By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
In the May 6 mail-in election, registered Big Sky voters will decide whether to authorize Resort Tax to take on long-term debt to fund significant renovations to Big Sky Community Park.
Managed by the nonprofit Big Sky Community Organization, the park has undergone partial renovation in the past couple of years, but requires additional funding to complete BSCO’s master plan.
“By upgrading existing facilities and introducing new amenities, this initiative addresses the needs of our growing community while enhancing safety, accessibility, and quality for all users. These improvements aim to create a space that supports a healthy, thriving, and connected community,” a BSCO press release stated.
Part of the Livable Big Sky campaign, the Community Park Bond would fund park renovations up to $6.8 million.
Whitney Montgomery, former CEO and current director of special projects with BSCO, answered questions on a panel at an April 1 voter education event, Ballots and Brews with Explore Big Sky.
The full event, including presentations for each ballot initiative, can be viewed on YouTube.
Explore Big Sky: What are the biggest challenges you’re finding in educating voters for this upcoming local election?
Whitney Montgomery: The biggest piece that we’ve experienced is just the conversation around the synthetic fields—should it be synthetic or natural grass? It’s been great support for the Community Park Bond, because everybody loves [the park] and uses it. So we feel good about where we are, and hope we can get it over the finish line.
EBS: So Whitney, you’ve mentioned that if… this Community Park Bond for $6.8 million does pass, there will be an adjustment in the way that BSCO approaches the Resort Tax board with annual asks to fund certain things… How would this Community Park Bond improve BSCO’s long-term funding and planning, versus having to go every year asking for capital projects?
WM: The BSRAD board has asked the nonprofits over time to reduce asking for operational funding, meaning money for salaries, for example. And [instead] ask [for] money for capital projects and infrastructure. BSCO has done that the last number of years. We’ve not asked BSRAD for operational funding, just capital funding.
So, if this bond passes, instead of us going with the next three years asking for $2.2 million to finish the project, we’ll get it all done at once, and we will not ask for capital funding going forward.
I also will say though, that this is a very generous community. Philanthropy does a lot for each of us in this room. And we need to be thankful for those that do make those gifts. I mean, businesses like the Hungry Moose, Big Sky Landscaping, the Conoco, Lone Mountain Land Company, [Big Sky] Resort. They all make philanthropic gifts to support BSCO, and that allows us to operate the way we do, making everything accessible to the whole community, and [enabling] BSCO [to not ask] for three years’ capital funding.
EBS: OK, and then Danny [Bierschwale], how does that help Resort Tax to know that there’s going to be fewer asks from BSCO, as one example.
Editor’s note: Daniel Bierschwale is the executive director of Resort Tax, and joined Montgomery on the panel for Ballots and Brews.
Daniel Bierschwale: That’s one of the reasons that we started that capital improvement plan to begin with. We, on an annual basis, receive unknown requests in the one-, two-, three-million dollars [range].
And despite the fact that it seems like we have all of the money to be able to accomplish all of these projects that are being requested through our community, we do not. And it’s a very difficult decision for board members, as they’re having to sort through, ‘how are we going to even consider a three million, or two million dollar request in the context of programming, and mission-critical type stuff?’
So what this allows us, and what the CIP allows us, is predictability. And that’s really important when you’re in financial planning.
EBS: It’s pretty obvious to see how housing contributes to livability, right? It’s the place that you live, it’s maybe the most important factor in making a place livable. But talk about how community park infrastructure really helps livability as well.
WM: I’ll have to tell a quick little story if I could. You know, the fundraising for the racket courts, I see Mike Scholz over there—Mike and a few others really led the effort to do the fundraising for the racket courts. One of the major donors for the racket courts decided to invest in those because he found community playing pickle ball after living here for a short time. He’s a full-time resident, and he said if it weren’t for pickleball, he may have left.
We’ve had people who go to BASE—new families that go to BASE, and say, same thing: ‘we moved here, we didn’t know anybody, BASE provided a safe place for my kids to play,’ a place for parents to meet others by going to fitness classes. And so, it adds a lot to livability.
There are also tons of youth and adults in this town that like recreational athletics. And most of those are done outdoors in the summer. And it gives them a place to be as well.
