I was trying to report it.

Um, so I was I released the insert around here and I use that for it.

And we have two words.

I couldn't have some part of the next one.

Hey, let's go.

So I want to tell you, well, just my hand.

It's just the main two things.

Oh, not much.

Are you already like crazy as well?

Um my wife has.

Okay, oh, lucky you.

I this is how it's going to be.

Uh, I don't know.

I know.

It's just a channel.

Hey, chair, we are at four thirty.

So, well, not the pair.

Oh, you can say here.

All right.

Do I get to hit the gamble?

Or is that just at the end?

Doug.

Do I hit this at the beginning or at the end?

You can call the meeting to order.

Okay.

All right, good evening, and thank you for joining us.

Before we begin, I'd like to share a few reminders to help you follow along and participate in public comment.

You can attend or watch this meeting and future ink meetings in several ways.

In person here in the city commission room, live streamed on your computer via the meetings video page at Bozeman.net on cable TV channel one ninety, or by joining via video conference using the link in the meeting's calendar event on Bozeman's main web page where ink agendas are posted.

You may also call in using phone number and access code listed on the agenda.

Please note this option is listen only and does not allow for public comment.

To provide public comment, you may comment in person here in the commission room.

Use the raise hand feature if joining by video conference.

When it's your turn, to commie Clark, we'll call you by name or submit written written comments by emailing comments at Bozeman.net.

Written comments received by noon on the day of the meeting will be distributed to and read by the INC.

Let's now begin with introductions.

Couldn't see the green light.

Hi, Mark Campanelli, Bogart Park Neighborhood Association.

Kathy Rich, University Neighborhood Association.

Noah Tembrock, Midtown.

Dick Mocker, Richard Creek Clings.

Emily Mason, Figgins Edition.

And Sequera Valley West Lakes Neighborhood Association.

Chris Maskey, Valley Unit Neighborhood Association.

Amy Hoitzma, Amy Hoitzma sitting in for Angie Kachelik, Northeast Neighborhood Association.

Beth Boyson, No Highland View Neighborhood Association.

Takami Clark, City of Bozeman Communications and Engagement Manager.

Douglas Fisher, I'm the deputy mayor and your uh Inc.

Liaison.

Do you two want to introduce yourselves real quick that just came in?

Alison Todd Chant neighborhood.

Ed Bojanay, Cooper Park.

I apologize for being late, everybody.

It's okay.

Alright, and any disclosures.

I have a disclosure.

I'm married to a member of the legislature.

His name is Brian Close.

He represent HD 59.

Anything else?

No.

Okay, thank you.

Uh any changes to the agenda.

No?

Okay.

Approval of minutes.

Okay.

I second.

Great.

Emily, I'll introduce myself if you can hear me.

I'm not even sure if I'm coming in.

We hear you.

Is this Jim?

Yes.

Great.

Yeah, I'm currently getting no signature on my feet, but obviously I can hear you guys.

Great.

Alright, glad you can join us.

Alright, so.

Oh, go ahead, Jim.

Did you have something to say?

Oh, I was just gonna say, in case there's somebody there who doesn't know me, Jim Webster, South Central Association of Neighbors, otherwise known as Scan.

Great.

Alright, so we have the motion and a second.

So minutes are approved.

Okay.

All right.

And public comments on non-agenda items falling within the purview and jurisdiction of the board.

Do I read this part to Kami?

Um, yeah, we are not seeing any comments online, and um it looks like you called for comment in the room.

So it looks like no one is coming up at the moment.

Excellent.

Okay, so we'll move on to the special presentation with the MSU strategic plan discussion.

Thank you very much.

Good afternoon.

My name is James Tobin, and I serve as the executive assistant to the president at Montana State.

And I appreciate the opportunity to meet with you all today.

I know several faces around the room today, but not everybody.

So I have been at the university for uh just completed my 19th year.

So I've been at the university for a number of years.

Um, and get the honor to work with the current president, Brock Tussman.

And when he started, uh one of his initiatives and one of his goals was to redo and update the strategic plan that MSU has.

Um, and so since January of 2026, uh we have been in the process of basically a full-blown listening session uh effort to hear from constituents, stakeholders, campus leaders, community leaders, state leaders, et cetera.

And so our plan and my goal here today is to share with you where we're at and to potentially hear any feedback you have today, but also share how people can give feedback moving forward because we're in the middle of that process.

And so in January and February, we launched our campus outreach.

So all of our faculty, staff, and students were able to participate in listening sessions or fill out surveys.

We did that through May.

Then we moved into what we are considering our community and state outreach for the summer months.

So May through end of July.

We are in the process of getting feedback from people on what they think is important.

What should MSU consider moving forward?

What should we change?

What projects should we consider?

The trajectory of MSU obviously, as many know, is very bright, very exciting, and is continuing upwards.

With 17,000 students, we know that that brings, and 3,000 plus faculty and staff.

We know that brings a lot of pressure to the community, to the state, to the region, but it's also an exciting time for our institution.

And so we're launching this opportunity to really move forward.

We have a whole bunch of listening sessions happening through our extension offices across the state.

We also have a survey that's out there that went to all alumni, friends of MSU, donors, stakeholders from the alumni foundation that just went out a week or two ago.

And we want to continue that feedback today.

What I want to share with you is that the plan, many people hear strategic plan, and they're like, great.

It's gonna be a great, beautiful document, and then it's gonna be put on a shelf and never looked at again.

And what I would share with you is that the strategic plan for us this next round will look very different than it did in the last iteration.

So in the last iteration of the strategic plan, we had several overarching themes, and for some people, I'll speak candidly, we had way too many metrics that we were trying to gauge, way too many things we were trying to achieve, and we had zero direction on kind of where we were headed.

And I feel candid to say that because others have said it before me, so I'm not the first.

Where we're headed in this plan is there will be three to four very poignant strategic themes or areas.

So following the land grant mission and the the kind of the overarching goals of land grant mission uh institutions, we will have three to four overarching themes with three to four projects under them, and it will be an evolving document.

We're going there will be some projects that will tick off and be marked complete within like three months.

There will be others that will be done and have to take years or six months, a year, two years to get completed because they're larger tasks.

But the president and the executive team at the university are committed to making sure that whatever we put in the strategic plan is achievable and achievable in a reasonable amount of time.

And so this is going to be as he calls it a living document.

It will continue to evolve.

So when a project is done, it will be put under the completed column and a new project will be put in place.

So we might have a list of 50 projects, but we're gonna focus on a few at a time and then mark them complete and move on and keep moving.

We have um again, like I said, we've started some of this, we've been through many of the listing sessions.

We have hired an external consultant who is uh putting all of the data, all the information together.

So I am just a representative.

Nothing you say here today, we're actually going to share the link to this video of this meeting with our consultant who will hear directly from you all if you have anything to share today, and then she will take that unfiltered raw data and put it into basically our working documents.

And so far, we've had about 2400 completed surveys uh since we started in January, and we've met with over a thousand people.

Um, and so this is an effort to really make sure that we're hearing from as many people as possible to ensure that we have as many voices a part of it.

I'm here to also confirm for you, nothing has been decided or written.

So this isn't just an act of good grace, graces graciousness to say, hey, like we want to hear from you, but then like we don't care about your thoughts, right?

Like nothing has been written yet.

Um and nothing is in a document sitting in a safe to say, okay, let's make sure that if we hear this, we can put it together and say, you know, we heard you and here's our project.

We're truly starting at a base level with a clean slate.

What is the university need to do?

What do we need to focus on, and where do we need to head?

And so, with all of that said, um, we will complete our last round of statewide initiatives.

Uh, Kate Sutherland with Titan Partners is our consultant.

She's actually uh doing one last kind of state tour.

On July 29th, she will start in Calispel and do a listening session Calspell.

She'll then drive to Great Falls and do a listening session in Great Falls.

She'll then drive to Helena.

She'll then drive to Butte, and she'll land in Bozeman on the 30th.

She's been here and been part of listing sessions since January.

But as another additional outreach, we're doing kind of this last tour of the state.

On July 30th at 6 o'clock in the Bozeman Library, we'll have another listening session.

It'll be considered almost our last listening session for the public.

We had one at Zoot about a month ago.

We'll have our last one at the Bozin Library at 6 o'clock.

Anybody, everybody is welcome.

She'll leave the session for an hour from six to seven, and then we'll take all the information and start to dive through it.

In August and September, the university administration will then start to dissect all of that information, taking all of the raw data and figuring out where and what those projects are.

And then we will announce and launch our strategic plan in November on November 19th and 20th, when we host the Montana University System Board of Regions at Montana State, we will announce and launch into our strategic plan.

I would be remiss if I said we don't even have a title.

So I can't even tell you like what the title will be, but it'll be announced in November.

So I share that with you to say that I'm here today because you were listed.

Uh we have a strategic plan engagement team that is their goal is to share with us what are all of the groups of people that we should be listening to that we should be hearing from, that we should be offering this opportunity to in person versus just a business card with the QR code and fill out the survey.

And you all are a strategic part of that plan.

And so some of you know that we had a neighborhood meeting two months ago, three months ago on campus with the new president to start the listening and hearing and building relationships.

And what I would say is that from that, we wanted to continue this listening part uh and this listening for what are what are the opportunities?

Where can we head?

What's out there?

The president has said that right now, from some of the initial feedback and the initial stuff, it looks like a lot of our feedback is based on communication to our state about what the university is doing.

We have some internal things that we need to focus on that our internal stakeholders are saying.

We know that we need to look at focusing on research for the state.

We also know that we have some work to do internally within the city and within the county.

And so, like I said, nothing is written, but we know that those are the populations, those are the areas, those are the areas that we're starting to hear more from in terms of those topics.

So I'm happy to answer questions, but I'm also interested today in what are your thoughts?

As you think about MSU in this community, as you think about MSU as part of your neighborhoods, as you think about the students, the faculty, the staff, your neighbors, your friends, what should we focus on?

What are things that are pinch points that it's like the university needs to focus on this, that, or the other?

What are things that we should continue doing that are going well?

Hopefully, there's a few.

But I guess I would say like I'd be entertaining a few ideas today if there are any.

I'd also be open to questions if there are any.

Uh, but we want to at least allow you the opportunity to kind of share that with me with us today so that we can kind of take some of that back.

Again, we'll share the video with the consultant, and then I'll talk about the survey at the end.

So I guess I, however, you would like to do it.

If there's thoughts or comments that you're willing to share with me today, that I can kind of hear what are the things out there that you hear from your groups.

Thanks, James.

I went to MSU, so I have some thoughts and ideas that may be helpful.

I think one of the uh the biggest crises that we've seen locally and nationwide is our housing crisis.

And um I did some research and I found that MSU grew um about I would say like 27% since 2010 and added um 3,600 students to campus, but it only added a thousand units of housing.

So that put 2600 students into our community, which um put a lot of you know additional pressure on uh existing housing stock.

And what we've seen from that, what I've seen personally uh that is an issue is that the students have been able to outbid families and and other people because they're using funds from you know uh state or federal funds and funds from their parents, and then instead of just renting a house as a whole, they can bid it up by room by going to a thousand dollars a bedroom.

And so I I'm just kind of seeing that, and I'm hoping that MSU, especially since the eviction of a lot of staff and professors in 2021 from the family housing, the MSU and this kind of felt wrong, dumped everybody into a no vacancy market and then put undergrads in it.

Um I feel like MSU could build more housing to retain um staff and employers, and also uh maybe like slow, which is San Luis Obispo in California, which just fully um mandates all students to stay on campus.

Now I'm not I'm not on that.

I don't believe that that's the way to go, but that's how they're solving their housing crisis is like, hey, if you want to go to school here, you have to live on campus.

So I feel like MSU could do a lot in way of housing.

Um the uh the other thing is transportation.

As MSU gets busier, um I I find it really difficult as a resident to uh move around the campus.

I think very little has been done around 11th.

If you have the students walking, I mean it's pretty much just jaywalking all day long across the street in large groups.

So instead of there being like concentrated pools with traffic lights that allow uh a semblance of traffic to continue, it's just you know, we have to stop for every student that just starts walking across the street.

And that used to work when I was a younger when I was younger when I was a kid, but now it's not working as well.

College Street is in absolute disrepair, and the city has been arguing with uh MSU, and MSU didn't want to give an easement, which I found ridiculous of the land to to help with uh creating a safer corridor, kids are bolting across the street there in front of parked cars.

That's been an issue, and uh that part of Bozeman contains a lot of residential units for the campus.

So I would like to see that.

The last thing, um, I have a lot of things, but the last thing I'll say before I let my colleagues uh contribute is uh I think that MSU should really open up an economic corridor.

Um downtown for better or for worse, you know, has been usurped by tourism, and I I understand that there's a there's a lot of uh kids that come down here with their families and they come down here at night and enjoy the bars, but I'd like to see um I'd like to see MSU and the city work together to create an economic corridor um near town and country or off of college there to the likes of the you know campus in Tucson.

So it just has a lot more local shops that are geared towards college students and that demographic.

And um and then it also takes a lot of strain off the commute to creating the centralized downtown hub, which is just you know, just getting super congested.

That's all I got for now.

Thank you.

No, I appreciate no, and I won't, my job isn't to filter anything, and so I appreciate that, and we'll get all that in there.

I do want to address just one thing with you.

Well, two things.

One, um, I can't stand 11th, and I work there, so I hear you on that.

Um, secondly, I would say College Street is on the docket.

We did give land to the city to make college bigger.

So I think it was on the docket for this year, it's been pushed to a later summer based on project and RFP.

So I do know that the city and the the university facilities team have been working together over the last year on that.

Um, so I know there's progress.

I I don't know how that will tie into the CAI construction at the same time, but I wish you all the best of luck.

Thank you.

So similar to Noah's um concern.

I'm in Figgins, which is just behind Museum of the Rockies in the stadium.

I would say the MSU is doing the football team's doing great, so keep that up.

Good job.

Um the couple things happen.

There's the Keggy redevelopment that's um coming, and um Museum of the Rockies at some point is gonna go.

I don't think that's timed with the Kaggy redevelopment.

It's at some point in the future.

Um so with where our neighborhood is and kind of all the neighborhoods to the south, and even the neighborhoods um, and we get a ton of college students on in our neighborhood.

Um, but trying to get a um a path.

I know now this is um through maybe the old easement or the old train tracks.

I think went through the that fields um at Museum of the Rockies, but right now the coming from the south and heading north, it kind of dead ends into that living history building.

Um, so people have to jog around the part of 7th that's a service road and then cross and then head down um Keggy on the other side and catch the trail there.

Um, and it would be great to somehow make it so people don't have to do that kind of weird jog around and and have a safe route.

Um there are a bunch of middle schoolers who are coming from that on the north side of Kaggy coming across to Saca Joya Middle School.

There are a lot of college students that use that, especially in the evenings when they're coming back and forth to Main Street on their bikes or on foot.

Um, so that would just be I don't this that's something that MSU and the city could work on together to create a safer bike and pedestrian crossing there.

That is a great point.

Um, I'm Kathy Rich and I'm with the University Neighborhood Association, and um just to piggyback off of that.

The road um it's seventh, seventh goes down, but south of Kagee.

It's just a road, and there's a lot of office buildings.

That's actually where I work back there, and when it's dark out, you know, the November, December, um, people are riding their bikes and walking, and it's there's snow, so you have to be on the road, and it's dark, and it's it's scary at times.

So that would be another area to look for a safe path for people, even if it's gravel or something, it would be fantastic.

Um yeah, I my husband used to say you have to wear a headlight and you have to have flashing outfits because you're gonna get hit.

So I I think it's a safety concern.

Um, but yeah, I even GBLT would be a great partner in this and working with safe routes for MSU to get to the different neighborhoods in the area.

I'd be all for that, and I know my neighborhood would really like that because with the new facilities, it also chopped up where some of the paths were.

Um, they're gone, and I hope they revisit that.

Um, also with the UA, um, again, we're surrounding, you know, on the east side of campus.

We um we for that for the uh wonderful president's reception, we sent in a list of concerns and issues.

Um, and so I'm hoping that you can get a copy of that.

If not, I'm happy to share with it with you.

Um it's it's quite extensive of some of the concerns um and some of the hopes that at least my neighborhood has, and I think um a lot of neighborhoods would have the same hopes too.

So, yeah, Kathy, thank you very much for that.

I would share that I do have that list, and that was shared with Kate.

So our consultant has that list for the strategic plan.

So that list is not on a shelf somewhere, it is actively in the conversation about some of the stuff that's coming up today.

So yeah, absolutely.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yeah, absolutely.

Okay.

I want to try and on public transportation.

MSU talks a lot about being into sustainability.

It was really disappointing for me to see that when it came to public transportation, MSU chose to set up a little shuttle around campus rather than working on making the existing infrastructure on our bus better.

I feel like MSU prior, I think MSU should be focusing on getting students out of their cars, not shuttling students around who've already gotten into their cars.

So I know you support the bus, and that's great, but maybe some of that could be redirected to more frequent bus routes and not really shuttling people around the corner of campus.

Perfect, thank you.

Hi, I'm um Mark Campanelli, I'm in Bogart Park.

Uh my lots of neighbors on my street who are college kids.

They're really fun.

Um I also uh got a master's and PhD from the math department and recently finished the HVAC program at Gellaton College.

So I've seen a lot of different sides of this university, um, tie through a whole bunch of my life as a grad student.

Um, you mentioned focus on research.

That raises an eyebrow.

Exec, can you just elaborate a little bit on that feedback you received?

Yeah, I don't have a ton because I haven't seen all the raw data, but I do know that there's discussions, comments that have come from our campus constituents about infrastructure.

Um quality of lab space, amount of lab space, resources for equipment, things to that degree, um, some discussion around core labs, things like that.

And so again, all things that we're hearing from some of our researchers and our faculty members.

I have no idea how much what that looks like in terms of comments, but I know that it is one topic that has kind of come up in terms of um expenditures for research expenditures for faculty, expenditures for you know, research facilities.

Okay.

Um I will say when the the MSU bandys about their research, you know, 500 million.

I don't know what it is up to now.

Um I they usually brag that they're the biggest in the state.

How much of that money is staying here and can local businesses pop up here to provide as opposed to getting a bunch of plastic wear from China?

Just a thought.

I know the economic development department here focuses on traded jobs and anyways, uh that's one thought there.

Um I will also bring up so I had my daughter about six months before I finished uh my PhD.

It was really stressful, um, especially on my ex-wife, and um I will say just like sufficient pay for instructors and not just the star like tenure track faculty.

Um there was a story that uh a math instructor at Gellaton College was like living out of your van.

Um, and I've looked, I mean I've thought about teaching math at Gellaton College, and it's like one whole class is my mortgage for a month.

Like it's comical.

And you see it in the classes, like nobody is there in the summer prepping for the next year.

It's just like throw it all again.

Again, I love I really like the program.

I'm not trying to throw anybody into the bus here.

I get it, they're not being paid.

So they're not gonna do work over the summer to make this the program stronger.

And I knew, you know, a bunch of tenure track, sorry, non-tenure track uh math adjuncts, right?

That wanted to stay in Bozeman.

So, like the MSU can really leverage that one to stay in Bozeman.

I think that's starting to fall apart, though.

So people can't have a family here doing that kind of thing.

Yeah.

Uh sorry.

Uh a couple more things.

A community safety briefing for the new student orientation, which kind of builds on what some of these folks are saying.

Um, you know, make sure everyone, everyone got home okay, like from the bars, light your bike, uh drive the limit or below.

Like just pound, you like they are part of a community here, and we really could use those, like keep it fairly simple, but um.

And then I am curious about the student population predictions.

I know there's some big demographic decline.

Um I feel like maybe MSU is picking up more budget-wise students.

I'd just be curious maybe to hear about if anybody's worried about that.

Um, thank you for listening.

Yeah, I don't want to speak out of turn.

I will say that if there's interest from this group in getting more information about recruitment and students, we're happy to put that together for you.

I would say that we are always, and I say that not lightly or uh exaggerated.

We are always talking about almost weekly in our meetings about the recruitment of students.

We're focused on the in-state student.

I would tell you that right now.

Um, and we know that it's a limited population in the state of Montana in terms of high school graduates.

So there's always always strategy being talked about in terms of how do we ensure that we maintain uh an open access.

We will never turn someone away that wants to come to MSU.

Uh, but also that that pipeline is always feeding to the institution.

I could not tell you today that there is like a magic number that we want to achieve because there isn't.

Um he's made it very clear as president that it will always be open access as long as he's president.

And in terms of a number, there isn't a number in terms of any number you do hear is just rumor and speculation.

I would say there is no number in terms of like our goal is to hit 25,000.

Like that there's no number out there.

So it's just a matter of maintaining a quality institution with quality education.

Thank you.

Yeah.

If that is it, I'm I think I have one more thing.

Yeah, go for it.

Um, I think my only gripe as a student who is working for a land grant university.

I think when I think about the culture of the university, I I found uh the penalization of working folks through extremely uh strict attendance um rules.

I found that to be very um, yeah.

I just I just found it to be mismatched with the land grant value system of getting blue-collar kids in who are working and can't afford to live here, and then you know, even though they could get straight A's in class, they have to be in the classroom.

Doesn't make any sense, you know.

Um my wife taught at MSU, so we have lots of debates about this, and um and I just I would like to see that change.

Uh I'm also from the Netherlands, and and that's not a thing there.

As long as you pass your class, you you know, you know, attendance is optional.

So I'd like to see that happen and uh treat adults like adults.

And uh maybe we can pave the way as the only institution in America that actually does that.

That's awesome.

No, I appreciate that comment.

And um, I would appreciate it and share my appreciation for all the thoughts that were shared today.

Um as I said, it's not written.

So when you leave today, if something hits you as you're going home or you're having a conversation and you have other feedback, you can fill out the survey 25 times.

We don't really care.

Feel free to give your information input and information.

I will share at the end of August, uh the survey link that we're using currently.

The survey will take a kind of a transition into a new version.

And so we'll be putting projects out on the survey for people to rank and/or give us feedback on the projects based on the feedback that we've heard.

So I've left with Takami some business cards that have the QR code on them.

Feel free to take one, 12, 10, whatever you want.

Have more if I need them.

Um please share out the survey with your colleagues, with your neighbors, with your friends.

Um, you yourself or the survey stays open until the beginning of August, and then we'll start to transition to the next version.

So please share that with people.

We're continuing to gather that feedback.

If you have thoughts or questions, on that link or in our strategic plan webpage, there's an email address you can reach out to us.

If there's a group that you work with that you would like to have a private session with, like another listening session, we're happy to schedule something between now and August.

Um so just reach out to us.

But I do just want to say thank you for allowing us to kind of have a few minutes on your agenda today.

And we're very open to your feedback as we as we move forward.

So thank you very much.

Emily, I just wanted to give a chance to, I saw Jim was off mute, so in case anyone online wanted to say anything.

Okay.

Good.

All right.

So now we'll move along to the safe routes to school discussion.

Just remind me how to use the jump drive just because I didn't preload it if that's okay.

I'm not sure.

This looks a little different like right here.

Yep.

Any of those.

There we go.

Okay.

Is that right?

Go here.

Come on.

Still working on the okay.

Thank you, Taco.

I'm gonna lower this.

Thank you, James.

Um we're gonna get this kicked off here pretty soon.

Let me see if I can get this open for you.

We made a quick little presentation just so there'll be some visuals for you today.

Um, see here.

Hold on.

Oh, wait, wait, it's down here.

Yeah, it's kind of hiding over.

Oh, it's hiding.

Okay.

It's where's where we're at?

Right here.

Right there.

Excellent.

Thank goodness for Takami.

Good evening or good afternoon.

I should say I'm Candice Mastel.

I am the Transportation Demand Management Coordinator for the City of Bozeman.

Um, it's just a fancy word for transportation planner.

Um, my colleague uh Jen McMackFarlane, I always say that wrong, is here today with me as well.

We basically run the Safe Rouse to School program for the City of Bozeman and our general area.

Um we've teamed up to create um a collaboration between the Western Transportation Institute where she um where she sits and I sit in the city.

So we come together to offer this programming for the kids in our community.

Uh and we'd like to talk to you specifically today about one of the programs within that safe rouse to school effort, and it's called a bike rodeo.

And what we'd like to do as neighbors, fellow neighbors, is we'd like to bring that program to our neighborhoods.

Um, and so this little presentation today will give you some background on that, and then at the very end will be my contact information, and you can feel free to contact me.

I can get you in touch with Jen, or we can be in touch together.

Um, we're totally open to future conversations about keeping kids safe in our community, allowing them to bike and walk and recreate safely in their neighborhoods and between neighborhoods.

So I'll just get started here.

Um, let's see, I'll do that.

So, just a quick history of safe routes to school.

Um, Jen helped me put this together because WTI was one of the early involved parties in this before I ever came to work for the city.

Uh, in 2009, um, federal funding uh was created uh well, it was actually made available for the city of Bozeman, who contracted with uh my fellow colleague Taylor Lonsdale at WTI at the time to provide statewide programming, so not just in Bozeman, but all over Montana.

So he took programs out to the rest of the state and he provided support for keeping kids safe in their communities and letting them get around their towns and cities safely.

Um we had um a trailer purchase, which you might see out at bike rodeos at the SD7 schools in the spring and fall, and that bike trailer has been in use probably since around 2009 or 11.

It's pretty old.

So they've been utilizing that those materials for over a decade.

Um, and then in SD7 executed their own spring and fall rodeos since then.

So they are still doing that on their own.

Um, what we did in 2023 is we came together and we started to collaborate with the school district number seven, and we started to create not just uh spring and fall rodeos, but bring in community partners like Eagle Mount and uh HRDC and GBLT and Bozeman Health to create a more um sort of vibrant and dynamic bike rodeo experience for the parents and the children.

In 2022, we contracted with WTI in a formal nature to assist with a quarter FTE-ish, about a quarter FTE, to provide technical assistance and support in our program.

And then we uh I was sorry, uh and then in 2023 and 2025, we actually applied for a grant, a federal grant through the Transportation Alternatives program, and we won a 60,000-ish thousand dollar grant to uh execute um expanded programming in School District 7 in the coming year, actually coming two years, and we're working on finalizing all the paperwork for that now.

So it's very exciting that we received federal grant money for this.

Um, Jen, I don't remember it's been almost never that we've received that type of program money.

It's almost always for infrastructure improvements.

So this is a really exciting precedent, and we're hoping to just knock it out of the park on this in the next two years.

Um so I'm gonna actually, Jen helped me write this.

Jen, I'm gonna let you talk about what a bike rodeo is.

She's the guru, and she actually sets them up and comes up with all the bike rodeo courses.

So go for it.

So Candace puts me on the spot here.

Um I was not, I was not expecting to address you today.

Um, really, a bike rodeo is a really fun event where we set up uh obstacle course for students to learn how to ride their bike.

They get the normal skills of how to pedal, how to stop, how to start, but also at the same time they're learning how to interact with bicycling as a form of transportation.

So interacting with other bicyclists, learning how to use their hand signals, what a bike lane is, um, and all of that, like starting and stopping and such.

So each one of the obstacles within the obstacle course has a purpose for teaching a skill.

Um, it's a fantastic opportunity, and really great for anybody of any age learning um how to ride their bike.

It gives you a great opportunity to just pick up some of those skills.

In addition to the obstacle course, we also do a little bit of bicycle maintenance as well as like ensuring that your bicycle is safe to ride before you get on it.

So an ABC quick check, which is air brakes, chain, and then a quick release on your bike, just as it as if any driver was to check their automobile before they got in their automobile.

Um they're great opportunities for community building, not only for the children themselves, but for parents and other community members involved, and um really a great confidence building opportunity.

So, um, one thing I did want to mention on the last slide, the timeline and everything that may have not been exaggerated or exemplified made clear was in 2014 the federal government restructured the funding for safe routes to school and made it very difficult for schools and communities to get it for these types of programming opportunities, and that's where the city has stepped in in the last couple years and really dedicated funding so that we can ensure that education and encouragement activities are happening within the community.

So, thank you, Jen.

Yeah, um, thank you for that addition.

Another thing I wanted to add is that the city of Bozeman is a league of American bicyclists, silver biking city.

So there's, you know, bronze, there's silver, which we are, and then there's gold and there's platinum.

Um obviously there's very few gold and platinum.

We tried to get to gold this last year, and we failed, but that's okay because it shows that we need to make improvement and work really hard.

The other thing that the evaluation told us was that we need to really expand our education materials, outreach and engagement and programming for not just children and the children age group, but also for all ages, including focusing on adult education for biking and for mobility types.

And so we will be kind of sort of kicking that off in a separate effort uh in the coming months and year, but this is being brought to you today as an idea to expand the bike rodeo program even further than SD 7, some private institutions and academies, and uh nonprofits like YMCA and um and and certainly beyond.

And so we want to bring the bike rodeos to the neighborhoods, which is where the kids and and families are hanging out and doing their thing.

Um and we think it's a great place to do that.

So here's the benefits.

You can collaborate with our team, which is basically Jen and I, um, and your parent groups and neighborhoods.

Um, we can get to the children where they are, where they feel comfortable.

This is the place where they can build confidence, they are already familiar with the spaces, um, you know, their their house is nearby, uh, their friends are nearby, and we can build on the stuff that they're learning already in school.

Um, all ages and abilities, even adults can take part, even little kids on run bike.

So this isn't just something for your you know average elementary school kiddo, it's for everyone.

Um, so we can just do this for all ages and abilities.

Um ideally, we can do this in spring, summer, or fall uh when we have nicer weather.

I mean, I wouldn't be against a winter bike rodeo, but that would be very challenging.

Uh, weekday afternoons and evenings would work probably best for us kind of before or after dinner.

What we found with bike rodeos in the school district is that kids get really hungry at about 5:30 or 6 and they start to get a little hangry, so you have to really focus on how you feed them or interact with them so that it's a really good event.

Um they could also plan it with another event like a barbecue or a block party or a garden party.

And um, what we expect the the kiddos to bring is a bicycle and a helmet that's in good working order, uh, some good riding shoes, and I like to call it hydration vessels, but some hydration or refreshment of some kind.

A little thing that I thought about later today was you know, we do this with SD7, we help decorate bikes, kids wear costumes, they act silly.

You could do something like that, like a themed neighborhood party.

Um you could have a barbecue or some snacks and refreshments or a bake good table to make it fun, and then you could also talk to a local bike shop to bring in to do repairs for parents and kiddos.

Um, and that's something that we do with SD7 that's really successful, but I I probably couldn't ask that of them for another event.

But we could consider that, I think, just to make it more fun, uh, and integrate sort of the businesses with the community.

Um, like I said, what we'll provide is the layout of the rodeo course, um, me and Jen to as staff members to organize and supervise, and we'll we have a full kit of rodeo supplies that's brand new and tested and has been working really good.

Uh, what you guys can do is coordinate the event and location, um, outreach to your neighbors, and have maybe two or three parents or adults that can help out with the actual rodeo unit um during the event, and and that can be anyone that is interested in your community.

And so this is my contact information, and Jen can be contacted through me.

I can CC or um include her on any communication.

Uh what I'd love to do is um entertain any comments or questions at this time about our bike rodeo events, but our uh Safe Rasta School program or anything related to children in our neighborhoods on bikes or foot.

So go for it.

Um my first quick question is will we get a copy of this presentation?

Kathy, right?

Yeah, yes, absolutely.

Um, I mean, yeah, I could PDF it or yeah, send it anyway to if that's okay with Takami, I could, and then she could distribute it if that works for you guys.

Awesome.

Okay.

Yes, Dick.

I've got a question.

Um our neighborhood is the elementary school is Hawthorne, three miles away.

Yeah, down major streets.

Um I don't know how um, unless the parents took the bikes down there, I don't think they would trust taking their kids down Rouse or Wallace.

Um possibility that it could happen in the neighborhood if we set it up, because I mean there are tons of elementary kids in out on the bridge of Creeklands, so that is a possibility to set it up remotely from a school.

Which neighborhood were you in again?

I'm sorry.

I live specifically in legends.

Okay, legends, okay.

Yeah, okay.

So and you mentioned Hawthorne, right?

Yeah.

Yeah, and we and Jen and I just did a um, I'm not gonna point in the right direction, but we just did a bike rodeo for YMCA or several bike rodeos, uh, last week um in at Hawthorne.

That's Hawthorne, yeah.

I get confused even though I work for the city.

There's so many schools, but yeah, and um some sometimes the larger playgrounds are are great, and sometimes the nice, tight, small, you know, more historical schools have great playgrounds too.

And we normally just use the area where there's might be like basketball courts or that asphalt area.

Um, you know, but we could use um a parking lot or potentially uh a cul-de-sac or a street.

I don't, you know, those are all things that you guys could work out as a neighborhood group, and we could do a recon to come and see like how we could lay out the course and how it could accommodate the event, you know, but we may not be part of your community, your neighborhood association, so you'd have to do some background, some background research.

Also, um, what what are you doing for neighborhoods like ours and worse neighborhoods that have worse arterial streets that kids are not safe riding bikes across.

So maybe we're when I was a kid, I'd run a bike everywhere.

Right.

It's just not happening anymore.

Right.

So this is maybe outside the topic of our presentation, but something that you can uh again talk to Takami more about if you want more information and we can work together.

Um, so the the city has uh a gap analysis that they executed a few uh years ago, and that gap analysis identified missing chunks of the active transportation system that we have to kind of fill in per se, uh, ideally, you know, sooner than later.

And there it's there are plans to do that.

Um in addition, new code or requirements um are calling for the new best practice to be separated facilities on arterials and collectors.

So you what you will find is less of that on street facility that many of us don't feel comfortable on and more of the off-street facilities, but that is gonna take time, and it may not happen in my generation, it may take longer than that.

But uh, as someone who has been to the Netherlands or as Dutch knows it doesn't happen in one lifetime, it takes several, and so we have to start somewhere.

And so that is sort of a sidebar to the safe routes to school program, but it obviously it complements it, right?

And the all ages and abilities type of biking and walking and thing.

So, um, in the last year or so, as part of the safe routes to school program, Candace and I worked closely to develop walk and roll to school maps that include all the different um crossing infrastructure that is available within each school, within a I think it's a mile to a mile and a half radius of each school.

So there's that information that's out there for parents to use to help their children plan a route to school.

And then we also do walking school buses with some of this, some of the schools if there are inter is interest within the parent groups to really get kids together in a critical mass so that they're traveling together and are very visible together.

So those are some of the smaller things that we're doing.

In addition, we have a program through the Go Gallatin platform that is specific for parents to carpools so that we can get more automobiles off the roadway during pickup and drop off time that hasn't been well utilized, it's something that we look forward to promoting better in the future and getting more parents involved with using.

So those are the cup a couple of the other things that are being done within different schools within the community, and that should impact your neighborhoods as well.

Any other questions or comments or concerns or ideas?

Yes, I'm wondering.

Oh, you're not Angie, sorry.

Pardon?

What was it?

It was Angie.

Actually, my name's Amy.

That's right.

Yeah.

Seven in.

Um I'm wondering about Schwag um giveaway stuff.

That um I don't know how I do not have one, but it's very popular now to have the blinking red light at the back of the bike.

And I think they're really effective.

I should have one.

Um I don't know how expensive they are, but that seems to me.

Just call me.

Oh, okay.

No, but just something that would be um interested.

It would be cool to give away.

Yeah.

To kids.

Yeah, so um adults for that matter, you know, people who just commute by bike because it makes you much more visible.

100%.

So as the TDM coordinator, the Safe Routes to School program is just a piece of my overall position.

I also do policy development and infrastructure review and and all kinds of other stuff, but the safe routes is just a piece of that.

It's a really important piece, obviously.

The other piece is running the demand management program, which is the whole idea is to reduce vehicle miles traveled and to get cars off the road.

That's very difficult in the state of Montana.

It's also difficult in our country.

And so we're doing what we can within the bounds of sort of where we live and the culture.

Part of that is having fun with logos and branding and swag.

And so I do have a pot of that that we use during our SD7 bike rodeos.

You know, we have slap bracelets and lights, and we have all kinds of fun stuff that we give away that promotes the idea of the platform or the idea of you know reducing miles traveled or just being on a bike or being on foot and having fun.

And so we do have that.

So again, we can bring some of that stuff to the neighborhood events.

I mean, no problem.

The one thing I would say I can't probably bring to the events is all the community partners, like I mentioned, you know, that come when we have a really big space because they're busy in summer, especially as a crazy time.

But um it's also it's just a way to reach more kids, and that that's why we we also went towards the Eagle, or no, I'm sorry, not Eagle Mount, but the YMCA and Headwaters Academy.

It's to reach as many little people as we can.

That's really an expose them to safe cycling, fun cycling, and then that camaraderie that comes from learning and and experimenting on your bike and having fun.

So I have I can get you a light if you want, Amy, it's fine.

Just call me.

Um the other thing I was gonna say is that the Northeast neighborhood, we didn't do it last year, but we try every year to have this uh parade of sheds, and um it can be any number of things, but uh we have utilized the depending on the time of year, the Tinworks space, which is basically a big open yeah parking lot.

And um I don't know when their season ends this year, um, whether it's too late in terms of weather to take advantage of outdoor, but that would be a it, if it worked, that would be a really fun thing to combine.

I think our fall rodeo is in October.

It's fairly late.

So, like um, because school district seven isn't, you know, they're kind of still getting settled in September, it's way too busy.

I feel like we we've been doing our fall radios in early October, and they they seem to be okay, like weather wise.

I mean, the children can put on a coat, right?

Like, it's Montana, we're we're we're pretty hardy, but um, it's better than it being like right now, like 90 degrees.

So I feel like spring and fall have worked out, thank goodness.

Um, but we could go into October easily or even September, which we don't have one scheduled yet.

So, you know, again, we're very flexible.

It's when the neighborhoods have the capacity to have that fun event, and and if they have enough children.

So if it's a neighborhood with not very many children, then it may not work out.

But I know some of my neighborhood has tons of kids that bike, and so we should have had one 10 years ago.

Um, anyhow, yeah, October, September, that's fine.

Yeah, thanks.

Thank you so much.

And it's from Jen.

Oh, what's the direction?

And it's from Jen.

Oh, is that Jim?

Oh, yeah, Jim, go ahead, Jim.

Yes, no, I know it's probably hard as heck to hear me being the guy online, but um, I was wondering, I do know that of course you're trying to expand this beyond BSD 7, but knowing BSD 7 is such a big part of like even all the neighborhoods that's where our kids go to school and all that kind of thing.

I'm just curious, as you're probably looking for sources of funding or you know, partnering with people to open that up more.

I'm just curious if you've engaged at all with with the Bozeman School Foundation along the way to see how they could be an asset to this.

Um Jim, right?

I'm sorry.

Uh yeah, I we have not actually uh because SD 7 has been such a force behind the bike rodeos in the spring and fall, but that's a good idea.

I think uh the capacity financially is not in question, it's more do we have the people to help out and do we have the children to show up?

So even if I okay now, yeah, yeah.

I mean, and even if a even if a a kiddo has like an SD7 bike rodeo and we do it again with that same family or child, it's just about rep repetition is um really what builds the culture.

So it's not detrimental to reach a child or a family more than once.

Um for sure, I don't think they care, they just love to have fun.

So um, and we can mix it up so that it's different from the one they already experienced, but but good question and suggestion, Jim.

Thank you.

And Noah, you had one as you had a question or come on, yeah.

Yeah, thank you so much.

That's such a such a cool thing to see.

Um, I think it's much needed in our community, and um, that said, it's also kind of bittersweet, and I go back and forth on this because I have a seven-year-old daughter or soon to be seven-year-old daughter, who I'm actually actively discouraging from biking in our community.

Um, sort of the the reason for that is you know, we've grown 57, 60 percent since 2010.

And we've had a really challenging time integrating um all of the new neighborhoods and all of the new people into our community, and not only that, we're also shouldering a huge amount of people coming from all around the world to visit Yellowstone National Park, and that shifted from Billings to Bozeman.

And then we're in the age of phones and distraction.

So we've got all these challenges, and I'm just trying to understand, you know, um, because it it feels like a game of whack-a-mole to get our kids to school safely to get our kids to enjoy riding bikes.

And uh one of the big pieces that I feel is missing, and I don't know from like how the city could collaborate on that, is is sort of the enforcement arm and trying to get the culture back in line with where we need to be.

Um I've seen people in midtown speeding 80, 90 miles an hour in sports utility vehicles down Peach Street.

I've seen it near um Beale Park, uh, I've seen construction workers from out of town out of state and out of town, uh, tourists all break traffic rules left and right, and I just feel conflicted, right?

Because this program is something that we really need, and then at the same time, it's like, well, we're encouraging kids to get out on the street, but we're not I'm not sure we've done enough as a community to ensure that drivers have the education they need or the patience they need to uh to make a cultural decision behind the steering wheel that includes other other commuters.

And I think that that's where I'm torn.

And I I would like to see, and I know you guys are just a really small program, and it's just kind of my only place to express my ideas.

I'd like to see a systems approach from the bike shop to the school, you know, that uses the city.

Because I look at the bikes, and as a Dutchman, I'm like, you would not be allowed to ride on half of the bikes these kids ride around on.

Um they're not safe, they don't have chain guards, they don't have mud mud flaps, they don't have bells, they don't have lights uh and you're hunched over, you don't have a view over your shoulder, so you can't see who's coming.

Parents ride ahead with their kids trailing, you can't do that in Holland.

You have to have the kids right in front.

So there's all these ideas, and I I just I don't know, maybe I guess I'd be like, how could I be more involved to help you guys out if if there's a need for that to think through some of these things and help contribute in a positive way in this community?

Because I would love to see my daughter get on her bike, but I'm I'm kind of terrified to be to be honest.

Yeah, I know what I like some of your suggestions actually.

Um I'm uh some of them we're doing already doing some of the things that you mentioned, it's just sort of under the radar.

Uh, but I do like some of the other things that you touch on a little bit, and there may be a way to infiltrate uh if if the neighborhood thing takes off, which I'd love for it to do, because again, reaching more children, I think there's some really good ideas where we can um do a little bit more adult education and awareness.

Uh so I'm gonna put my mind around that with Jen a little bit because I'm I'm seeing some stuff coming up.

The other thing I would say is Jen and I have done some very anecdotal reviews of the pickup drop-off or drop-drop-off pickup scenario at schools, which, as you know, Hollywood loves to put that stuff in movies and we love to laugh about it, and you it's stressful, and and it's real.

What we found anecdotally, not statistically accurate, is that there's just under half, so let's say 40%, again, very loose number that we counted parents picking up or dropping off their kids.

So that so at the most vulnerable location, which is schools, right?

Where little people are hanging out and they're walking and they're not paying attention.

We have parents doing four trips a day on campus on school grounds with little children running around.

That's four chances for a negative interaction, and that's the parents.

When we told PAC that that number was so high, they were blown away because they don't recognize that, they're just doing their thing.

So really the safety part starts at the school, it starts at home, it starts with the parents.

They have to take responsibility.

We need to take responsibility when we're getting angry in school zones.

We need to check ourselves, right?

Um, and we need to share that in it.

We need to share that um information with our fellow man.

So I think it's really important that we all act appropriately, but that parents act appropriately and they take the first step and be a part of the solution.

So I like some of your ideas.

I think we can kind of mill around those, and if we if this takes off somehow, I hope we can maybe do a little bit more adult, wrap some more adult in that, just not kids.

So that'd be great.

One of the things on the state driver's license thing, uh, I just don't see a lot of information.

I mean, we could tighten that way up.

I mean it's it's it's the the driver's license test is it's it's from a different era.

So we're you know, I'm sorry, I'll let you go, but I don't know.

That would be a really good place to start educating folks, is being like right here at the test.

So we just did a cursory review.

This was not something we were asked to do, but something I asked to be able to do.

So I worked with the um the driver's ed program and looked at all the materials that they give to parents to give to their children who are getting their license.

It's actually pretty good.

So I wasn't blown away, but I was kind of surprised on how thorough it was.

And it talked in a very different way, like almost like a math problem, which I don't like.

Um, it talked a lot about um awareness, reaction, positive-negative interactions.

It really taught it in a way to teach reactivity and um and also action, which I was it was a different type of way of teaching it, but I think that's what they're doing.

And it wasn't bad, it was actually pretty thorough.

So I don't think they're failing miserably.

Where I think there's a disconnect is after the license is achieved, there's a forgetfulness period.

And we Jen and I both know that the most dangerous sectors of our drivers are the youngest drivers with their new license, and because you know, insurance is most expensive for those kids under whatever, and then and then the elderly, and so we have these two pockets of people that we don't reach well, and that's why when the league said get to the adults, we're like, okay, we're gonna work on that too.

So I want you guys to go back and talk to your neighbors, see if they're interested, and then get back to me and Jen and see if we can bring a program to your neighborhood somewhere, somewhere in your zone of association, and we'll try to work that out.

Yes, Loseanne.

Hi, Candace.

Hi.

Um just a couple things I wanted to.

I know I ride my bike around a lot.

Um, and there is uh one, I and I try and stay where it's um minimal traffic.

Um there's a neighborhood up where um off of Haggerty, Bluebird Way, I don't know what that neighborhood is called, but it's off of Haggerty.

Yeah, I know which one you're talking about.

Yeah, okay.

So I cut through that way because I live near the hospital.

I cut through those neighborhoods to get um either to Cakey or to uh Kelly Canyon, and uh they that neighborhood has a couple signs up around saying watch out for bikes.

Um, and they're great signs.

I'm like, it's the only place I've seen those those particular kinds.

And I feel like, well, that's a good really easy awareness thing.

There should just be more of those reminder signs for drivers around, especially in areas that people are biking a lot.

Um, and then this is something that we have to work with the city on, but just more bike paths and wider bike lanes, right?

To create safe routes and that's like a whole systems thing, I know, but just putting it out there.

Yeah, thank you, Lazanne.

I and that that's our mission at this point is looking at facilit best practice facilities that do um that aren't just for intrepid riders, but for all people.

And so again, um, and this is Noah may know the Dutch tenant is to separate where um the volume and speeds are too high to accommodate a comfortable integration.

So um separate where appropriate, combine where appropriate, and I think with our sort of new tenant with the SUP or the shared use path being on arterials and collectors for new development.

Um the idea is is that we are not trying to combine those high volume and high-speed streets with the low volume, low-speed users like you and I, and then also looking at all mobility types, such as yours, where we we when we define spaces for everyone, everyone's happy we're we're actually accommodating all users, including kids and including the elderly, including people like me who you know are intrepid users but may not be intrepid forever.

And and then changing things like Noah said our population's growing, and when population grows, traffic increases, and so a level of comfortability or comfort may go down, and so things change over time.

And but we're working on that, Lizanne.

So that's just not the safe routes piece.

That's more like infrastructure and policy.

So, yeah, and well, great, thank you.

And then one other thing, I don't know.

I don't even know if they're still in existence, but uh how I'm working with you on the bike rodeos is have you worked with bike walk, Montana?

Boy, I mean they've been under some transition in the last few years, um, and so we haven't.

Um I mean, I don't even think they have the capacity, but I I have worked with some of their people, but with Eagle Mount.

So make you know, Bruce moved to Eagle Mount.

So um at one point, uh, but yes, I think some of the same people are involved all through our community, and so luckily there's crossover, but we've mostly been focusing on other community partners that are local, so not bike walk montana, but good idea though, or disability or you know, any any of the folks that we worked with together that we could bring in, but I don't think that would be for the neighborhood rodeos, more for the SD7 or the bigger rodeos, perhaps.

Yeah, but yeah.

Just throwing that out.

Okay, thanks.

Yeah, yes, Dick.

Um, I really recently read an article about the the uh significant increase in pedestrian and I'm sure bicycle accidents due to the high hood profiles of SUVs and the prevalence of SUVs anymore.

And I hope you put that in the learning experience with the rodeos to you know, remind the kids just because a person's looking your way they might not see you.

I it's not a problem for me because I stood high enough up, but I can imagine the pillars and the high hoods are uh are a detriment to pedestrian and bike safety also.

Um I know in Sacramento, many other cities, I'm sure now they've moved the bike lanes where they put a parking lane and then a curb and then the bike lane between the sidewalk curb and the and the parking curb and uh for your high volume areas.

I think that's a really good consideration for you to do.

To sit, you know, to to protect bicyclists.

Thank you, Dick.

Appreciate that.

Any other comments or questions or ideas?

Um fun fact.

Actually, 90% of the babies born in the Netherlands can ride a bicycle.

You can check me on that, I'm sure it's true.

Can ride a bicycle, 90% of the babies born in the Netherlands can ride a bicycle.

Yeah, yeah, basically, they're like peddling the well.

Another fact is that 88% of all Europeans have at least one car, and it's up to 97% in Italy.

So there's this idea that we have that Europe is this carless Mecca, and it tracks kind of where we are, it's just smaller and has a higher tax base, and so it's able to fund multimodal, and so it's it's it's a safer option, but most people like to travel in their cars.

Yes, Christopher.

Okay, thanks.

Um first I just want to say thanks for the work of this program and your team.

But um, the next part, I've noticed there's a big rapid uptake in the use, specifically for those under the driver's license age of um electrified versions of bikes that accelerate four times as fast and they zoom out into traffic.

And I just want to know what you guys think about them.

I mean, I think it's great that they're not in cars, but you know, what's the trade-off and the safety there and what does the transit department think?

Yeah, you like read my mind.

Yeah, um, so it's a hot topic right now, whether you're on LinkedIn or Reddit or anywhere social media or professional media, um, it's definitely a hot topic in the active transportation field.

And in fact, I was just tasked with coming up with an e-device policy for the city, um, which is going to be fun.

Um, that's sarcasm.

Uh, it it's gonna be challeng, it's gonna be challenging.

Um, it might be like the time that I was assigned the big box ordinance when I worked for the city in 2012 or 2002, and that wasn't fun.

But yeah, no, emoto's e-motorcycles.

Uh there's a conundrum there, obviously.

They're being lumped in with e-bikes.

Um, Jen has an e-bike, an e-cargo bike outside.

And in some communities, they're conflict, they're they're they're confusing them from a policy standpoint, which is very detrimental.

Um, and um we don't know what's gonna happen with that.

There's gonna be some sort of after effects that won't be fun.

Uh but from the city of Bozeman's standpoint, is most of the things that you're talking about, the devices you're talking about are not street legal.

And so, and they're being they may be um operated by someone that's not of a legal age to operate a street vehicle.

So um there's a conundrum there and a safety issue.

And so I don't know if the industry is gonna help solve that or if cities help solve that, but ultimately um I would really hope that parents help solve that problem because they're the ones buying these these devices for their children, and they are a little dangerous.

So I think that it would be uh a community conversation for sure.

I I just don't think we're gonna solve that tonight or in the next couple weeks.

But obviously, it's a hot topic right now in transportation, and everyone's dealing with it.

And in fact, we're dealing with it late to the game.

They've already dealt with this in places like the Netherlands and Germany, um, where they've had issues with delivery e-moto's that have been significantly causing issues on their bike paths that have historically just been analog type bikes or a traditional e-bike.

So we're not the only ones dealing with this.

Actually, way more advanced active transportation countries are dealing with this, and we'll see.

You know, if we reach out to our international partners, that's ideal.

We can learn from them and not reinvent the wheel, no pun intended.

So thank you.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

I actually did have a couple of serious things.

Um, the first one is um is is the so this kind of echoed.

Noah actually hit a couple of the things I had, but is the city surveying missing trips uh where parents say drive their kids instead of letting them bike?

I have been at a meeting with Nick Ross where I said, I know you're you say your statistics, this is before the recent accidents don't show the uptick, but people could be censored, like there could be a sensor censoring issue in the survey because k people aren't sending their kids out as much anymore as they see the danger.

That's my same reaction, Noah.

So I I feel like we need to survey more than just some traffic statistics.

And I didn't know uh thank you, by the way, for the biking gap analysis update too.

I was kind of wondering what happened.

What do you think?

Do you have any?

Do you have any idea on that um from a statistical standpoint?

Um, we did a convenience sample survey with parents within BSD 7 last year.

It's not very statistic statistically accurate.

Um, but it the results that we see are consistent with what is seen across the nation.

And most parents that do not allow their children to walk and bike, it's due to um the speed of traffic, the volume of traffic, you know, the regular things.

It's not really a weather issue, but it is things that can be solved with um education encouragement as well as engineering issues, um, taking that safe systems approach to how we are doing things.

So that's what we have in terms of surveying.

Um, but we don't necessarily have like missed trips and anything statistically uh so.

Yeah, after that ploy got hit on Babcock, was it?

I I was like screaming, I was watching online.

I was like, I'm like, the moms got up there, and they're like, Yeah, we can then the one couple of the kids themselves are saying, we don't feel safe.

And um, yeah, I I try to send the message, but um, I'm the guy who like knows that where they put my sidewalk, they have three more crossings.

So we have to go across.

If you include an alien, which has two fences that block the vision, that's where the city decided to put the sidewalk.

Three more crossings from Longfollow to Bogart if they take that way.

Um the sidewalk is too narrow for a mom and pushing a stroller to hold her toddler next door.

Like, you know, I'm sorry, I am the old man yelling at the moon now.

Like I'm I'm done with being told multimodal is this such an important thing, and you just look at what you see right near our parks, and you're like, who designed this?

This is insane.

Sorry, this is not directed at you guys, but I am bad at what you take the message back.

Um, one other item is uh please coordinate with the new traffic division.

I think we're getting um fines double in park and schools.

I maybe fines already are double, but I think we're supposed to be funding more, like maybe even a traffic group uh in the bosom police department.

I think would be great to get in on that early.

Maybe um Way or Fisher can comment on if that's really happening.

I think it probably it's probably contingent on budget coming through from the state or something, but anyways, um I would love to see that be part of of them coming into existence, like knowing what's important to the community, that you can spend more of your time around where our kids are.

So thanks.

And thank you for this program.

It's great.

So thank you.

Uh so I I'm trying to I'm trying to understand um one last thing here.

So with the bike rodeo, um, as sort of you're trying to gauge engagement as far as like like what neighborhoods would be interested in this program, or is it gonna run no matter what?

Um so the the programs already running, like we're already doing bike rodeos for people that request them, and like I said, it's mostly been SD7.

The relationship was that was the the that was cemented that that's all good.

And then we we've got YMCA, we're assisting them.

That's the nonprofit, and then Headwaters came on board.

That's a private institution, and we do that once a year with them, and then they continue that education through their instructors, you know, on their own through their uh, they don't call it health enhancement necessarily, but they're like, you know, their their education that's athletic or health related.

Um so what we're saying today is that we don't have a presence in the neighborhood, but that's a great place to meet the children where they are with their bikes and their hydration vessel and their appropriate shoes and all that kind of stuff that makes the bike rodeo safe, and we can bring the fun and education to you in your neighborhood.

So you could talk to your constituents that you live around and you you have in your neighborhood associations and gauge if you're interested.

I know Kirk Park, Kirk Park has always super engaged in things around the neighborhood.

It's a smaller unit, but they do some of our traffic calming installations with us, they do cleanup days.

So, you know, I know some neighborhood associations are more tight than others, but you could gauge if the families with kids in your neighborhood want to take part, or maybe some adults want some education and they can bring their bike.

It's totally fine.

This is not just for kids, it's everyone.

Like, seriously, everyone can get on a bike and Jen and I will help them.

And they needed to.

Um, uh, I guess the question is is why isn't it just a plug-in in every elementary school?

Like, why isn't it just like uh, you know, it's like a bike safety thing that you know, it travels with so they so some instructors are doing that, okay.

But their capacity, as you know from an instructor's uh instructional standpoint, is very limited.

They have a curriculum they need to do, they have only so much time during the school year, they only have so much money, um, and equipment.

So we with this 60,500 that we got from the transportation alternatives money, we're going to expand the capacity for them to do that more.

But some of them are already doing it very grassroots, like because they love biking and they want to teach it.

Um, so it's happening, but very under the radar.

As instead of kickball, they might be bringing their bikes one day, and their bike trailer has bikes they can borrow.

So it's it's very under the radar, but it's happening.

Gotcha.

Even if we're not doing it.

Great.

So just for my ability to communicate with my neighborhood, this is an opportunity for us as neighborhoods to talk to our neighbors and see if we can get enough people together.

Yeah.

To use this extra funding to create a fun and interactive learning experience around riding our bikes in the neighborhood.

Might be an hour, two hours, whatever.

It could have a bake sale, it could have a B pizza.

Pizza, you guys.

Yeah, we can't we can't serve food as part of our program.

It's a bummer.

But we can provide the education and the materials and some swag for Amy.

Gotcha.

Crystal clear.

Thank you so much.

Yes, thank you, Noah.

All right.

Well, thank you very much for coming.

That was great.

Thanks, Emily.

And Takami, I'll provide you the presentation and feel free to get in touch.

I'm available, so is Jen.

Okay.

All right.

I don't see the agenda yet, but I think it's the City of Mediaison update.

Commission leave.

Yeah.

That's really hard to get out of there.

Sure.

Man, this has been a great discussion.

Really informative.

I just want to be conscious of the time here.

And just build off of just a f a little bit of what we what we've heard in this room this afternoon.

Since we've last met, the commission approved a city budget.

$610 million for two years.

We can have a whole discussion about what's what's in there.

But just to talk a little bit about how the traffic safety, some of the things that came up in this discussion.

The city has about 600 employees.

Over the next two years, we're going to add 18 more.

We have the budget adds 18 new positions, full-time positions.

Half of those are for the police department.

Actually, 9.5 of those 18 positions are in the police department for police officers for traffic safety to bring in two new traffic safety units.

So that, you know, we we've gotten, we we've we I th I think, you know, this is just me personally speaking.

We we fell behind in terms of enforcement.

Uh it's gonna take a little while for that kind of culture and that that perception to change, but you're going to see more police officers on the street.

It does also take time to bring officers into the into the department, but you're going to see a change.

Um, I mean, what I'd love to do with my little time here is to just to kind of give you guys an idea of what's on the city commission's uh calendar, you know, coming forward on the city's commission.

Because there are a couple places where your perspective would be really helpful to have.

Um it's it's you know, starting in in uh, you know, our July 21 meeting, we're going to be looking at how we um how we we're gonna we may we want to may want to restructure our advisory boards.

Inc is not part of that discussion because Inc.

has its own, you know, kind of separate structure.

Um, but it's going to be a you know, and so it's less relevant for you for you guys, but but that will just to put on your on your radar, that's gonna we'll be looking at like um, you know, sustainability transportation, all those advisory boards.

Do we did we go too far in consolidating our into our super boards?

You know, that's the question we'll be looking at on the 21st.

Also on the 21st, we'll be having a Keggy Boulevard uh construction update.

So we're at the 30% design um phase.

So the cement it's it's not quite white.

You know, it's it's still wet, but it's it's hardening.

And so that would be a time.

I know there's several neighborhoods that kind of border that that crucial thoroughfare.

Um, you may want to listen in on that.

I mean, the kind of how we get pedestrians across that much wider, bigger street is gonna be a key question personally for me.

I think it's I've heard it from several of your neighborhood associations.

That would be a uh the so the 21st would be a time to listen in on that.

Um August 4th, we're having a housing work session on how does what role can the city play uh in terms of um you know, what are we doing?

What is the city doing for affordable housing?

What what different tools do we have to um to kind of boost those efforts?

What kind of affordable housing do we want to bring into the city?

You know, we focused a lot on LITEC and/or low-income tax credit, you know, uh part mostly apartment buildings.

Do we want to shift to more single-family homeowners, starter homes, missing metal, you know, that kind of thing.

Um here's where I think uh it would be helpful in on the uh to have Inc.'s input and and some and voice is on August 25th.

Um we are going to the board will take up the commission is going to take up the B3 height and transition discussion.

So B3 is our zoning district, but it's our densest most down the downtown zoning district.

Um it's not the downtown core, but it's the the kind of the area around the downtown.

Um right now we've we've got a height limit of 90 feet.

Um there's all I think all of you have been aware of the discussion around that.

Is that appropriate?

Is it not?

How does that look?

How do you transition if you're a you know, we downzoned a lot of the neighborhoods around B3?

Um when you're building a big building like Black and Olive next to a residential neighborhood.

How does that look, you know, in terms of transitions?

That discussion.

So it will be um it could be helpful.

I this is not for me to tell you how what your agenda is, but it could be helpful to have a discussion in your August meeting, your next meeting, um, of what you may want, you know, what what's what what Inc.

feels about this.

Just putting out there as a as a as a it's a pin.

Um then to jump to October October 6th, we're going to we have scheduled a community ballot issues uh discussion.

There are a lot of needs for this city, you know, um everything from another fire station right now.

If you're on the west end of town, and really frankly, if you're anywhere in town and we get a call, your and we get and we get two calls in a row, your that person with the second call is wait is gonna be waiting, you know, a while, right?

I mean, I don't know when the last time any of you guys held your breath for four minutes, but it's hard.

And and and uh and our c our response times are you know on the west end of town are creeping up to 10 minutes, right?

So what do we do about that?

You know, um that's one question, you know, that and and then there's other questions like do we need another library?

Go to swim center work.

How do we help with uh mental health response?

Um, uh, you know, you know, do we want when when someone's having a crisis to have a clinician show up at the front door instead of a police officer?

That's that takes money that takes that's a question, you know, and then and we have to go to this to the citizens to residents um for that for that these projects, and which one, you know, we can't ask for them all, which one do we want to ask for?

That discussion is gonna happen October 6th, right?

Um, and then there's a couple things that are not on the agenda, you know, not on the you know, that were that are kind of out there that we're gonna be having, where um there will be another, you know, we had a pedestrian safety discussion in June, June, May?

We had earlier this spring.

We need a second one.

You know, and I think you the questions you guys all had about kind of infrastructure and systemic changes are would be where we're we need to take up those questions.

And so I will let you know, Emily.

I'll I'll let you guys all know when we calendar that, but that's a quite uh really a look at you know, as we build out the city, as we as we redo sidewalks, you know, what are the things we need to kind of keep in mind um uh to keep our our pedestrians and our bikers safe?

That's that that's a discussion we need to have.

The NCOD and landmark discussion is that's continuing along, NCOD being the neighborhood conservation overlay district, um, that is being worked on with um community development and a consultant.

At some point that's gonna surface uh with some recommendations and and I will obviously keep you guys in the loop with that as well.

Um and then those are the main parts.

Again, being conscious of time.

Um but it would be, it would be, you know, you it would be helpful to have some input, and I can get you more context as we roll into August and September about the community ballot work sessions, but it would be helpful if Inc.

decides, you know, so wishes to have your voice in that discussion on the B3 height for August 25th.

Do you know the date for our meeting in August?

What that would be?

Give me a second.

It should be August 6th, I think.

August 4th is a Tuesday, because we're always the first uh Thursday of the month, right?

We're the second.

So August 13th.

So this is the second?

Yes.

Is this already the this is the second Tuesday?

That's all right.

August 13th.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you.

That's it.

Thank you.

Can I ask can I ask a question?

I'm I'm at your disposal.

In regards to the these neighborhood asks, like the fire station, the library, swim center, and all the other asks.

And why does it just have to be one?

It's a question that I've seen and have broached several times.

Like, why can't we just have a rolling ballot that just has it on all the time and then someday everybody just feels the same?

Why are we being so choosy about it?

Sorry, when I say one, I mean it's we have one option, is like the November 20, November 2027 is the ballot.

Uh, you know.

Um, in terms of why aren't we just putting them all on the out there and letting voters?

Um, there's a couple of of different questions, and we and and it's it doesn't just have to be one, it could be like a package of of different ones.

Um or we could we could decide, okay, we're gonna put five questions on there.

Um my understanding is that the more kind of questions you put on, we're always the city ballot is always at the very bottom of any election, right?

Um, and now these are odd year elections, so the ballot is shorter.

But um uh the more complicated a ballot tends to tends to, you tend to produce no's from voters, right?

They're like, what is this?

No, no, no, no.

Uh and I don't particularly want to train voters to keep saying no, right?

So if we keep asking for something that they've said no to before, that no kind of turns into maybe a hell no or whatever, right?

You know, but it's it's like I don't want to so I don't want to, you know, um put something out there that that folks get used to saying no to.

That's my personal view.

But that is part of the discussion, right?

I mean, nothing is you know, we could go out there with three questions and say, okay, these three things are important.

I just think there's just that we're there's so many different needs.

Tax fatigue is real, you know, as uh I think a lot of property, you know, you know, homeowners.

I hear a lot from people who are uh, you know, they're they're voting, they're starting to vote against school levies, right?

They're starting to say no on more and more things.

Given that we are entirely reliant on property tax revenue, you know, if we get a property tax revolt similar to what California went through in the 1970s, we're gonna have some very different discussions about what city government looks like, and they're not gonna be pleasant.

Regarding the pedestrian conversation, is this something that we're going to be talking about as a body, or is it something you're hoping that we just tune into?

Um, the pedestrian, you know, I would hope I would hope that we have a discussion here.

Okay.

Um, and uh a robust discussion.

It's just that it has not been scheduled yet by on our city by our city commission, so it'll happen sometime later this fall, maybe early spring.

And uh and but it's out there as a discussion we we want to have, and we've we've committed to have as a as your commission, and I just don't know when yet.

My feeling is just that like I I feel like for for neighborhoods to feel at least our neighborhood to feel like we have more agency in the city.

Um, I'd be curious to see like how you know we could have some sort of budget allocations for neighborhoods to say, hey, you guys live in your neighborhoods, you know where the corridors feel the most unsafe or the most sketchy, or what you need, like, you know, pick your top three that we work on right away to make us feel like you know we're helping lift the burden, but also sort of directing, you know, I mean, um, the the issues into the city.

That that would be certainly a yes, and that could be a great way to look at it.

I and and yes, for sure.

Okay, um, it's just uh I and I feel like I keep saying no here, but um the amount of money in in that uh next year for kind of pedestrian safeties focused specifically in that 300 million dollar budget right for next year is three hundred thousand dollars, right?

So it is and and Nick Ross is basically spending that on like those flashing signs that you you know where you hit to cross the thing, they cost anywhere from ten thousand dollars to seventy thousand dollars to install, right?

Which is crazy.

So I don't want to but but it we need to think more creatively about how we fund this and and how we fund production.

How we how we integrate it.

I would love to get uh and figure out like how we get neighborhood voices into this discussion about like, hey, if we could connect this trail.

I mean, I think the Figgins edition um neighborhood is a great example where where the Museum of the Rockies is um, you know, is planning a revision of its campus, and it uh there's no trail connecting the linear trail, all these trails to the north to all the trails to the south, right?

That's an amazing opportunity that we could miss, but the the Figgins edition is awake to it, right?

We need to to bring that surface that up, right?

And that the there's it uh but there's examples in every one of your neighborhoods that we should be thinking about.

Thank you so much.

Yeah, yeah, just just to follow up on the like all the sidewalk to nowhere.

So there was an SID, but half of the property, you know, half of the street was along Bogart Park and the other half along the creek.

So, you know, I heard, and again, Terry Cuttingham was kind enough to come walk it with me, even across it.

But you know, we heard, oh well, which we only talk, we only notice these people here that have to pay the SID.

Well, I was like, but half of it's city property, so that requires a bigger discussion, at least with the neighborhood, probably also a bigger community discussion.

Cause like I said, the that area where Linley and Pete's Hill and Bogar Park all come together, it's just kind of disconnected.

And honestly, I think some of that might have had neighborhood neighbors' input on how that Pete's hill parking lot came together, but anyways, that's before my time.

Um, but yeah, nobody reached out to the neighborhood.

So we we are the ones like I talked to the neighbor on the corner.

They're the ones who watch people turn around there all the time, right?

At this one particular spot, like those, those are the people that know.

Um, and then there was some questions about how well the city followed up with those neighbors who were noticed, um, which is a whole other kind of thing.

I wasn't party to that, so I always hesitate to say like it's a he said she said thing.

But yeah, please use the neighborhoods as a strength, like you're gonna have to deal with some.

I know you're gonna be casting a wider net and then have to deal with more crap.

I I do appreciate that that slows down the process, makes it annoying.

But please, please, we know our neighborhoods.

So thank you.

You know, I thought, no, I wouldn't say when we know the library and the fire department and the uh aquatic center, make it one place, and if a couple of people had mentioned California and I was visiting family down in California and we went to the pool.

So I could swim.

And it had the post office, the library, the aquatic center, and some, but I think it was City Hall in this big campus, and I was like, man, let's do this.

It was just brilliant.

So they have a lot of money down there.

That's for sure.

But I wish we would think about that.

I know we talked about a swim center and aquatic center before, and I don't think they need to be in the same building at all.

Uh but if they were on a ballot and they were I think the reason we avoid that is because we don't want people to vote for one over the other, or one and not the other.

And you talked about revenue, is the city considering the sales tax revenue with all these wonderful tourists who come in here and throw money all over the place as a source of revenue.

I would love.

Yeah, me too.

I'd love nothing more than to put a 2% sales tax in, or even I would take half a percent of sales tax.

Uh, five percent, two percent, five percent.

You know, what is California?

You know, it's yeah.

There is no power that the state legislature has granted uh local a government the size or a community the size of Bozeman.

You know, smaller communities have access to the resort tax.

Um we are are at the the legislature is has said we we cannot tax.

Well, I know one guy.

Can we make it a research?

There we go.

Um probably not.

How would we uh take it take that question to the legislature?

I mean, we'll vote for that.

Well, I would uh we have to be loud about this.

Um, and I think and I think frankly, all eight, the big eight of our our minutes, you know, the big eight municipalities in in Montana need to be getting loud on this.

Um half of Montana lives, half of Montanans live in a city, one of eight, one of those eight cities, right?

And um, and yet the legislature I think consistently I I'm now editorializing.

The legislature is is policy the policies of the legislature pass don't always you know benefit or or work for our you know for those for those cities.

We need to make sure that we're electing them, you know, sending the right legislators to um uh town, but we're also reaching out not just to you know our legislators who represent Bozeman are very much aware of this.

I think it's also reaching out to other legislatures and developing relationship legislators and and developing relationships and making them understand how you know Bozeman.

I mean, there's four a million people come through Bozeman, Galton Valley every year, right?

Tourists, they spend a billion dollars in Gallanton Valley, right?

Um, you know, it's it would be we we are in some ways the economic engine of this state.

And yet we're relying on property tax owners to support the services that those million people are enjoying and using, right?

But I'm editorializing, I don't like the editorializing from this position here.

Um it's but it's but but that's it it's reaching out to legislators and more than just your Bozeman representatives.

Quick question on the bed tax.

There is a bed tax, right?

For hotels, do we get a share of that?

You can try to keep it as simple as you can for interest of time, but uh no, that bed tax goes to Helena.

Helena takes half, sends the other half back, and that goes to promote tourism.

Okay, so it's earmarked.

Right.

It won't help South Church Street with all the extra 200 keys about to go in at the canopy hotel.

No, all right, thank you.

Thank you, people.

Thank you.

Right, to come me.

All right, I'll be quick.

Um, one I just wanted to follow up with everyone.

Let you guys know that I'm um continuing to work on scheduling a training on Roberts rules with the local government center at MSU.

So I hope to bring someone in.

Um, we're looking at September currently, but um we'll let you know you guys know where we land with that.

Um reminder too, we do have three neighborhood associations who have not submitted their annual reports yet, and that was due on at the end of last month.

So please do that.

And then just to close the loop on some budget things that kind of came up during this meeting.

I included in uh the memo some of the neighborhood line items that got approved by the commission.

Um, one of the the couple of the different ones that I wanted to point out to you right now was just um one of the things that we approved was meeting supplies that include snacks and drinks for meetings.

So that could be something that as if you're looking at a bike rodeo and you want to provide some snacks, we could support from the city side of things.

Um, so think about that.

Also, paint for neighborhood um traffic calming projects.

So if you're thinking about doing that and want to reach out to Candace and other folks at transportation to partner, um the city could also support with paint, and then um neighborhood award, neighbor awards, which was something that this board has discussed in the past as well.

So there's lots of great stuff that got um passed by the commission, um, and I'm happy to follow up with more information if you're interested.

But um, Emily will definitely be in touch too with updates once she's back as she starts to take action on some of these things, all right.

Thank you.

Um, all right, and then neighborhood written updates.

Um, have anything beyond what they submitted?

No.

I'm not sure what got submitted for the Northeast neighborhood, but I did want to say that one new thing is that um we had elections in the spring, and we have a new vice president who's gung-ho, and he pretty much single-handedly revised our website, and it's really fabulous.

It's really interesting, and it has all this stuff about the history of the neighborhood and the local businesses, and uh, it's really over the top.

And he pretty much single-handedly did the whole thing with AI help.

Freaks me out, but that's so.

Anyway, check it out.

It's it's really interesting.

I am grateful.

Thank you.

Who has uh, helps to have them around.

Um, all right, anybody else?

Good.

I think that's it.

All right, do I get to hit this now, Dick?

Is that move to adjourn?

Anyways, second, okay.

Good.

All right.

Goodbye.

Sort of the creepiest voice.