HomeMy WebLinkAboutAquatics Center Site Alternative - East Gallatin Recreation Area from Art Thompson 1-14From:Chris Mehl
To:Agenda
Subject:FW: Bozeman Aquatics Center Site Alternative - East Gallatin Recreation Area
Date:Wednesday, January 08, 2014 2:17:37 PM
Chris MehlBozeman City Commissioncmehl@bozeman.net406.581.4992________________________________________From: Art Thompson [art.thompson@yahoo.com]Sent: Wednesday, January 08, 2014 1:23 PMTo: Chris MehlCc: Cyndy Andrus; Jeff Krauss; Carson Taylor; Sean Becker; I-Ho PomeroySubject: Bozeman Aquatics Center Site Alternative - East Gallatin Recreation Area
Hi Chris - Happy new year. Here’s a follow up to my previous email. You likely have this informationalready, but I thought I would pass it on, just in case. These are a few key preliminary findings, withrespect to the East Gallatin Recreation Area as a possible suitable site alternative for the new BozemanAquatics Center. As Ken Ballard of Ballard & King stipulated, East Gallatin can accommodate a singleaquatics center complex, including aquatics center expansion AND even a new recreation center. Asingle complex provides economies of scale and operating efficiencies. These benefits should be evengreater at East Gallatin, when accounting for its pond and beach as another City aquatics facility,especially with plans for lifeguards on the beach in the future, etc. Importantly, to the best of myknowledge, and according to city and county records, the City still owns ~55-acres of the East GallatinRecreation Area. That was yesterday's discovery, and news to me. Finally, as a disclaimer, I piecedtogether these findings from various sources, and have issued them below, in draft form, for the City’suse. I recommend that the City of Bozeman verify the accuracy of these preliminary findings, take itfrom here. Best, Art
EAST GALLATIN RECREATION AREABOZEMAN AQUATICS CENTER SITE ALTERNATIVEKEY FINDINGS – DRAFT
PROST PLANThe East Gallatin Recreation Area consists of 89.1735 acres, already has a beach for swimming andother aquatics, and is already classified as a REGIONAL park. It is one of only two, large regional parksin the City. According to the PROST Plan, "Regional parks are similar to community parks in terms ofuses and facilities but are scaled to meet the recreational needs of a region. Regional parks aregenerally larger in size (50 acres or more), with larger and/or more numerous facilities. The scale andservice area of a regional park makes possible more extensive facilities that may be cost prohibitive atthe community level. The service area for a regional park is generally countywide for most uses, butwould draw from a multi-county area for special events such as concerts and sports tournaments. Thesite should be serviced by arterial and collector streets, as well as the countywide trail system. Parkinglots should be provided as necessary to accommodate user access. The East Gallatin Recreation Area isa good example of a regional park."
LEGALAccording to the original, and apparently still prevailing April 26, 1892 deed, the City of Bozemanalready owns 54.96 acres of the East Gallatin Recreation Area. The land is likely all on the east side ofthe park. Over thirty years ago, the City operated its landfill on a portion of this land. Since 1985, theCity has leased this parcel to Montana FWP. Montana FWP pays no rent under the terms of the lease.Not unlike the site development for the new City of Bozeman Library, the City has the opportunity toupcycle and repurpose the site for a new, better use, like the Bozeman Aquatics Center. Notably, othermunicipalities have been successfully redeveloping former landfill sites for years.
Montana FWP owns 35.95 acres of the East Gallatin Recreation Area, split between two, non-contiguoustracts. The larger 29.79 acre tract was donated to FWP. It's virtually the entire lake area on the west
side of the East Gallatin Recreation Area, formerly the Glen Hash Gravel Pit (Bozeman Sand & Gravel).The smaller, 6.16-acre, north side tract was actually donated by the City of Bozeman to MTFWP and thedeed even includes a right of reversion back to the City in the event the state fails to use the propertyfor park and recreational purposes. The state pays the City a modest $5000 per year to manage its twotracts. MTFWP has been wanting to sell, trade, possibly even donate, these two tracts to the City foryears.
ZONINGThe parcels are already zoned Public Lands and Institutions. PLI zoning already designates a publicbuilding as a principal use.
Art Thompson3150 West Graf Street, #9Bozeman, MT 59715 USA
m +1 406.539.9955e art.thompson@yahoo.com<mailto:art.thompson@yahoo.com>