Um Kate and Nick who are joining remotely.

Can you guys both hear me?

And if you can, do one of you mind um just waving.

Okay, I can see.

Um, we don't have remote presenters too often, so I'm learning this as we go as well.

But um we'll just have you guys share your screen and um let you guys take over.

So just so you know, I I don't need to share my screen today that makes it easier on you.

Okay, that's perfect.

Well, you we'll just that's perfect.

Thanks, Kate.

Yeah, and actually I'm not the ones and the other sort of board which we're going to share.

I don't know.

We'd like to recreate the good ones right here.

But yes, it's actually great for us to have you on.

Yes, I think that's a great approach.

I think it's really important that mission is always important.

We use it.

Well, and I think the big thing, and I think you guys would agree with this.

It's so helpful for us because especially where we guys have to answer questions for us that are super relevant to the reviewing that reading is more directly for the institution or the uh our district or do that in all these answers.

So it's UDC staff.

Yeah, we'll go back.

Sorry, I didn't totally realize that this was a holiday.

So we could seriously go here.

All right.

No, you're good.

All righty.

Um, so we'll call me into order.

Um anyone on the board or I guess anybody have any disclosures they need to discuss.

How about changes to our agenda?

Yeah, no changes.

No changes.

Okay.

Um are we formally approving minutes now from the past?

Yes.

Are we voting?

Yeah, so we will.

Um just we caught up a couple months ago on um getting everything updated with some of the technical issues we had.

So moving forward, we will have this version.

There's also the video version, of course, on the website, and I would ask we approve.

All right.

Motion.

I moved to approve.

All right, all in favor?

I will tally.

Sky?

Hi.

Jake.

And Tony.

All right, April 2026 board minutes approved.

Alrighty.

Um, do we have any public comment?

So again, public comment on any non-agenda items, and you can use the raise your hand or any members from our audience.

Public comment.

No one line.

Okay, great.

Um, well, let's get rolling.

Um, MSU, Kate, I understand you're joining us.

Um, we look forward to what you have to tell us.

So it's all yours.

All right, Kate.

Are you there?

Hello.

I am.

Can everyone hear me?

We can, thank you.

Yep, okay, great.

Oh my gosh, I can see my big face in the back of the room here.

Okay, I'm gonna try to ignore that.

Um so thanks.

Thank you for having me.

I I appreciate the time, and I just want to take off by clarifying how much how much time would you like to give to this section of the agenda?

You know, Kate, I did want to make sure that we saved room for discussion.

This is um, you know, important for us to have a moment to chat with you.

I had reserved about 20 minutes um to discuss.

Okay, and you're welcome to use a little share screen as well just to um give us more information there.

So is that sound good to you?

That sounds great.

Thank you, Ellie.

So I don't need to share the screen, but let me just kick off by giving you all a little context for uh Montana State University's strategic plan, which Ellie's probably done that a little bit as she's a member of our CERN committee.

Uh essentially the President Tessman is in the process of creating his first strategic plan for his presidency, which will really be the roadmap for his presidency as as a as a new president.

He's taking it very seriously uh to the point, all presidents do, but he's viewing this more as an of as an active ongoing document that he and his uh executive team are gonna live by, and it's constantly gonna get updated as we go through the years, frankly.

But what he wants to do between now and when he releases it in November is to identify several major themes or projects that will be really the North Star for where they're they're focusing their time and attention.

And those could span all aspects of the land grant mission, which is instruction, research, and extension.

So uh we have been spending a lot of time on campus over the past few months.

I think I've met with over 1,500 people over there, uh staff, faculty, and students, and now we are kind of taking our show on the road.

We've had the chance to meet with a couple of the Bozeman boards here.

We're gonna be reaching out a little bit to the Belgrade area, the rest of Gallatin Valley, and then this summer going around the state.

So come September, the president should be releasing some uh a group of ideas that he's then gonna want the community to kind of help him triage.

So obviously Bozeman is very critically important to MSU, um, and that relationship goes both ways.

And uh he wanted to make sure that we were capturing uh what you all think MSU can do, can do better, should stop doing, should do more of, et cetera.

You know, obviously in the in the scheme of improving the downtown business district.

Um Ellie, would you add anything to that specific to this group?

No, I would just um say yes.

Uh you know, the the last several months have been very focused on campus.

Um, myself on the steering committee uh South Road Class had jumped in to a lot of these sessions, and I will tell you it is very eye-opening.

There's been really incredible discussion, um, really awesome participation.

Kate is an incredible listener um and really provokes, you know, um thoughts and and really has done a great job of of keeping the conversation going.

So I think this is a great opportunity for everyone to just really um mention some things about campus, uh downtown's relationship with campus, our communities relationship with campus, um, really a chance to to discuss.

Um we will keep you all updated on the community's listening sessions that will continue through the summer.

So again, as Kate mentioned, the focus has been on campus, they'll pull it off of campus.

They've got events and um, you know, statewide events and and sessions that they're that they're gonna be attending.

So we will keep you updated on that as well as the timeline.

And so really this is just a chance to chat.

So with that, um I'm gonna throw it to to the crowd, you know, anything big or small.

I'm interested in and hearing what your perspective is and what you'd like to see MSU do, you know, to support infrastructure downtown, maybe uh past and future and other types of investments that you're wanting to make and have support from the university for.

And before I open it up, I will tell you all that um we have been to the BID and the UR and the DBA.

Um lots of discussions about um internships and um you know prepping a lot of our students for um the professional workplace within the community Bozeman.

So, not sure if that's uh of interest to you all, but that is where a lot of our discussions went.

Um Kate, thanks for thanks for taking the time to to speak with us.

So I maybe sort of the question, maybe I'm a bit naive to um what really a strategic plan for MSU is.

You know, in my mind, I hear a strategic plan, I think of physical growth and development.

Is that what this plan is, or is this plan more than just infrastructure and physical development?

Yeah, thanks for for clarifying that.

Um infrastructure is an element of a university strategic plan, but it's certainly not uh the whole plan, not even close.

Uh President Cruzado, it was a large part of her emphasis and the building that they have done on campus.

Um, so it is an element, but it's it's not the foremost element at all.

The foremost element is um serving the students and serving the state of Montana.

Okay.

Um from my perspective, oh, doing a weird graphic display here.

I'll try to not pay attention to that um from my perspective i think you know it feels like sort of the elephant in the room of housing um and i know that you know m su is trying to keep up with growth and your own growth and i guess i would i don't know what that strategic plan looks like um obviously it hasn't been released yet but I would certainly encourage that um housing is very thoroughly thought through for both the short term but also the long term and not just the students but so I we live I live right on the border of Irvine and Longfill School District and the difference of those two those two groups of students is very significant one is a feels like a transient group and one is not and I think it's not because of anything other than the fact that Irvine is um where a lot of staff are where a lot of rentals are but um I don't know I just have a personal connection to that reality that sort of mix of housing um as it relates to those two school districts and not that it's bad by any means but um the need to support housing is obvious across our I'm kind of rambling now but all obviously across the whole community and I would assume that is high on your guys' list so I don't really have a question other than behind that.

It has come up uh consistently across students staff and faculty and and students it's the grad students and the undergrad students have different takes on this as well as you can imagine.

I'm wondering you know what you perceive MSU could be doing better there or any examples you have of a anything they have been doing that you'd like to see more of um you know I don't actually have examples of what I think you have done well or haven't done well I think more that to put intention behind what you do and be intentional with your housing plan and be intentional with your your how to house the people that touch MSU whether they be again students grad students staff faculty um and have intention behind all of those parties so um I don't have an example of something I think you have done well or haven't done well but merely I support the idea that you put intention behind all of those those groups really that's all I have.

Thank you for raising that if it and if you you all have thoughts on this you know feel free also to send them to to us through Ellie um because this is this is an important part of the conversation obviously and Kate I don't I don't think you have all the answers here but this has come up a lot is the um connection and and essentially percentages of growth of the university um both you know staff faculty student wise and the growth of the community and the impact in the community housing and what that looks like um just from a relation of growth and the only reason I say that is because I think there's been a lot of discussions about whose responsibility is it right is it the community's responsibility or is it the university's responsibility to essentially provide housing or have these housing options and I think seeing that growth and watching maybe how many on campus you know residences have been added over that space same specific time period that we've had the you know growth of the university just relating those and doing it with intentions and now I'm not sure if you've gone there have access to that data but just kind of wondering if there's been more talks about getting that data Kate.

I don't have that data.

I mean, just more annexed data, really, Ellie, in terms of the growth and the the um the tension that's created.

And one thing that's been a little unclear to to me is, you know, how big of a problem is this off campus housing to the city of Bozeman?

I know it's a perceived problem to students or staff because of price and because of distance, but is this a pain point for the city?

I would say yes, but you all can comment to that effect.

Yeah, Kate, uh thanks for thanks for being here and fielding our questions.

Um, you know, I think it's certainly in terms of the URD and our, you know, uh three-pronged mission, you know, one of which is to attract investment in the downtown corridor.

You know, part of that is making it um attracting businesses, right?

Um business owners to either move their businesses to Bozeman or start businesses and uh and if they can do that, you know, downtown, that's that's great.

Um, but but certainly um that you know part of that equation is that they're looking at cost of living, obviously, right, in terms of how they can um recruit and retain staff.

Uh and so um, you know, certainly uh one of part of the solution is on the supply side.

Um and I guess kind of second to Ellie's question about um data, I guess I'd be really uh be curious, and this may be going down too far down the rabbit hole.

I'd be curious if there is kind of an an intention to Jake's point as to as the university grows, because I think you mentioned two of the goals in the strategic plan.

One was growth, the other one was research.

So as the university grows, is there a percentage of housing that the university intends to grow or build along with that growth?

I think you're on the mute.

I think you might be on mute, Kate.

Oh I think it's our I think it's our speaker.

Did see how our speakers are mute icon.

Sorry, Kate, we just have a temporary check-in.

I don't know if that's anything.

Can you try to talk, Kate?

Darn.

She had it with my own.

She didn't like my long-winded question.

Um bottom part of the screen, the um the I think something just like went off.

Oh, so but the bottom part of the screen I'm looking at for Zoom.

Oh, Kate.

I are you hearing me now?

We got you.

I'm back.

Okay.

Uh so I haven't seen the data on that.

I it is my understanding that the percentage of students who are on campus at MSU is consistent with state universities in general.

It's not consistent with private colleges and universities.

They have a larger percentage on campus.

Um, but as far as state universities go, they are um in line with that, and I and I can I can get those those uh that data and send it to Ellie, whatever is available from the president's office.

Um, I do want to clarify that I'm not an employee of MSU.

Um, I'm a consultant and hired by the president's office.

So I'm I'm a I'm uh I'm careful about uh about representing um data that is MSU that I I haven't seen.

Um that said we can we can look at that.

I mean, the other thing is that the the folks at MSU are adults, and so they they will not necessarily choose to live on campus even if they could live on campus.

Um the grad students seem to want to be on campus and the undergrads are happy to get off of campus as soon as they can.

It's a little bit of the theme that I've I've heard in my listening sessions.

So even if there were more housing, it's not a guarantee that they wouldn't spread out.

But it is it would it would improve the the um pressure on cost of living, of course.

And there is plans, and they've announced plans to build a new dorm where the grad the little grad houses are, so um that's in the works, and I I don't know if MSU's entire building master plan has been published, but um I'm you're I don't know that I don't know that this strategic plan will include a large element of master planning.

I think they're doing that on a separate kind of track.

Thanks for that.

They're also pretty landlocked up there at this point themselves, um, as I'm sure you've noticed.

But may I ask to the point of um attracting investors and which is to say businesses downtown?

Do you all see MSU students, whether they're they're graduates or or still uh as students, a big asset?

Is it being utilized fully?

This kind of goes back to Ellie's initial point about internships and whether or not there's enough connection between that incredible job market over there and what you all are doing.

Yes, definitely.

Um it's it's uh you know, uh on a smaller scope, but uh one of my businesses I definitely uh it's it's been very beneficial to have a partnership with uh specifically Jake Jabs and to recruit interns from the college and business.

So I think as the city grows um and more folks want to enjoy all of the parts of Bozeman that we currently enjoy and want to move here and own businesses here, having that direct pipeline between um MSU current students and graduates feeding into the Bozeman business community is vital.

This is really powerful.

Lots of smart, great, you know, just you know, uh everything that goes along with kind of the Montana culture.

Um and then you know, kids graduating with an MSU degree, it's really powerful for us here.

Can I ask you, Nicholas?

And and you're you're in a method of recruiting out of JAPS.

It sounds like you you go over you participate in the job fairs and all that, or is it is it more like through a certain dean?

How is that working for you?

Yeah, specifically uh being part of of the you know various colleges programming for me specifically for my tech company was um being part of their pitch program for their entrepreneurial program.

Um so um just you know subjecting my my business to their to their intellect and their critique and their questions, and then uh being fortunate enough to find a couple folks.

Um and there's a lot more than just a couple, so it's uh it's a matter of just um strength strengthening those ties, whether it's on a college level or university uh wide through career services.

I know uh Elizabeth Ferry is really working hard to try and further that, but um, whatever the channel is, in fact, as many as possible to connect MSU to the business community.

And are you all seeing or wanting students with different skill sets, which is to say different majors?

Short answer is yes.

Everyone at the table here, it's a little bit different industry with some crossover, so I second a lot of what Nicholas was saying um from an intern perspective, coming from architecture and engineering design firm background.

Um we definitely can utilize um folks coming out of MSU, not just in our Bozeman location, but we do have a series of other offices throughout states and um the US.

So there's a lot of synergy that comes um from that.

I'm curious to hear more too how MSU is open to supporting downtown.

If you're seeing any trends, or maybe with some of the commentary happening, or if it is really just focused on um supporting businesses in our downtown region.

Uh well, I think I mean my question again, speaking try not to o get over my ski chair speaking on behalf of my client, but uh there's a very heavy focus on being a good neighbor in Gallatin Valley.

And in Bozeman in particular.

There's a very heavy focus on making sure that students are um to the extent that they're part of the the cost of living problem.

What can they do to be part of the solution around what you all are all aren't trying to achieve, which is why um this this career connection is really important and it's come up at all of our meetings with the city, and you know, whether there's more of that MSU can be doing to encourage their students to be spending more time downtown, like not necessarily 2 a.m.

Saturday night downtown, but um regular times downtown and be more integrated with the community, and also as employees.

You know, I will just mention that going to some of these sessions.

I've been surprised at some of the um responses from the students and faculty and how it differs between staff, faculty, students, and maybe Kate, you can even comment to this fact.

Um the students really want to be integrated within the community.

It's a desire of theirs.

I think their number one concern is parking, and two is you know, integrating into the community.

And I think it's um, you know, it's a two-way street.

We've heard in a lot of of these discussions from students that there's just not as much fun happening, you know, not just at 2 a.m.

but just general fun happening on and off campus, and that um and that the post-COVID era of just rediscovering your community and that sort of thing is um maybe just not in its highest point right now, and um, and so just another discussion that the the desire from students is there, and so must be a two-way street for sure, and what we're seeing is that some categories of students that students in jabs and the engineering students have great access to internships and jobs, but there's a lot of other students out there that aren't don't have those clear paths.

Um so there's some frustration by them that they're not seeing opportunities both just for jobs and for internships.

Um, and then there's to tell you to expand on your point.

There's a sense of frustration that folks don't know all the great stuff that's going on up on campus, and you know, we're trying to get this comes up again and again, it comes from every category that they want to get the word out more, which just goes to building these bridges.

Um, and it sounds like some of them used to exist pre-COVID that don't anymore.

Um I would I would definitely agree with that comment as far as just spreading all the good news that or all the good things that MSU's doing.

Um, one thing I'd like to toss in the mix, um, after living in town for the past 30 plus years, uh being an MSU grad, and um and now having kids.

Well, one child that's uh third year university student um at Cal Poly, and another student who's a junior at Bozeman High.

We're seeing different university towns, different campuses.

Um, I've been kind of blown away with a lot of things that I've picked up on.

Um, some of which I'm seeing MSU do, some of which I'm not, but um relating that tie to MSU to downtown, I think is huge.

Um I'm pleased to see MSU add uh like a bookstore, or campus store of sorts uh in the mall, but I think one downtown would really help that connection.

Um there's a lot of MSU families that are spending time downtown when they're here, whether it's touring, visiting kids, whatever, it really helps create that that energy of a university town, in my opinion.

Um so I I toss that in the mix, also just events.

I mean, MSU has the catwalk downtown, which I know everyone kind of the downtown businesses appreciate that and like it.

It's it's a good energy.

Um, I think more things like that that are downtown or DBA and MSU related will only help that university-town feeling that I think is so strong to keep um to keep MSU growing.

I mean MSU's thriving, Bozeman's thriving, but let's keep it thriving.

If our foot isn't always on the pedal, it's easy to fall back.

So, um, and you know, those are just small examples, but things that I've picked up on after spending time in other university towns and touring a lot of different campuses.

Tony, quick question.

I haven't been around to many university towns in the most, but I assume it's in front of me, I have a 12-year-old.

Um, do you see a lot of presence of other universities in downtown areas?

Because I know um there was quite a twin trend there for a while, even having like um campus like off-site like extended learning campuses in downtown areas, and that trend I know has changed a little bit, but I'm just curious how you seen that.

Oh, absolutely.

And um, you know, a lot of universities are operating off campus as well, whether it's a tie with a local business of sorts, or just like you said, like satellite classroom or something to that effect, um, and I think our downtown boards could also be um use, I mean, just for students to participate, you know, just kind of open it all up and bring that youth in.

Um, just a couple thoughts.

One other thing going back to housing, even though it's uh maybe not a part of this, um, but I have seen different universities use university land to help subsidize faculty housing, and it is um there are for sale product that to help attract and um retain a high quality, um, high-quality professors, research people, whatever.

Um, and that you know, you're seeing that in the towns that you know maybe are a little bit more affluent or or just um high cost of living, and it's definitely help those universities kind of keep growing and keep stability going, um, and attracting new students, new professors, etc.

So, okay, I think you're did we lose you again?

Yeah, no, I'm still I'm still here to do that.

Um, yeah, that idea has come up from not surprising uh staff and faculty, right?

That idea uh the the difficulties in recruiting faculty is a very real problem up there, especially uh very accomplished research faculty is front of mind.

Um so yeah, there are there are some ideas floating around that's one that has come up.

Could I excuse me?

Could I be able to speak to this?

Um, you know, as the board liaison, I kind of try to be uh just support, but I do think I have some valuable perspective to contribute here.

I actually grew up in the little monopoly houses on MSU campus until I was 13 years old.

Um my parents both got master's degrees, and um, I was really excited to hear that MSU is finally going to remove the last of those because they were in rough shape even when I was living in them.

But um, I think you know, a product type that is maybe a little bit similar that could cater to those um adults, uh grad students, faculty, specialty um, you know, liaisons, things like that.

Um MSU has built some new dorms, but this other product type I think could have a big impact.

Um, and I know that MSU students off campus make up 20% of Bozeman's population, and so that has an enormous impact on the rental housing market.

And the special thing about students, um, the way they finance their cost of living is not tied to the local job market, it is most often debt financed, or the bank of mom and dad.

And those two things do not put downward pressure on the housing market and the prices.

They actually have inflationary effects.

So for MSU to maybe address a little bit more of the housing, would do a lot for Bozeman businesses who are trying to find people to employ.

Yeah, and I just wanted to mention it's Irving School, named after Washington Irving.

So that was my school when I was little.

So anyway, yeah, so just wanted to share a little bit of that perspective.

And about 60% of the single family homes are actually rented by four or five, six college kids, because they do have a desire for a yard, and you know, maybe they have a boat they go play with on the weekends, or you know.

So a different product type on campus could be a good thing.

So thank you, Kate.

Yeah, no, that's that's a that's a great perspective.

And I mean, one thing that we see broadly across the university campuses is the need to be very delivered.

We that's where we started with the housing, around also potentially overbuilding housing on a campus.

Um because you don't want to get to the point where where you can't fill those, or now it's having a bad impact on the actual town's rental market as well, or you know, you don't want too much.

Um I know it's probably hard to imagine in Bozeman right now, but it is something that the university planners are cognizant of.

Um, so if even if you were to be again, even if they were to build a time more housing on campus, that may or may not mean that students would want to be there.

And it could have a bad impact on some of those rentals.

So I I think it's just it's a delicate maneuvering.

Well, I think in respect of time and knowing that we do have some some more agenda items to get to.

Um, if you all don't have any more questions, um maybe if we'll uh have an avenue to to get these to you through email Kate and continue our discussions, and you guys can definitely get me additional questions and feedback for Kate.

Again, I will keep you all updated on where these listening sessions will be through the summer and more um avenues for you to participate.

Any other thoughts or questions, Kate?

No, just thank you for the time, and uh, you know, the president's office is very focused on getting tangible action oriented recommendations.

So if you think about this conversation, please send them through Ellie because we are collecting those, we're collecting them via our survey as well.

Which I'm sure Ellie will can share with you.

So uh we're interested in continuing to hear from you uh as we go.

Okay.

Kate, thanks so much for being here.

Thanks, Kate.

Thank you.

All right, bye bye, everyone.

All righty.

Um I think next up the Bozeman stream folks.

All right.

John Henderson, our assistant city manager to do a quick update on our Bozeman Creek vision plan.

I have keep kept you all updated on this throughout, and um it is an engage Bozeman project.

Downtown is directly related, and we're just really excited to have John here today.

I'm excited to be here.

Thank you for having me.

Again, my name's John Henderson, I'm your assistant city manager, and uh just thrilled to be here for sure.

Um, I'm actually gonna be co-presenting this with another um person who might be joining us online.

If you could bring Nick into the meeting, and then Nick.

We got you, Nick.

Yes, sir.

Yeah, and if um if you don't mind uh advancing the slides here, Nick, you and I can uh kind of work through this together.

Uh so I'm just gonna take the first uh few slides and then and hand it over to Nick for um uh the majority of the content, and then I'll you'll you'll see me at the very end.

Kind of to try to wrap this up.

Uh, just with respect to the time that we have today, we're gonna try to limit this presentation to about 20 minutes.

A lot of ground to cover, but uh really appreciate your patience and and again the opportunity to to present where we are with this important work here.

Um, as you all may already be familiar, uh, this has been a uh commission priority now that was adopted back in late 2024.

Um, and then we spent last year, kind of the last half of 25, uh laying the foundation for uh getting an incredibly well qualified consultant on board, uh contracts in process, and then uh just in January of this year, um, we have uh established a community engagement plan uh and then some goals that we're gonna step through here in a couple of slides.

So just want to provide an outline here for this uh the conversation today.

Um I'll provide this kind of very high-level overview and introduce uh our consultant, and then next gonna take uh some time and walk through uh some of the uh information that we want to share with regard to our very first public event that we have scheduled for next Tuesday, which is super exciting.

And then at the very end, uh we'll finish with a slide about some uh some next steps.

So, yeah, next slide, please.

So uh before we get into to really uh the the matter, I I want to celebrate this unique partnership that we have with a group called C.

Bozeman Creek.

I'm actually joined today by Jim Madden, one of the uh foundation members of the group, along with Steve Noble.

Uh, these two gentlemen deserve an enormous amount of credit for uh building momentum over the last few years in a very meaningful way with uh a variety of of different constituents that have been involved in this advisory committee that they've formed.

Um, and perhaps I don't have to tell you how fortunate we are to live in a community that's uh really engaged and interested in uh providing their expertise and their uh their level of skill and and uh practical experience.

Uh we've got uh watershed experts, we've got uh biologists and um uh and and fo and engineers, architects, really a great mix uh within that sea boson creek group to help uh inform uh what we can do as it relates to these opportunities along Bozeman Creek.

And then we are partnering with the City of Bozeman.

So C Boston Creek and the City of Bozeman are co-leading this effort.

Uh that's a bit of a unique uh thing uh and and really want to uh celebrate that because that's I think a good example of what we can do together and and really building uh support for what will likely be some generational work that we're gonna try to explore here throughout the process.

Um next slide, please.

Uh and I apologize for the text here.

You I don't expect you to read the the words on the screen.

Just want to kind of measure where we are in the progress in the process right now.

Um we just finished the first phase, which was really uh just getting our feet under us.

Uh we've met with a uh pretty wide variety of constituents and stakeholders, some uh neighborhood advisory groups already, and and a healthy amount of literature review that that's been undertaken.

Um again, one of the benefits that we have from bringing a consultant that works in this space is that they are able to draw from experience all over the country.

Uh they've spent a lot of time with our code, understanding what our limitations are, more importantly, what the opportunities are.

And you're gonna hear from Nick uh in in a little bit about just how some of this aligns with with some of the work that we've already uh completed here.

Uh some of you may be familiar with the 2012 Bozeman Creek Enhancement Project.

Uh, that effort was specifically designed to kind of set the stage for why we're here today and really uh helping further that vision of our commitment to the creek and what what can really um uh be realized through through proper investments and and just really meaningful work along the creek.

Um and then I'm sure you're you're familiar with the 2019 uh downtown improvement plan uh has a whole section dedicated on uh supporting the creek and and again want to really reinforce the importance of our namesake waterway as it uh travels through downtown and uh the the rough stretch of the study is gonna be from about Ice Pond Road, kind of where the Galligator is uh uh along the creek there, all the way through the Northeast neighborhood uh to roughly I-90 or so.

And I recognize that's not um, you know, there's a there's a little bit of a uh an artificial uh boundary that we're trying to establish here with uh with respect that we are operating within a larger watershed.

We have a we absolutely have to have a commitment to making sure that we understand those upstream, downstream effects, and and everything in between.

So uh there's just a limit to the to the scope that we're trying to achieve here, and and just want to pay respect to um to our um uh obligation to support the environment here.

So again, that arrow shows uh where we are in the process.

We're just about to begin uh the real formal public engagement, and that's really um the first step here.

Uh we've got this public event that I mentioned next Tuesday.

I'm here before you today to provide an introduction and an invitation uh for your participation.

And then further down the line, uh we are gonna ask for another opportunity to present to you uh the draft plan itself.

That'll probably come around late August, early September, and I'll work with Ellie and others to get on your calendar for that point in time where you'll be able to respond to some of those project ideas and policy recommendations that are gonna be put forward in this vision plan.

And that's really the idea is to try to assemble good examples of discrete projects that we can accomplish, uh long-term funding strategies, policy recommendations, wrap all that up into um a vision document that the city commission will have an opportunity to adopt in December.

So that's that's the the introduction here.

Next slide, please.

Um, Nick.

I just want to kind of finish my set of slides here before I hand it over to Nick with a reminder of what the goals are for this project.

Um so we are uh very interested in understanding a little bit more about what we can do to mitigate flood hazards that are very real on the creek, especially within downtown.

Uh we're looking to uh improve our water quality and and ecological health.

Um we've already made a lot of progress over the last uh couple of decades with some pretty significant stormwater improvements, but uh want to want to build on that to keep improving the ecological health of the creek.

Um we're gonna try to increase access and connectivity to the parks and trail system.

Uh when you kind of back away and you see all these parks and trails that are uh providing an incredible way to connect uh through the creek.

Uh, we really want to lean into that and see if there are more opportunities that we can establish that as a real primary corridor.

And then finally, last couple uh goals here would be just to support that uh economic vitality opportunity, and that that really speaks to downtown.

Um I feel like this group is very well versed and understands the benefit of that uh economic driver as a community and and what we can do to really embrace the creek as it as it uh traverses through downtown.

And then finally, uh last but certainly not least, would just to be to significantly strengthen that community connection to to our our namesake creek here.

It's such a vital resource for uh for our quality of life and and our uh commitment to to the environment.

We we've we've got to do everything we can to honor that.

So without uh further ado, I'm gonna turn it over to Nick Jabs.

Nick uh comes from a company called Port, and they do this kind of work all over the country.

We went through a very rigorous selection process and super thrilled that uh that they're working with us here.

And again, they're able to contribute that national perspective and kind of that clear eye uh view of you know what we can really realize here within Bozeman.

So without further ado, thank you, Nick.

Thanks, John.

Uh you all can hear me, correct?

Yes, we can hear you.

Um, thank you.

Um yeah, so um as John mentioned, my name is Nick Chad.

As far as I know, I there's no relationship to Jake Chabs, but I I do want to look into that more because it sounds like a good person to know.

Um, I I'm an associate principal at Port.

We're a multidisciplinary practice, so we're comprised of landscape architect, architects, planners, urban designers.

Um, and really at the core of what we do is public realm design.

Uh so we we work in in public spaces.

I'll flip through these relatively quickly, but there's a handful of uh just project typologies that we work on, including things like urban furniture, um, you know, in in a variety of different contexts.

Let's see if we can advance that uh a lot of different kinds of community gathering spaces, whether they be sort of formal or more playful in nature.

Um, we do uh a lot of work with with pop-ups and activations, just ways to kind of rethink spaces like streetscapes or parking lots to think about how community it can be spaces for a communities to come together.

We have worked on a number of large urban parks throughout the country that address a variety of different kinds of needs, ecological or recreation.

And we've also done a handful of kind of bigger urban plans that balance access to public space with development opportunities and different kinds of uh forms of development.

And really have a kind of big expertise working with outdoor recreation gateway communities.

These this in particular is in Knoxville, Tennessee, but a lot of similarities between a lot of our projects throughout the United States.

And we've we also kind of, as John was mentioning, recognize the importance of not just thinking about a site in isolation, but understanding its broader context, be that economic or or ecological, in this case, both Salt Lake County and in the Highlands region of New York.

John mentioned this, but we do work throughout the throughout the country.

We have an office in Philadelphia and an office in Chicago, but we've worked throughout the country, and really public space, as I mentioned, is our bread and butter.

It's really what we drives us as a practice.

And we've worked on a number of river-based projects, including a handful of rivers in the Appalachian Mountains, Shark Tears Creek, the Clinch River, and the Tennessee River.

And a number of rivers also in the Rocky Mountains.

So we've got a large project in Boise under construction, and working with Salt Lake County on the Jordan River and the Arkansas River down in Colorado.

Along those lines, we're joined on this project with a company called Rio Applied Science and Engineering.

They're a hydrologic and geomorphologic design practice in Southeise, but we've worked with them on a number of projects.

Really at the core of what we do and what Rio does is making sure that the ecological functionality of our river systems is as productive as possible.

So that's that's certainly a core part of what we're bringing to this project here.

Just want to highlight this as an important part of our engagement approach and and hopefully this resonates.

So ask what's in confirm and reflect is kind of central to our engagement approach, and that's what we're doing here in this process, just to bring it back to this timeline.

As John mentioned, we spent the first handful of weeks really meeting with the stakeholder group in part because the stakeholder group that makes up Seabosen Creek and the people that the city was able to pull together, just a really incredible diverse group of folks that make up that stakeholder group.

So we had a lot to learn from them, a lot to listen and hear from them.

And we're now moving into the public oriented portion of this process with this meeting next week on June 2nd.

So again, we're asking, listening, confirming, and reflecting on those on what we hear.

Just put another way, this is basically the same information put another way.

We're in the imagining phase.

So next week, when we're out in the public, we will be talking about 12 big ideas for Bozeman Creek, and it's it's a sort of open house format.

But then we'll come back in July with uh learning from what we heard during that public engagement event with a kind of testing exercise with the stakeholder group.

Um, and then we'll have another public event in August around the Sweet Pea Festival time that will really present the draft vision uh framework plan again to to ask and listen, um, and then we'll refine that and we'll we'll come back towards the end of the year with the kind of pre-final vision plan and then wrap up in December with um making sure we make a presentation to the city commission.

Um, just to walk through a little bit of what we've done already, we met in February with a handful of of groups, uh, including some some folks from the business uh local downtown business groups, um, neighborhood groups, the Gallatin Valley Land Trust and the Trust for Public Land, the Kelton Watershed Council, and of course the Sea Bozeman Creek and the City themselves being part of these discussions.

Just a handful of the takeaways that I want to talk about here.

Uh the these are things we heard from from those groups.

Um the vision for Bozeman Creek should align with the broader ecological context, making sure that we understand it within the the context of the Gallatin Valley.

Um, and the the emphasis should be on quality of life improvements tied to enhanced ecological services.

Um the third one, Bozeman is becoming amenitized.

This is not always aligned with community needs and goals.

Um the fourth one, the state and local legislative context is unique and nuanced, and it does impact what is possible.

So really kind of diving into things like the code that John was mentioning.

Um, and then finally uh a catastrophic event is not an if but a when we need to understand that we should position this work accordingly to that that understanding.

This is a kind of high-level diagram of of maybe how to think about that.

Uh it's it's a little bit oversimplified, but I think it gets the point across that there's we kind of live in this environment where there's a catastrophic event that happens and public concern and and therefore political will is really high following one of those catastrophic events, but in some ways the it's it's also the moment when the catastrophic event and future catastrophic event is kind of lowest.

Um, and as time progresses, the the risk of an event increases for a variety of reasons, lack of maintenance, etc.

Um, but political will and public concern decreases as the memory of those catastrophic events um fades.

Uh and there are many examples of of these kinds of events.

Um, in Boulder, Colorado, there's massive floods in the 2013 that led to big transformations uh in that region.

The Yellowstone floods in 2022 are an example of this as well.

Um and really, in terms of positioning this work, the idea is to interrupt that cycle with this vision plan to both increase political will to kind of make the transformational changes that that probably need to happen to avert things like future catastrophic events and therefore reduce the the risk of those events or the impacts of those events in the future.

Um so going back to that last point of the takeaway positioning this work uh relative to these considerations.

Um we also spent a lot of time looking at the variety of work that preceded this.

There's been a lot of study, both uh with regards to the context itself and on the creek specifically.

Again, going back to that 2012 report.

I think significantly it was released in June of last year is the preliminary engineering report for Bozeman Creek, looking at different ways of mitigating the flood risk.

Um, but of course, understanding all the context that this fits into, whether it's a sensitive lands plan, the downtown improvement plan, or parks and recreation plan, there's there's a lot of different uh considerations that tie into this study of Bozeman Creek.

Um in April we were we were in town again, met with the business groups.

I think there is, I was not actually at this at these meetings, but I believe that there is a sort of limited number of folks who could make that meeting in April.

Um we met with the neighborhood groups, which was great, and then uh again, with the C.

Bozeman Creek Advisory Committee.

Um at that time, we collectively were today in those meetings.

We met around these big maps that really took in the scope of the work as John described.

Actually, a little bit past we went up to Story Mill Park up here.

But really wanted to kind of draw out what people knew and understood and talked through the different possibilities and opportunities here along the creek.

So these are a little hard to read, but the idea is just that with both of these groups that we met with, we really had a kind of detailed discussion around uh around the creek itself and its relationship to the city.

A couple big takeaways from some of those meetings.

Uh again, the this initiative needs a vision.

It needs a kind of real clear, charismatic vision that's associated with it.

Um it should be strategic but not modest.

Again, building off a lot of the planning work that's already happened.

And then significantly it should tell a compelling story as well.

Um these are things we've heard from all those folks that we've we've been meeting with throughout this process.

Um, and all of that work is informing what we're coming with next week on June 2nd in Sir Optimus Park.

Uh, I believe it's from 4 to 7 p.m.

Uh, with these 12 big ideas for Bozeman Creek.

These are not ideas that we've invented, but rather they're ideas that uh that have been kind of talked about throughout this first phase of the process.

A lot of again, a lot of standing over the maps, drawing things, talking about opportunities.

Um we've just reflected on those conversations to present these uh 12 big ideas uh to get to kind of general public to weigh in on.

Um so we'll be in Suro Optimus Park.

Um we'll have a handful of different um stations, so there'll be a welcome station that can kind of orient people.

We'll have a survey likely that that people will be able to fill out as well, kind of paper survey.

Um there will be a big map that will will people can stand around to talk about the context similar to how we were doing it with the small groups there.

Um, but the the big part of the the meeting will be these presentation boards.

So we'll have the 12 big ideas, each one will have its own board, and then we'll have three boards that provide context uh to a little bit about the process, about the history, about what's happened before, and some of the the important bit of the analysis that we want to bring forward.

Um so that was a lot.

I'm gonna pause there and actually hand it back over to John.

I'm happy to answer questions uh with the rest of our time.

Thank you, Nick, so much.

Um I think you can tell we're in good hands here, and and again, appreciate your time and allowing us to move through a lot of information there and and uh want to be available for some questions.

But uh first just want to uh maybe set the stage for what the months to come look like and and a couple of specific requests that we have for this group.

Um so, as mentioned, uh we're we're gonna swing back uh with a draft, probably uh around September, end of August there, um, and then you'll be able to respond to some some of those tangible project ideas.

Um and not to foreshadow too much here, but uh uh but but make sure to uh kind of be seated when you're when you're looking at some of these ideas.

Uh there's some really bold, ambitious ideas uh being put forth.

Um, super proud of that because it's a direct reflection of the public engagement that we've done.

Uh none of these projects came from uh the dais or city manager.

Uh they were actually generated through this public interest and this process that C.

Bozeman Creek uh deserves just an enormous amount of credit for for encouraging and and creating a space for uh us to think creatively and just really uh leaning into what is possible.

So some of these boards that you'll see uh next Tuesday would really encourage you to stop by if you can uh have some very ambitious uh ideas on them, and that's the intention.

We want to inspire people uh to think really creatively and beyond what we might think are limiting factors here for now.

So that will most likely take shape uh for sure through the course of the project, but uh want everybody to be aware that uh we're we're we're thinking big here, and that's a good thing.

Um I want to thank Ellie and Emily, really done a great job helping us uh promote this event for next week.

We're gonna try to draw as many people as we can and um and really anxious to to start sharing this this conversation a little bit more broadly.

And then finally I want to ask a couple of things of this board.

You can imagine that we're these projects that we're gonna come up with we're gonna uh try to align them with funding opportunities whether that's FEMA grants or other uh investment opportunities uh perhaps even uh philanthropy and beyond um but there is a good chance that that we will be back in front of you before not too long uh to request some um uh consideration of uh potentially uh significant uh financial investments on behalf of the urban renewal district here downtown so um we're gonna do everything we can to make sure that everything's aligned with with this group and and the and the goals of the other plans that we're trying to uh to fit within here so uh so yeah I appreciate um you you getting us uh to a point where we can start putting uh pen to paper and and start seeing where some of these projects might be fully realized and then finally um wanna ask if there is interest for a couple of members of your committee uh to continue to be involved and engaged uh throughout the course of the summer I know summer is a tough time but uh you know hopefully you've got some vacation on the calendar and schedules can get tight meetings get get canceled uh so we want to make sure that there's an opportunity for you all uh to continue to be involved uh throughout the process uh whether that's informally or formally um and I can work with Ellie and Emily uh after this meeting to uh kind of collect what that interest looks like and what kind of shape that that needs to take but uh do want you to know that there's a desire for uh for your involvement um even in that informal capacity so whatever that looks like for you uh happy to entertain that um and then Jim and Nick and I are available for questions if you've got uh some extra time would love to answer any questions you might have thank you thank you so much John and Nicholas I think you're nodding that you'd say you you'll join us on a committee and yeah I'd love to be part of the yeah process it's very exciting thanks John any additional questions I have I have one question um first of all thank you for things for putting that together brussel thank you for like telling us what's coming up like telling us what you're going to do in the future I really appreciate sort of knowing your your uh intentions for you know whether funding or whatnot so I appreciate that quick question about June 2nd um you are not intending to seek feedback at this necessarily right this is like you're sharing the 12 ideas you've you've created with all the feedback you've gotten so far is that correct well uh let me let me speak to that uh so uh this event is is definitely intended to uh provide an opportunity for the public to respond to some of the ideas that have been put put on the paper right now and then uh we I know we didn't uh get through all 12 of those big ideas but the 12th idea is actually a blank piece of paper so that's an a way for okay if we've missed something or if there's another grand idea that someone would like to put forth we would love to hear it.

And I would really encourage anyone who's listening to to come down and this is a good time in the process to think big and and to really put those ideas out there.

Obviously once we keep moving through the process those opportunities will become a little bit more limited or more challenging to really fully digest but uh no we we are wide open to ideas at this point.

Nothing's nothing's been decided and uh this is the best opportunity to kind of make it what it can be.

Great thanks.

More specifically there each of the boards will have a big space on it for people to well have sticky notes you can make comments I like this I think this is really dumb you know what if we thought about it this way and and we'll have folks there to talk through these things as well.

So it's not a presentation, it's really an open house format.

You know, go at your own pace, have conversations.

That's what we want to do.

Okay.

Cool.

Look forward to it.

And during this event, just out of curiosity, will or will there be a presentation or is it more of kind of just an open house forum?

Stop by the tables, read the info and yeah, thanks Ellie yeah, so just given the um uh the nature of the setting and the format that we're trying to create there, it there will be no formal presentation.

It's it's designed so that you can kind of enter through one end of the park and come out the other end of the park in an upstream to downstream kind of fashion.

There's a lot of intention and you know how we're designing that event, but it is informal, it'll be fun.

Uh, there will be activities for uh for any and all to be a part of, and yeah, please come by if you can.

Okay.

Cool.

Okay.

Any other questions?

Okay.

Of course, keep you all updated.

We are intimately involved in this process, and thank you guys so much for being here.

All right, thank you for your time.

Yeah, and Jim, we're sorry you didn't get up, but Jim has obviously been incredibly instrumental, and thank you so much for staying up with.

All righty, yeah, and thanks.

Um, I think we are through our special presentations.

Um, our next item on the agenda.

I assume we have a formal grant review.

So, Ellie, I don't know if you want to present that.

Um, yeah, I can give you a bit of background.

Um, I think this is probably the second or third time you all have seen this.

Uh we had uh established an infrastructure grant earlier this year.

So I think it was formally um approved in December, November or December.

Um the intention behind that is really knowing um what's in store for us in the way of infrastructure improvements, public infrastructure needs and improvements in downtown.

Many of these um public infrastructure needs are directly tied to future developments.

Uh no direct ties to um uh the private portion of the project, but the need to get these infrastructure um portions done in relation to the relationship to these developments.

What we found is that for us to go in and do these projects on our own is very difficult, and there's a lot of um two projects going on one, you know, kind of um treading on each other's issues.

So um we found that um establishing a infrastructure grant program um does give us the ability to um get a lot of this work done in coordination with future developments and fix some of these needs that we know um are important.

So with that, we have um adopted that infrastructure grant.

This is our first infrastructure grant request from here.

Um, I should back up a little bit in the process of getting the grant application because it is our first grant request.

We did work very intimately with legal to make sure that um although the grant itself is written, of course, with all resolutions, legal ease in mind, um, to take it to the next step of the actual reimbursement of this grant that we go through to due diligence with legal.

So following the potential approval of this grant, we will um supply our um grant um requests or our folks who are receiving the grant with a grant applicate or a grant um uh agreement, grant agreement.

Sorry, we've gone back and forth on what we were calling that.

Jake has been intimately involved here.

Um we will go into a grant agreement, we will present that to our development group, um, work through that, and then it will sit as a reimbursement grant to the work that needs to be done.

This specific grant request is for sewer um infrastructure improvements uh tied to the Bozeman Hotel projects on Mendenholm.

I will tell you, looking back at the needs of this specific um public infrastructure and sewer line um improvement, it was a little bit of a hill to climb.

Um that uh specific uh sewer improvement was going to have to go underneath Bozeman Creek or be redirected up the wrong way and then back the right way.

Um I believe that after several reviews from your end, um it has been determined that going the wrong way to then go the right way is the right approach.

Um, but I think that this was always gonna be um a relatively um in-depth infrastructure improvement tied to a development.

So with that, the request is there.

Um Emily, if you wouldn't mind opening the actual application, request that all of you know read through this in full detail so that we could essentially make our way through this approval pretty quickly, unless there were questions to the developer.

If you remember all of our grant requests, all of our applicants do need to go through part one of the grant application.

Anything over $50,000 need to go into part two of the grant application, with which then takes us to all of the adjacent materials on this grant application.

Emily, if you'll just scroll potentially down to the matrix.

That explains the down more.

That's just the actual.

And of course, this is on our agenda if anyone wants to see the full documentation up to that red.

And this is essentially what we've asked the applicant to fill out in coordination with what we are trying to do and our URD priorities as well as our budget.

We do have 1.5 million allocated in our fiscal year 27 budget to support projects like these.

Yeah, good question.

It's a very exciting project, and I think it's an opportunity for us to fulfill our mission and to allocate funds, you know, in a responsible way towards improving infrastructure.

Do we have a sense of because I think I read somewhere um into in what you provided, Ellie, about um a degree of blight that is being remediated?

Do we have a sense of how much blight?

You know, I will tell you, I know that this these are deferred sewer lines as many um outside of our direct core are.

Um I do not have the the total um amount.

I think 327,000 is the specific request, uh, but the you know, impacted blight details, no, I do not.

But I will tell you this, Nicholas.

Us getting our head around that from a full district-wide perspective, it has become really important.

And I think you all know we've been we've been talking about this for a while, and we review our priorities.

But you know, just to say it out loud in a public meeting, that is really our goal over the next year to two years, to is to truly identify what most important um issues of blight or blight that we've determined within our district are the most important to tackle now.

What can we tackle through potential grants or developments that maybe we know about will happen over the next five years?

And then what you know deferred or um infrastructure items are we just simply not able to tackle through the URDO may need to tackle into the more long-term future.

We don't have that data now, but you all supported um 250,000 spent on a downtown public realm plan.

Um, and that is really a big goal of ours is to really know what that looks like between now and and the next two years.

And again, not sure that answers your question, but helps maybe it does, yeah.

I I appreciate that there may not be like a hard number associated to the amount of light.

Um and again, these funds are are released upon occupancy.

That's correct.

Okay, certificate of occupancy, and it is a reimbursement grant based on um the actual cost of improvements.

And that will be outlined in the grant agreement as what we must receive in order to pay out that reimbursement and what the details of that of that reimbursement looks like.

So is that up to the amount requested then in the grant?

Yeah, to not be on okay.

Correct.

Can you go to page uh 17 of this real quick?

The one that actually has the T D and H plan.

Oh, scroll down.

Yeah, no, that was it.

That was it.

Yeah, yeah.

Go back up.

Oh, I just want to understand the physical site for a sec.

So if you look at the top left where you have the proposed site, and then that's uh God, okay, like bearings.

So that's Menon Hall.

So it's it's putting a new sewer along Mendon Hall, going upstream, and it's gonna be pumped upstream that way to tie into the existing sewer that's on Bozeman, right?

And so the future properties that are going to benefit other than this development would be everything between this site and the tie-in attack.

Nine properties.

You know, Duncan or Matt, maybe you guys can just come up and just answer that just for public record.

I don't think I did a really great job of explaining the, you know, go the wrong way to go the right way scenario.

Yeah, basically, I guess in a sh in short, I'll t you know.

What is the benefit to not this project?

Who benefits other than the hotel?

So I'm Duncan Fraser and with Pain Group.

Um I helped put this application together.

Uh so there's nine other properties on the street, which is essentially right outside the windows here, uh, that would benefit from this in the long term.

Okay.

In regards to Blight, there's multiple properties right now that are abandoned buildings essentially, or vacant lots that would be impacted.

Um so from an overall benefit, it's quite significant for this specific block, uh this specific block.

Did that answer your question?

Yeah, I think so.

Um, so then is the line then sloped, like physically, so the the future properties aren't gonna have to have their own pumping.

You guys are pumping.

And we're not pumping, it's all gravity fed.

Oh, it is, yeah.

We're able to keep enough slope uh with the new line to not have to put it in.

Okay, so going backwards is really just a turn just backwards, but it is sloped, okay.

Yep.

Okay.

It's going down, but it's going to, yeah.

There's no lift station.

No liftation, no pumping.

Okay.

And the only reason we were thinking, the only reason it was ever thought about going under the under the creek is because the closest sewer tie-in is actually on the other side of the creek currently.

Correct.

Currently it goes essentially from Bozeman to the east underneath the creek.

It's a over 100-year-old.

They actually don't know when it was installed, it was at least 100 years old.

Okay.

Um so going that direction would involve taking out the creek and having to redo the whole thing and it became a much more complex issue.

Sure.

Um so we determined that going this direction with working with the city was the most ideal.

Okay.

And so also properties would be connected into the new line immediately as soon as it's completed.

Yeah.

Okay.

And then the T D and H budget is the cost of the line from your property to the corner to the tie-in.

Yep.

There is still substantial cost that we are incurring for the basic design, uh, which is not included in that number.

So we still will be paying a significant portion of the cost.

Um, I mean, concept where you where you divided it is you divided it at the Mendon Hall scope of work where your project in concept your project is funding your tie-in to conceptually a city main that would exist in Mendon Hall that doesn't.

Correct.

This is just the city main.

Okay.

City main out infrastructure.

Okay.

And dumb question, but TDH obviously sized it for all my properties.

Oh yeah.

That would be huge.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Planning capacity.

Yeah.

Okay.

Future proofing.

Yep.

Emily, would you mind scrolling?

I think down to that uh where it breaks out the different line items of the 372.

372, right?

Is that correct?

372.

Yep, right there.

Oh no, that's not it.

Keep going.

Oh, sorry, you're right.

This would also be under city of Bozeman procurement.

And uh, yeah, so the final number would be based off uh open bid process.

But managed underneath the general contractor who we have for the hotel, and that way there's just more cost efficiency for everyone all the way around.

I just have one question.

Yep.

Is this approved now?

Or it had like approved with conditions at one point.

Is it it forward?

No.

Yes, our site plan is approved, and our building permit is imminent.

Famous last words.

Right.

Yeah.

I mean, I haven't seen that for the last two weeks, but I talked to the city this morning and we're almost there.

And just to um kind of take that, you know, funnel that down.

Is this process of getting this approved and then going into the grant agreement was the process, you know, preferred by legal for that reason to make sure that you know all the all the dots are that I've dotted and t's are crossed.

All right, any additional questions for myself or yeah, yeah, Ellie.

Sorry, I just quickly uh, and this is why I wanted to bring this up.

Is that is is repairing replacing sidewalk is that normally part of what we reimburse for that's considered infrastructure, or is that because I that that is okay?

Yeah, I just wasn't.

I mean, it's a small piece of the overall ask, but I was just curious about that.

Yeah, we're actually gonna be rebuilding all the sidewalk along our frontage.

Um, and then we have a bunch more work to go on the backside as well.

But that's not included in these numbers.

So that's part of our cost sharing.

Got it.

Got it.

Okay.

Yeah, so generally speaking, um, you know, a developer that they are required to do the sidewalk repairs and and pouring, but with directly tied to the the connection of this sewer project, they will have to do some trenching and all that.

Okay.

So that is something generally speaking that we have covered in the past and it is public right-of-way.

Okay, thanks.

All right.

Well, if you all um, you know, would like to move forward, Emily.

Do we from here um need to do a public comment on this?

All right, so Jake, I'll just have you request a public comment.

Yeah.

Uh is there any public comment?

Emily, is anything online?

Or anyone in the got someone in the room?

Greetings, uh Mark Campanelli, uh Bogart Park resident.

Um the tax increment from the Spotique Hotel is truly impressive.

Um, less than a one-year payback is expected.

Um, and I read something like 464,000 a year.

Um I presume this increment will have the TIFF increment fund in short order once it's been repaid.

Um, is that enough to pay for a new parking garage downtown?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Like, is there a plan here?

Um that might influence decision making.

Um call me a skeptic, but I suppose I'm not sure about the public benefit and but four of adding another luxury hotel downtown, especially when the tax increment is going to be like diverted from the city's general fund.

Um, often when I've been away at dinner time because I'm at a city meeting doing my public duty, um, I'll grab a PETA and drink for my son on the way home from PETAPED.

It's easily $20 now with a good tip.

So that's your downtown uh gentrification.

And am I supposed to thank this board for that gentrification?

Price inflation, displacement of down-to-earth venues like cactus records for growth that's stressing services without contributing supporting tax revenue.

Okay, I mean, we are hurting for money, and my taxes went up 50% since I moved in 10 years ago.

And I have an SID, so I paid for half the utilities on my street, still paying it off, right?

Um at a recent commission meeting, uh, Commissioner Magic even floated the idea of a local option sales tax after the deriv expires, which seems to contradict the quote delayed gratification of TIFF that city's economic development department constantly touts.

It's delayed gratification.

That doesn't mean I get another tax later.

Um all of this rings a bell with the strong town group's documentation of what's called the growth Ponzi scheme.

That's just infecting municipalities across the country, and it's not sustainable long term.

So it's arguable if the blight along Bozeman Creek is being remedied in the long term by this project.

Note that the boutique hotel would be protected better from flooding by investing TIFF funds in the public wide in this public wide infrastructure of flood reduction we just heard about, see Bozeman Creek and the Bozeman Creek Vision Plan.

It should also reduce the soft cost from having to do extensive flood mitigation studies and architectural design as part of the site plans.

I've seen that in the church street uh block, not block B, but uh the depot on church.

They had to do, you know, extra planning for that at adds costs, as well as potentially carrying flood insurance, which is mega expensive.

So I view that as the key infrastructure we need to be investing in.

So at this point, um, I've reviewed the board's resumes at one or at one point I did, so I get the short-term thinking and why the money is going where it is.

Um, but I'm here to remind you all that I pay taxes into the general fund.

I already discussed how much that's gone up.

I pay SIDs for infrastructure, which included improving the sewers so that the water wouldn't directly go into Bozeman Creek uh from Story Street, which I talked to utility guys about.

I think that's great.

I would love to see us ensure that like a heat island from the patio right next to the creek isn't dumping hot water right into the creek, right?

Let's make sure that all those boxes are checked for this hotel if we're gonna go forward with it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Daniel Cardi, Bozeman resident.

I live a few blocks west of here on the uh 200 block of North Third and Midtown.

I'm speaking today to ask this board to deny this TIFF request for 372,000 for the boutique hotel.

My reasons are as follows.

This luxury hotel is not in a blighted area, and thus this TIFF request is totally inappropriate.

This TIF request does not meet the butt for rule.

Development is going to occur here anyway.

The hotel will be built regardless of whether the TIFF money is given to them or not.

And so again, the TIFF request is inappropriate.

And this TIFF request will not bring any community benefit to Bozeman at large, but will benefit a private developer to help maximize his profits.

Interestingly, if you attended or watched this commission meeting when the commission approved the boutique hotel, you will remember that Matt Payne, the developer and head of the Payne group, stood at this podium and insulted the Bozeman community for opposing his hotel.

That should count for something.

In conclusion, development must pay its own way.

Thank you.

If you are listening online and would like to make public comment.

Yeah, Matt Matt Payne, 515 South Black.

Um, I'm gonna respond to all of these assumptions and allegations, but I want to make one clear distinction regarding specifically to this infrastructure improvement.

Uh, our T DH study initially determined that there was enough capacity in the existing line to accommodate all the rooms and all the needs of the hotel itself, but because of the age and because the city is trying to be forward thinking in future proofing this requested an upsizing of this, not just because the line is going to fail eventually of its, you know, on its own, but also because we wanted to future proof it.

We tried to take it the other way, um, and and maybe uh work with the culvert issue um of the creek, but there wasn't enough money in the budget um for the city to do that, uh, according to the public works director.

So going the other way was was a uh more cost effective and also benefited more adjacent properties.

So this was really driven by the city trying to future proof it.

Um so that our initial argument was that's the cost that we would need to initially um incur because there wasn't uh a necess and a necessity for that line to be upgraded from a capacity perspective.

This is driven by the city and we we've been working eagerly um with them to make this as as cost effective as possible not just you know because they asked us to but because it's the right thing to do for the entire block so I'm not taking any of that money home.

Thank you.

Thank you.

If you're online and would like to make public comment you can use the raise your hand feature.

Emily do you see any additional public comments one more?

Alright well we can um go to more um you know internal board discussion and vote if you guys are ready and if you are ready to make a vote if you could just reference the actual um request which I will pull up Emily if you could just pull up the agenda so they can reference that before we move to the vote just is there any other things you want to talk about any other dots I guess excuse me one thing I'd like to share is something's gone on here maybe hello hello can you all hear us something's changed but um one thing that I'd like to share I mean I've been on the board for quite quite some time is um I guess my number one goal for this board is to improve upgrade uh renew uh city utilities especially those that are underground um and you really only have that chance when there's a project coming in we're right downtown um any uh infill projects I think are strong and especially ones that will create business and activity for the downtown court so from that standpoint I would not support on this I know there's it's not this working no I think they do it volume turned down no some are working and some running up and I think if you guys could just speak maybe louder into the mics.

I'll just speak up um first of all Daniel and the other gentleman I want to thank you for your time coming today to share your concerns and thoughts um the the you know the the downtown urban renewal board we are very sensitive to quality of life issues and the cost of living here um in Bozeman and certainly as it plays into our mission you know part of our job is to um attract investment to the downtown but also maintaining um the downtown corridors the cultural center of Gallatin Valley so um you know we we um we're it's not like we're threading a needle to Tony's point uh part of that is also making sure that we improve infrastructure along the way so the 302 Mendenhall project aside if we can improve infrastructure that's gonna impact nine properties that's a huge opportunity.

I mean that's you know this is part of what we're here for.

So um I just wanted to add that and just thank you for your time and and just so that you know we are sensitive to quality of life cost of living issues in the downtown corridor.

Yeah I appreciate that Nick um okay well I guess I will make a motion to approve the can you scroll up?

So I can see what's technically called.

Well, if you don't have the very back right now, you can just look under back uh the 302 East Meton Hall Infrastructure grant request as submitted.

And is there a second?

I second.

And all in favor?

Sorry?

Anyone opposed?

Alright, I will need to do a roll call.

Yeah.

Sorry, I can't.

Can you guys can hear?

It doesn't seem like you can, but we'll just go with it.

Alright, and this is, of course, a roll call for approval of the 302 East Men and Hall Infrastructure Grant as presented.

Nicholas.

Jake.

I.

And Tony.

All right.

All right.

The 302 East Menon Hall infrastructure grant has been approved as submitted.

Thank you all.

Thank you.

Okay, in the um, as we're looking at the time, is it right?

I think you can actually see it's wondering.

All right.

I think if everybody's okay with that, no hugely relevant information in our executive director's report that would affect any budget or any projects going on.

If you would just take a moment to review that at your leisure, also attach to the executive director's report is of course our um our business and development updates, and we do have a lot of business and development updates.

So if you would take a moment to review that.

If you would really like to open up that PD report, um I will be out of town for the June 16th meeting.

Um so I would propose either rescheduling or canceling this meeting.

Um we can't do that of course through email if needed, but if you all are in a place to move forward with the canceling matter of interest, then we do that now.

Yeah, Ellie, you know, you know our agenda probably more or or the loose ends and our programs more than anybody.

I don't think I think this grant was probably one of the major things we had to get through.

Um, so unless you know or reason we shouldn't cancel it, it seems like I would support canceling.

Okay.

You know, I can I can propose that actually through email, um, but I do believe that we will be in a good place to cancel and not um lose track on anything, specifically the parking vision plan, which we had hoped to come and present at this June meeting, but it looks like um we will not be doing that until July.

And that was with intention.

We had a wonderful meeting this morning um with Indigo West as well as um John Henderson, who I've been bothering all day today, and um and we decided to to take a little bit of a pause because we'd like to put some um FAQs and kind of preface um that presentation a little bit more.

Um, the other thing I just wanted to give you a quick um mention on, and that is I have submitted and sent our public comment through the Partnership Management Group, um, partnership management committee, which does represent the VID, URD, and DBA boards, um, our post office relocation public comment, and we did specifically all come to an agreement um that uh we don't want the post office to um be out of walking distance in our downtown area.

Um I will send the final letter to y'all for your review.

Um I think for me the most staggering um thing is that our post office has been walkable in downtown for over a century, over a hundred years.

It is truly been a lifeblood of business in downtown area in the downtown area.

I do um suggest if you all have a moment, please submit your own public comments, they're due through the mail.

Yes, you have to send them through the mail, no online option there.

Um anyone else listening, um, certainly suggest um you know submitting public comment.

Um, and I just wonder if this board specifically with our direct interest in the federal building are you know currently five million dollars allocated for parking infrastructure, if there would be interest um from this board to submit a separate public comment on behalf of the URD separate from from the Partnership management committee, of which I'm I'm happy to draft if if y'all feel strongly about it.

I support that.

I do have one question.

Maybe I should have known this.

Who is the recipient of these public comments?

It's not.

It's USPS, is who we are submitting them to.

Um, and CSA.

Not well, that's a little unclear, frankly.

Um, they do have different representatives.

It's my understanding that we're submitting this to our regional USPS representative.

It is also my understanding that UPS does not is not part of the federal government from a leasing perspective.

So they are a separate leasee, even though the federal government owns this property, they lease from the federal government.

Not everyone in that building has received a notice of relocation.

And when is that June date where theoretically the GSA is going to present something that apparently June 7th?

Yeah.

Okay.

Well, I'll keep this conversation going.

And if there is support for the URD to comment separately, I just think our interest and involvement in this is very different than you know the downtown groups as a whole, which is more, you know, business and walkability and and of course the very obvious things, downtown URD is a little bit more directly associated with this.

Yeah, I also support the comment separately as a board.

I think that's that's a good idea.

Okay, yeah.

Okay.

Any other thoughts or um concerns, questions about anything we've talked about today?

All right, Cake, you can move towards adjournment.

Sure.

Sure, thank you.

Thanks, Ellie.

Thanks, everybody.