

And when you say Bozeman has new schools, you're talking about new K-12 schools being open because of population growth or and private schools.

Private school, oh yeah.

So there's private schools in our community that are um they're catering to children with certain needs, and it's nice to know that there could be programs at MSU that are gonna be you know um in filling some of those positions that we're gonna be needing in the future.

And do you think that those those those focused degrees exist or have you has anybody I know that they're starting?

I believe that there's they are in the works, and I think there are some opportunities there, but I'm not sure how how advanced they are.

So I know um in one particular school there we were hoping to draw some teachers from the MSU program, and it would be uh to help this one particular private school in our community.

And it's I know it's early on, but I think it would be a wonderful ad.

Yeah.

And what can you what is that at school?

What what category of students is that school uh serve?

Um so it's a it's near and dear to us, my wife and I, my wife started the school years ago and school for kids with learning challenges.

And there's an um there's we see more and more need in our community for for teachers and and teachers' assistance to help out in these programs, and and I know that she's been talking to you know variety of people at MSU, but it's just nice to know that there is the potential that that can feed into this program because it's that her program that is growing and it's growing every year.

Yeah.

So I mean, I'm an autism mom applied behavior analysis and all the special ed teachers and all those things.

Yes, exactly.

And is she is she finding is she having to recruit people outside of Bozeman, or is she finding enough teachers for and specialists too, right?

Yes, I mean there's you're looking for I mean to fill a variety of different roles in these schools and in this particular school as well.

And so it's uh I know that the programs are are being developed.

This is nice to know that there's there's options because you want these, you know, these um these students who are graduate from MSU to stay in our community and support our community, and there are other communities throughout this country that can use that support as well.

Sure, they should yeah, those students.

This is something that's near and near to us as a family, so it's it's nice to know there's and it's I know it's in the works, but yeah, more of that.

Great, thank you.

Hello, welcome.

Hi, my name's Elena Anderling.

And I would say ditto to both of their comments that I think they're really important uh factors.

Um recently, having had a surgery at um Bozeman Health, I had the pleasure of interacting with many of the sports staff, nurses and so forth who are graduates or in the programs of nursing at MSU.

And um that was great to see, and I think promoting that is really important because we have a very growing need for health care in our community.

So keeping on that and expanding on it and promoting it, I think to find jobs and stay here in our healthcare community is another uh part of what I think MSU can play a role in.

And recently it's um come to our oh sorry, am I talking to you softly?

Excuse me.

I get accused of that a lot.

Sorry.

Um, so the other factor that was brought to our attention at a recent meeting is that the law enforcement community is having a difficult time hiring here.

So I was wondering if MSU I plead ignorance.

I don't know if there is anything offered at our university in that category.

In criminal justice, that's a good question.

And um, that is a growing community, of course, safety is always a high importance.

So that might be another area to consider offering.

Yeah, you know, I have not heard anyone mention the criminal justice program since I've been there, which doesn't mean it's not there, just doesn't rise to the top.

I'm wondering if they have it.

I know that there's the the regions sometimes say, well, university um you get these programs, and MSU get you get these programs, we're not gonna compete with each other.

Um that does seem like one that could should be local, could be local.

Yep, I will look into that as well.

Yeah, thank you.

Sure.

Hi, thanks for coming.

Um again, kind of just gonna say yes to everything they said.

I might come at it from a more um maybe more specific point of view as a restaurant owner.

We have definitely reached out to Gallatin College multiple times in the past to try to kind of get higher management positions filled, and we haven't had a lot of luck.

I would say that we oftentimes feel that maybe, and this is this is a guess.

We're like, I wonder if they're working with bigger corporations, which is normal, but that's sort of it's like a filter program to certain larger echelon.

I would love to see, and I think this could be across the board for a lot of Gallatin College programs, um a better collaboration between local businesses and graduates from Gallon College would be I think it would behoove everybody.

Yeah, I haven't heard they have any large partnerships by that.

It seems like it would have come up, you know, but I know the hotel is one of the aims there is to train those students from the culinary arts and hospitality, right, in local hotel.

But um, that's good feedback, and I will pass them on.

I mean, I'm collecting the big stuff, right?

Like what what what if you were to look five years out and look back on this, would you say, thank goodness MSU added this thing or did this thing, but also all the little stuff I'm passing along to President Bozeman and his management team.

Not that that's little, but it's it's I mean, it is something that could be easily fixed.

But I think that like extrapolate beyond just like one little restaurant to yeah, you know, all of the downtown businesses.

Right, sure.

Which restaurant is yours?

Uh fresco.

Well, and especially just with the base of tourism here statewide and the importance of those jobs to our state.

Um, you know, just to kind of bring it back.

I know that our hospitality industry, you know, broadly needs help most consistently, most turnover kind of scenario.

Yeah, I mean, yeah, that's a that's one and some of that would live within Gallatin College, and some of that would live within the university proper, I'm pretty sure.

Yeah.

Good time.

Okay, thanks for coming.

Thanks for having me.

I'm Eric Nelson.

I obviously same as everyone else echo what they said.

I think I um resonant message, I suspect across not just Bozeman, but across the state is really to train and capture students to be future Montanans.

So this idea that we're we're gonna create and retain that community and that innovation, not only to sustain and support existing job matrix, you know, whatever is here in the existing format.

But like Mark was suggesting, like future jobs, future innovation, you know, increase that job platform.

And in a large part, I think it has to do as we look at some of the other companies.

You know, Bozeman's struggling dramatically, like a lot of places with housing, that's very difficult.

Um so getting higher paid jobs, uh, higher wage earning jobs and things like that in our community.

Um, and it's great lifestyle community.

I think it's an opportunity to really really draw that in Bozeman in particular, but across the state, I think that's probably true.

Yeah.

I mean, I will tell you the an interesting every constituency on the campus is worried about the cost of living in Bozeman, students, grad students, staff, faculty, they are recruiting issues.

I just heard I just came from a meeting where four faculty members declined to come here because they couldn't afford to live, and MSU had to hire choice number five, right?

Which is just awful when you think about an R1 university and how important those jobs are.

Um I don't know what the solution is there.

I mean, certainly higher paying jobs, but when the I mean university faculty jobs not high enough paying, you know, to or those are probably entry-level-ish jobs, but but still I don't know what the solution is, but I've been charged with also this week um generating some solutions, and it's not it's not MSU's problems this year.

Well, I think necessarily, of course.

That's interesting.

I've always um been intrigued by you know, Montana's a beautiful state, and there's a lot of a lot of beautiful communities.

And I grew up here, I think Bozeman's awesome.

I went to MSU.

Um, but I think there's opportunities for other communities to grow too.

And they don't have you know the burden of you know high demand real estate markets necessarily.

So whether that's strategically placing, you know, research facilities in different locations that might draw some of those things around, spread that around the state, you know, writ large.

Um, I think that's an opportunity for sure to look at that.

Yeah.

I mean, uh generally I'd say I I mean, not only that it's my alma mater, but I think you guys are doing a great job already.

I mean, it's it's a fantastic institution.

Um it's uh just you know, state football or a football champion.

That's pretty nice.

Um so anyway, I think it's a it's a good, it's doing really well.

And I think striking why the iron's hot is good.

Yeah.

Um we have heard that in these listing sessions.

Uh, you know, there's enormous amount of there's a huge operating budget, and there's enormous amount of research funding that rose through MSU and does it all need to roll just into Gallatin Valley?

Can it roll a little bit beyond these borders?

And and that's certainly one of the goals for MSU within constraints that are they have around hiring, et cetera.

Yeah.

I was in Missoula yesterday wearing a big bobcat's thing.

I had to put my purse on my shoulder.

I rolled my collar like this, I was scared to walk down the street.

I don't know how angry they still are.

Um, Kate, before you came, I I mentioned a couple things, just you know, what I've heard, or you know, how maybe some of the topics that have come up would affect this board, or you'd have um, you know, some some feedback.

One, I'm curious how you all feel about just the level of community involvement, MSU, and we talked about that a little bit before you got here, Katie.

Um, and so maybe just wanted if you all had have some um feedback there to, and this has been talked about a lot, even maybe even just through parking and you know, those discussions, but just the accessibility of MSU potentially to our community, um, you know the entrances, the welcoming nature, you know, is the only time that you spend on campus, you know, at a football game, possibly.

Um, you know, are there more opportunities, you know, for you to be there?

Possibly.

Um, you know, and and maybe how does that look?

Um the other thing that I think has come into my mind several times through these discussions is housing is brought up multiple times every session, obviously.

Um, and you know, I have heard a couple times like, you know, is that MSU's responsibility, or is that you know, within the scope of this planner?

And I guess for me, I I just want the opportunity to say, yes, I I think it is, and I think it should be.

I think the housing, the dynamic of housing for MSU students has really changed, you know, since possibly you were a student, Eric, or um, I wasn't a student here, but my husband was.

And it used to be um, you know, able to invest, or maybe a parent buys an apartment or things like that.

Things have shifted a whole lot.

And what I keep on coming back to is how much student housing has grown in accordance with the housing, you know, on campus, and or the student housing in accordance with you know the increase in student body.

My guess is like it's the gap is massive, and it wasn't at one point.

And so I do think that just recognizing that gap of whole lot more students, right?

Whole lot more residents, no more on campus living, or maybe very, very minimal, you know, obviously more housing available here, but that gap and that you know impact is there, and it's not just from new residents, it's absolutely from students.

So I don't know if you all agree, you know, with this, but I just that gap there has just as a long-term resident.

I recognize it, I know it's there.

I don't see the on-campus housing being built, certainly not to the level of increased student body.

So, you know, are we as a community responsible to fill that gap in?

I I don't know.

Um, you know, do are some of our um you know, corporations and larger businesses, you know, do we need to lean into them more?

Maybe.

So just some ideas and thoughts, and maybe you guys have additional thoughts here.

Yeah, I mean, I having worked in other places with universities, and this housing problem is an issue kind of everywhere, and lots of places the university does take responsibility for not just student housing, but also faculty and staff housing.

And there have been lots of interesting and creative solutions to doing that, where you know, university puts up land and does long-term land lease so people can afford to buy or rent housing on campus for faculty and staff.

It does a good job of addressing some of the faculty um retention and attraction issues that you've talked about.

But I think there is a responsibility on behalf of the university to address the problem, and there are, if you look around the country, there have been some really creative solutions to do that.

And I guess I would encourage the university to think deeply about that issue because it is one that's gonna come up.

And I mean, I I did just see, I mean, I'll have inside information.

I read it in a press release that they're taking down the small house, the little houses that that as called and putting up the dorm there, um, which of course I'm sure you all are aware of, but that I've also heard a very strong sentiment from undergraduate students that they want to live off campus, like they'll put up with the first year on, but the the culture is live off campus.

So some of this is by you know paying adults-ish choosing to live where they want to live.

So that's a problem as well.

But the students are causing the problem, they're letting you like I get the dynamic.

I was also really surprised at how many graduate students really want to live on campus.

Grad students want to be on campus.

They do, they do, but they seem to be able to do that.

And then the undergrads want to seem to want to be off is part of the dynamic at play there.

So I need to know we need to move on, but any other thoughts just on, like I said, the accessibility scenario, the you know, welcoming nature entrances.

That's just something that I've come back to a few times.

Um, you know, additional community involvement ideas.

Um if you have anything.

Um I have I I was talking to an engineer the other day, and they are actually um having a little uh I think it's grabbing a bunch of MSU engineers and taking them on a bunch of field exercises, walking around here in downtown and other places just introduced into what's going on in our community, you know, some of the the new and creative um techniques that there are being introduced.

There's a lot of construction going on here, and there's opportunities for for up and coming architects and engineers and and planners to really work with our uh our local uh experts who uh as interns and I think that would be a wonderful thing to promote.

I mean they're they're doing it, but just to keep keep these uh students really engaged in our community and learning what's going on in our community and hopefully you know work with our some of our um employers.

And then the housing piece that's that's always as Mark was saying, that's there's a lot of information out there, and you know, working groups are always things that you know we look to look towards to build a team of people together to kind of get our all our heads around the uh the idea and how we can solve it.

And uh I think it's uh um something that maybe MSU can consider talking to some other developers in our community and see if they can all get their heads around like how they can you um we can work together because you'd hate to see what you just described as you have these you know pre-candidates who are applying at MSU for position established and the I don't know if they did a lot of research on the housing costs in our community or they just looked around at a couple prices on on some of the websites, but I think it would be really nice to have a lot of information to present them.

So like you know, we know we have a housing problem here in our community, but here are some options that we have that we can present to you to help you through that you know with make this decision a little easier.

Has there been this kind of working group before?

I imagine there must have been not that anyone's heard of interesting.

You know, I mean we have the housing authority group, right?

That's relatively new, about six months old.

I mean, there's always discussions around um housing, but you know, I'll have to look into that and get some information.

On the the issue of internships, is there is there do do business owners in this city feel that they can post an internship somewhere and it'll be seen and they can recruit someone?

Is there any structures that you've seen or witnessed for that?

I I would guess that it's probably needs needs to go the other direction.

They need to probably solicit more that these are students that could Yeah, it would have to come from MSU their job.

Yeah, so instead of because I I just think the the the realities of time, you know, they're they're they're posting.

I'm sure if there's creative creative ways to post at MSU or whatever, but it feels like that would be a um something that would come the other direction.

Like, hey, we've got all these students that would be love love to kind of stay here for the summer.

This is what they want to do.

Here's the opportunity to kind of call out that way.

I know there's a formal platform.

Um, hire Bobcat, and I think there's like an internship platform, but you're right.

I don't think it's hugely user-friendly or maybe you know, the the opposite way of where it should go.

Um from my perspective, the internships that I I'm aware of, or even working with you know, engineering companies or a planning company, most of them are through the specific department.

Through the department, like there's a relationship with the that you know, professor and you know, that planning firm that generally I think it's more organic.

I don't think there's too many super formalized situations, which are good, but I think there could be an element of the city.

I think there needs to be some structure.

Yeah, I mean the engineering students aren't having a problem, they're finding great opportunities.

If you're a nurse, you've got a structured uh workforce clinical placement thing, you know, not worry about them.

Teachers data, but it's all the other majors that don't have such a clear path, and I think there's work that MSU would like to do there to make it easier for business owners.

Um yeah.

I would just cut in one, I uh 100% agree with Ellie that MSU does have a responsibility to help with housing.

And then two, just hire Bobcat is super clunky.

No, thank you for saying yeah, that doesn't really be the case.

Especially school that's not for engineering shouldn't have a clunky hire Bobcat thing.

Um maybe that's an internship for an engineering student, go fix that.

I have one suggestion with um respect to the housing matter.

Yep.

And um it's sort of historically always been challenging for housing here in Bozeman.

For ever and ever, which um is uh I grew up here and went to MSU and I've been in the real estate business here for a very long time, since 1980.

And so what we don't seem to have in perhaps MSU can help accumulate is really accurate data.

I know we have thousands of apartments that have been built, and I know many of the new apartments are higher end um, you know, get built to have a maybe more professional person with and perhaps a better inventory tracking.

So when you have these candidates who come and interview, perhaps that's an interim spot while they search for a house.

And we have uh many more listings on the uh MOS this year than we've had in quite some time.

So we have more inventory and prices are a little lower than they have been.

So I do see that you know it's a free market and it's gonna fluctuate and so forth, but accumulating really good accurate data and having that available to candidates.

And then there's also the conflict between the staff faculty wanting to live right next door to student housing.

And I see there's thousands of apartments right next to the stadium and MSU that would probably be great for the students.

And it it seems like there's so much more available student red toll than ever I've seen in all the years in Osman.

So maybe part of his perception versus reality.

And if you have accurate data, you can address some of it.

There is um a ton of anecdotal out there around the housing in this town.

But I do then you look and you see all this new stuff, and I I agree with you.

Um to kind of connect what's available with who what you know these individuals want.

Is that kind of where you're getting at too?

That maybe that housing isn't always suitable for the staff and faculty that want to come in.

Right.

Um, but we have seemingly an overabundance of that that would be more appropriate for students and how do we balance it.

And yeah, right.

And that there is more property, more residential property for sale than there has been.

There's more inventory than we've had in recent years.

That's good to hear.

I don't know if it's good from your perspective.

It's great, right?

Yeah.

Um, uh not as a I'm open to hearing other things, but I just want to make a point that we have a um survey, and you will find a drop down in that survey that sounds like Bozeman business owner.

Um, and there's dropdowns for everybody.

Here's the survey.

Thank you, Emily.

Uh, really important and to all of you, please fill out the MSU survey.

You don't need to have any connection with MSU if you're a Montana citizen.

It's your land grade university, you should weigh in on what you want them to be doing 100%.

Um but there you you will find a place in here, and it could take five minutes, but we are I have a team in Boston that's that's all right, they're using AI a little bit, but they I'm making them read the surveys and following up, and and we are really getting some really important stuff and themes coming out of those.

So everyone please um go to the survey, fill it out.

It's important for us.

It's the only way we're gonna get real it real and detailed data outside the campus, and we really need it from outside the campus.

So well, thanks for your time today, Kate.

And coming to meeting board and Emily, Allie, the idea.

I appreciate being here.

Thank you very much.

Thanks, Kate.

They have her going wild up on campus, so she's probably leaving here and has like six more that I figure.

They're they're working on.

Thanks, Kate.

Okay.

Um next we have a presentation from community development.

Um Aaron George will introduce.

Hello, thanks for having us here today.

So um I know I've met a a couple of you, but if I haven't met you before, my name's Aaron George.

I'm the community of community development director for the city of Boseman here.

And um I am joined today by our consultants, the Lakota Group, uh, and they are working on an update to our NCOD, uh, which stands for Neighborhood Conservational Really District, which you likely know, design guidelines.

So we were already working on the landmark project, and um one of the recommendations that came out of that project was an overhaul to these guidelines.

They were last uh they were adopted in 2006, and there was a minor update in 2015.

So it's been quite some time, and a lot has changed in Bozeman since then.

So uh it's a good time for us to take a good look at these.

And um Lakota's in town this week and they're doing um a bunch of community engagement work.

So we had a walking tour this morning, we had an open house Monday night, and uh we're meeting with a couple different stakeholder groups, and we wanted to make sure that we met with um some downtown businesses.

So um that's why they're here today, just to introduce themselves and ask you a few questions to get a little bit of feedback from you all.

So, with that, I'll introduce Saraj from Lakota Group.

Thank you.

Awesome, thank you, Erin.

Hi, everyone.

My name is Shiraj Asfahani.

I'm a senior vice president of the Dakota Group.

Sorry, my voice is a little raspy, but um we caught a cold here.

Um but yeah, as Aaron mentioned, we're just hoping to talk to business owners and property owners if you were to be a property owner and a business owner at the same time.

Trying to get an understanding of um maintenance repair issues like that that you've had to face owning a historic building.

Um, or if you've heard of scenarios where it's been a struggle.

Um so just trying to get that understanding also if you've had if you've done a COA process in the past and what that has looked like for you any way that we can improve on, whether it's new construction additions, um improvements with materials.

I see a lot of smiling, which means I'm gonna get a lot of good stories.

Um but yeah, um, I know we don't have that much more time.

I'm not sure if we're gonna split the team up.

Um some of us may stay, I don't know how long you're staying.

But um maybe we just do a quick go around and um share a bit of what you'd like to see.

Does anyone have a hard stop at one?

So say if anyone has a hard stop, if you wanted to maybe go first, and then if anyone's able to hang out longer, that'd be great.

Sure.

Yeah, I'll start.

I have a lot to say, but I'm not gonna um I I'm a design professional and developer, so I've I've definitely been engaged in the the NCOA process.

But relative to how the the I think my perspective at least on this board, so I'll try to umbrella it just to that perspective.

Sure.

And not so much, you know, how I look at the whole picture of it.

But relative to that, I think it's a it is by and large a very positive thing.

It's in lots of good things.

Um relevant context.

I mean, I think there's a probably a more focus on what the context wants to be and less on the historic, you know, the actual historic attribute of it.

Uh we did a we redid a hotel here in town.

Um that was an old 50s motor lodge that required us to go through a bunch of you know recording of what it's what its afterlife was, you know, in that kind of interim, which wasn't wasn't anything near what it was when it was in its glory days.

So it was kind of like we we spent a lot of time documenting things that nobody's ever gonna look at and say that's useful.

But um so I think there's a there's just kind of some judgment probably that needs to happen with respect to that.

Um but I I think it's a positive, I don't think it's a negative that we have historic buildings to redo.

Um but at some point, you know, if our predecessors thought everything was historic, we'd all have sob buildings on Main Street.

Right.

So that's true.

I guess what's your overall um opinion of what Main Street looks like today and how it's been changing over the last few years.

We have some new construction.

I just want to get like, you know, our thing going well in terms of design elements and architectures.

I generally think it's it's great.

I mean, we have good problems here in Bozeman.

Um there, you know, we we have complaints around the edges of what we're doing, but I think if you look at what's you know, by and large, the the bigger picture, it's it's it's happened in a good context.

Um, I my training and profession as an architect, I find it interesting that there um and on a historic side.

I love having buildings that we get to design that aren't, but I like having the historic buildings there to have reflect them against because I think that's a really powerful like relationship to it.

Um so kind of a natural evolution is is a positive.

And I think that's generally what's happened.

I mean, there's things are taller and those kinds of things.

Sure.

Sounds good.

Thank you.

Susan, do you have much to share?

I mean, I'm I'm I haven't I don't have a lot of experience in developing buildings.

I have one.

It's been fairly easy.

So that's more than me.

I would second most of what Eric said that I think overall it's it's a positive to have our historic buildings preserved and you know.

But I I also don't I'm not opposed to having new architecture in Bozeman.

I think it just needs to be considered.

And I think we're doing a pretty good job of that where I'm sitting.

So I guess as we're going down the line, one question that just pops in my head is uh I I know when we're bringing in new construction or additions, we're hoping that they stand out from what's historic.

To what extent are we hoping that the overall result is more blended or kind of because we're hearing sometimes that there's stark contrasts and it's like kind of too much.

So the question is then with new construction or additions on main street.

We are we hoping for a more seamless fabric to a certain extent.

And and that could pre be purely subductive, um, just trying to gather more thoughts.

I I would say yes to blended.

Generally.

I mean, that could be done with some material choices, that could be done with some um just overall like fenestrations or articulations of buildings.

Like it doesn't um doesn't have to be one particular thing, but just slightly less contrast is something we heard.

Yeah, I I I would probably err on the opposite side.

On the opposite side.

Yeah.

Okay.

Mainly I think because architecture by and large is very fashion-oriented.

And I think the the aesthetic that gets created.

Um a great example is your building, Randy, like you know, maybe back, you know, whatever that is 40, 50 years ago, they're like, cool, we're gonna cover this building with junk, and it's looks all super modern and everything.

And then it peels away and then it has to change.

So I think this the the kind of quality of something is really important, probably more so than the um than necessarily what it looks like.

It's form and mass is the important factor, not so much whether it was you know, this material.

Because it will we'll have better materials, we'll have other reasons to use them, right?

Better reasons to use them.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Hello, thank you for coming.

And uh I really am a big believer that your historic downtowns are kind of the heart and soul of a community.

And in Bozeman, that's been one of the real attractors to people is that we have a still a very authentic downtown, and that maintaining and preserving that history is very, very important.

Not to say that some new things or modern interpretations, as long as there's some context, and that a beautiful historic building, such as what Randy took the skin off of, and then re-did it back to its original look is such an asset to the community.

And therefore, I would suggest as new buildings come on, some context, some setback and human scale, so they're not right up against the sidewalk, so we still have what feels more of a uh natural evolution of the historic heart and soul of downtown.

So it's sort of a merger I concode with what Susan and Eric said, but I would be more toward the traditionalist uh keeping more context and not have something completely out of that human scale, that real uh it's a hard to describe it.

It's more of something that people feel, and they may not know why they feel that way, but it has to do with scale and style.

No, I understand.

Yeah, I don't know if I've played too much with this guy.

Um yeah, okay.

Understood.

Um, I think one thing that um we often hear too is you know, the Secretary of Interior Standards does talk about um the need to distinguish what's new from what's old.

Um, and then the question comes into why um is it to pay homage to today's architecture, or is it to keep the historic structure more prominent when you look at um the end result of what the edition is coming in, so you can still see this as the primary, more prominent structure.

So it is always open for interpretation.

Um but I I understand your comments on scale and um character.

Thank you.

I guess I'm up.

Um I think um, well, I I agree with uh what Herb was saying earlier about you know, if we didn't when this city was first founded and built upon, things were it was just one building after another.

Some of these buildings were you know, they're historic, some probably um I mean I have a I just have a a number of images in my office of the of Bozeman over the years and over the decades, and you can see how Bozeman keeps growing, expanding, pushing out.

It was a very small um city.

The a uh buildings that were built back in the 1800s were built for a purpose.

We have businesses moving in, they needed a place to open up their shops, and they were designed for the specific use of that of that um that office or that or that uh business.

And they are considered historic, but today our our uh engineering is we know that some of these buildings would not survive in in certain conditions, whether they're in seismic zone which we are in, we have to do a lot of improvements to these buildings to make sure that they do survive.

Some have already had um they've been affected by some seismic activity in the past, and the question becomes how much do you want to put into those buildings to save those?

It's uh it's a sort of if it's an original building and had an original purpose and there's a better use for it, then that building should probably be reconsidered whether it should be renovated or or a brand new uh you know property built on that.

It's a case-by-case basis.

But um, in my uh I look at the images of the building that was renovated on uh the um the national building we call it.

Before that was a beautiful old bank building sat on the corner, but that bank building didn't serve a purpose for the for the new business.

So that was taken down and built a new building on the 1920, and then was renovated in 1970, and here is renovated in uh 2022.

So you see certain buildings or properties, they need to be looked at based on whether they are a perfect fit for that particular location, if it's gonna fit for the businesses, is it gonna fit for our downtown because our downtown is constantly evolving, and that's why they're all unique.

That's why we have a great city.

I mean, every building was built for a purpose back in the day.

Sometimes those purposes really aren't ideal for where we are with today's uh our changing world.

But I love historic stuff.

I would I'm out there I would if unless it's a it's a building that's got such significant structural issues, I think it's worth saving.

That's just my personal opinion.

And some of the things that were built back in the day, they were so well built, and they're still being they're well built today, but I mean they're standing the test of time.

So I just like to see a little piece of history always being preserved.

Um button.

You know, Andy, I know you've gone through the COA process, or your team has gone through that process quite often.

I know your answer is worth it every time because you know, of the excellent work you're doing.

Um, but maybe you can just kind of comment on that.

I know you've kind of got some feedback on just you know, do you feel like the process works?

Do you think you have some suggestions on you know how the process may be streamlined or better or I think and in more specificity, um, like the COA processes designed to follow the design guidelines, right?

Like there is a set of design guidelines which we're updating.

So you probably have to familiarize yourself with the set of design guidelines in order to be able to do a COA process.

So part of this question is how user-friendly to define, did you find these design guidelines or were they helpful for you overall if you even check them out?

Well, I work uh um I work with an architect in town.

Okay, I really rely on them to kind of guide me along because I mean everything's just constantly changing.

So we can uh we'll sit down as a team, discuss what the options are and just figure out how we can navigate through those.

And um we haven't I have not had any issues with anything we're we're doing up to uh to this particular point.

We do have we had an old building that was um that was built in the 1970s, and before that, there were two beautiful buildings in downtown that that were built in the 1800s that were knocked down to build this single-story structure 50 years ago.

And here we are taking that's been taken downward buildings, we weren't fitting with our downtown, and that process, as far as I'm concerned, has been no issues on on my part whatsoever working with the city and the design guidelines.

But that's also because I have an image of what I want to see for our downtown.

I want to pick materials that are that will blend in with our downtown.

I want to pick details that will blend in with the old architecture that our town, our our forefathers designed.

And so I that's maybe I'm a little different than the others, but that's just I just want to see something that's that works, it's it's fits well, and it's a uh sort of downtown experience.

So just to confirm the majority of the COA processes that you've been through have been for new construction rather than rehabilitation, is that what I'm understanding?

Or is it the opposite?

It's rehabilitation versus new construction.

Okay.

Got it.

Yeah, my experience there is just done up on a renovation.

Um it was fine.

I think I'd be a little concerned about adding a lot of additional process to it.

So I think for any of us developing or redeveloping or restoring buildings, having clarity around a process, having clarity around what the guidelines are.

So we're not guessing.

I just I think what we want is there's a level of certainty to understand here's the rules, here are the guidelines, here's the process.

You follow that, you get out the other side on a reasonable time horizon.

It's uncertainty, I think, that causes us the most distress when we're looking at these kinds of opportunities.

Right.

Um I think the downtown core has actually done a pretty good job of guiding us to where we are today, which I think most of us think is the heart and soul of of the community, and I think it is.

I think that perhaps isn't as effective as you get away from the downtown core.

And I'm I'm a little unclear about whether we're talking about individual buildings or districts or sort of how these things get looked at.

But again, I think being really clear about process, what it is, you know, we've got zoning, we have uh UTC, we've got all these other things that we have to navigate.

Adding another one on top of that, particularly if it's not clear how it all kind of goes together would concern me.

So I think just clarity of guidelines and clarity of process.

I hear you, no, very much so.

And I the whole intent of this exercise is to take what we have and update it so it adds more clarity, it adds more um user-friendliness.

But um, I don't know if you remember off the top of your head, but you meant when you mentioned there's sometimes uncertainty with kind of how to navigate some of these processes or the document itself, does something kind of come to mind when you when you think of that?

We we didn't really have an issue with it, but but like Randy and Elena, there's there's some of us that are really committed to the downtown committed to keeping that look.

So if you go at it with that attitude, you're likely not gonna have a problem.

Not I'm sure there are others who've you know tried to push the envelope harder than than we did, but we you know, we we were really trying to maintain the building.

But but to Randy's point, I mean, if you look back at these buildings, you know, people get used to what they look like today, and they think that's the historic facade.

But if you start going back through historical photographs, so many of these buildings have gone through so many changes over the years.

You know, which one is the historical is the one that exists today, or is the the one that got remodeled in the in the 80s and the 60s and the 40s and the 20s, right?

You know, these buildings that were built in the 1800s have gone through a lot of change.

So locking in today probably isn't the answer.

I think these it's it's more of a judgment call about what's appropriate and you know, colors, materials, massing setbacks, absolutely, those issues to keep it in the historical context, not necessarily freezing a particular.

Oh, absolutely not.

Yes, yes, heard, yeah.

We would never want to um preserve everything in Amber.

That's not that's not the purpose.

And yeah, as things change and evolve.

I mean, 50 years ago, if changes have happened, they got locked in as um renovations that got in landmarked eventually, like the the there that also works.

Um but yeah, I'm wondering if there's any additional thoughts or feedback you want to give us.

Um I would agree with what Mark said about the clarity is really important and simplicity.

If as you make these changes, if we can think about simplicity and clarity together, it makes the process much easier to navigate.

Got it.

I think the other one I would add, I think and I think this exists already, but just that there is a huge distinction between the downtown core and what that means in terms of its preservation versus a railroad home over on the northeast side of Ozburg.

I think that's just a wide spectrum.

And allowing the the kind of choose your own adventure method of the code of so that you can find that path that is that is most relative to it.

Um having been in the environment of both sides of you know, doing small projects, large projects.

I think there's there's not one I I've never found any issue with actually navigating it.

I think and the the certainty is always I think just knowing that it is subjective, because it it is, and so it's hard to do that.

But if you think about the regulation that is put on a small home versus what should be put on a larger development that is more potentially more impactful, um, I think just an awareness that those two things are a big big difference.

Yeah, we're trying to build flexibility, right, with any set of design guidelines.

It can't be super rigid, that there's no room for creativity.

Um, so spot on there.

And in terms of um understanding what it's one of the biggest um NCOD districts that we've ever come across, to be honest.

And so with that large scale and the fact that there is nine historic districts already in and downtown being one of them, there's so much architectural character and development patterns that differ from one area to the next, that there is there is no one size fit fit all, right?

So one of the things we're trying to think about is whether or not we can approach this with a tiered system or some some form of like um depending on the context, maybe add a little more clarity for certain areas versus others, um, or flexibility for that matter.

So yeah.

Well, I don't want to take up too much of your time.

I'm not sure.

Aaron, what do you think?

Thank you.

Yeah.

Thank you all.

And yeah, I know this is short, but I just wanted to encourage you.

Um if you're interested in this project, um, we will be periodically posting updates on the city's um engage page.

There's a uh project page for this project.

Um so you're welcome to tune in there.

And then of course we have our monthly um HPAB meetings, historic preservation advisory board, where we'll be talking um in in more depth about this project as it moves along.

So definitely tune in if you're curious.

And um, if you have any more thoughts, uh, you're welcome to to reach out to myself or our deputy director, Rebecca Harbage, uh, and we'll get the information to the consultants.

Thanks again.

Thanks, Aaron.

Thanks, Erin.

And we will absolutely keep y'all updated on this.

I assume that you know these work sessions and all of the updates will that will happen through the next what six months or so um will be on our ED reports for the next six months or so.

So that's great.

No, I was just gonna you know expand on what Eric was saying too about flexibility.

I think that's that's wonderful to hear that you are working on that.

Cause that's gonna be a that that's a very that's a challenge.

I mean, because every project is different, and every project's gonna have different guidelines, and you can have, you know, whether it's in the residential area or commercial area, so there's it can't be very rigid.

You gotta have some some ability.

I'm just curious how that would all work out over time, but that's wonderful to hear.

Well, and as you guys can see, we have some very engaged, knowledgeable board members here.

So um please, as you schedule your time here and go through this process, um, you know, let me know.

I as you can see we can we can engage them, and maybe there's some additional one-on-ones and and feedback from them.

So thank you.

Yeah.

Can it no other business?

Yeah, meeting.