USPS to operate Big Sky’s post office, update on summer road work, voters to decide on county government study
By Jack Reaney ASSOCIATE EDITOR
On Wednesday, May 8, the Big Sky Resort Area District hosted its bi-annual Madison-Gallatin Joint County Commission Meeting, with topics including BSRAD’s selection of a vendor to complete a $329,750 study about the possible pros and cons of local government in Big Sky, including incorporation as a municipality.
BSRAD’s approval of the study is not a decision to incorporate Big Sky.
In February, the BSRAD board voted to issue a request for proposals from vendors that would conduct the fact-finding study about local governance options—including incorporation—and the associated advantages and drawbacks of each option.
In mid-April, the BSRAD board opened four vendor proposals; vendors submitted bids of $114,200, $329,750, $390,000 and $1,022,000.
Last summer, BSRAD formed a subcommittee including local leaders, who have been participating in an exploratory exercise regarding local governance. In the past month, the subcommittee agreed on the top two vendor candidates, Economic and Planning Systems and WGM Group, whose bids fell in the $300,000 range—and reviewed presentations and references from those two vendors.
Both finalists had “outstanding” proposals, according to Tallie Lancey, who sits on the exploratory subcommittee and spoke with EBS. The subcommittee took a blind vote for simple majority—the group was not interested in grappling for consensus, Lancey explained—but selected WGM Group.
At Wednesday’s meeting, the three-member BSRAD board—shorthanded due to the end of Ciara Wolfe’s term, and the passing of treasurer Steve Johnson—voted unanimously to follow the subcommittee’s recommendation.
BSRAD will fund the $329,750 contract, having originally budgeted $500,000.
WGM’s fact-finding study will be due in June 2025.
Community member Barbara Rowley gave public comment in general opposition.
“I’ve lived here for 34 years full-time,” Rowley said. “And not once have I ever wished we had a mayor… Instead, I’ve marveled at how all the services for the town, envisioned and championed by friends and neighbors, have steadily appeared.”
Rowley commended the current state of Big Sky’s local government, led by dozens of citizens, both volunteers and employees. She said Big Sky is unique for the ability of its residents to enact change.
She also said BSRAD’s $330,000 study seems counterintuitive for a community trying to improve its affordability and fund many nonprofits efforts.
“Although I’ve asked, I’ve yet to be given—or did I read in any of those proposals—a concise answer to the need for incorporation,” Rowley said. “… I believe need should be the obvious prerequisite for funding any project.”
BSRAD Board Chair Sarah Blechta clarified that this study is not merely an incorporation, but “all forms of potential government that could take place in Big Sky,” and that the study may provide facts that would suggest Big Sky changes little to none of its current governance structure.
“WGM Group will be tasked with providing facts. Not a narrative on what we should do. Simply facts about all the options for local governance in our area,” Blechta responded.
She added, “And I do agree with you, Barbara, we have managed to get a lot of things done in the last 30-plus years.”
As findings emerge from the study, BSRAD leaders hope meaningful conversations and decisions will follow in a way that has not been possible before for lack of objective and robust information.
Big Sky’s mail prevails
Al Malinowski, vice president of Gallatin Partners which operates the Big Sky Post Office, gave a piece of long-awaited news.
“We are getting a federally operated USPS post office in Big Sky,” Malinowski said at the joint county commission meeting.
The audience applauded—after a multi-year process of appealing to the United States Postal Service for upgraded postal infrastructure, which included an October 2022 move by Malinowski to terminate the Big Sky Post Office contract effective February 2023, there’s light at the end of the P.O. Box.
A stone’s throw from the existing Big Sky Post Office, which Malinowski says has been operating beyond its capacity for at least a decade, developers John and Andrew Kircher have built a home for the new USPS post office.
“Good, I’m glad you’re clapping. I’m glad you think that’s good news, too,” Malinowski said. He thanked both county commissions for encouraging USPS to consider stepping in, and BSRAD for its involvement with meetings “to help USPS understand how much this growing community needed to step up and become a fully federally operated post office.”
Those holding existing P.O. boxes will have the same size box with the same number, Malinowski added.
Malinowski thanked state and federal representatives—Representative Jane Gillette and Senator Pat Flowers, Governor Greg Gianforte, U.S. senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester, and Representative Matt Rosendale for endorsing Big Sky’s postal needs.
Malinowski gave credit to the Kirchers for having the vision to construct the building without a confirmed tenant, to help solve the problem.
He thanked the many community members who wrote letters to USPS, and finally, he emphatically thanked his Big Sky Post Office staff.
“I can’t underestimate the team who works at the Big Sky Post Office has helped this transition be possible. Every time I said, ‘Hey, we gotta give them another year, we gotta give them a little more time,’ they said, ‘OK, we’ll do that,’” Malinowski said. “And they’re doing that again.”
The current contract—its sunset extended twice already—is scheduled to expire at the end of May. The new John Kircher Building is not quite ready, with P.O. boxes being installed.
“We’re having discussions about a short extension of the existing contract so we can get the move done smoothly,” Malinowski said.
When the contract finally expires, Malinowski and Gallatin Partners will no longer be involved. The post office will be operated by USPS.
“It’s going to happen, and it’s going to happen soon,” Malinowski said.
Road work to be ‘much more manageable’ this summer
Last summer, TIGER grant construction on Montana Highway 64 (Lone Mountain Trail) added a pedestrian tunnel, pedestrian bridge, traffic light and multiple left-turn lanes. Two pedestrian walking paths were also extended among other small projects.
The remaining work will be finished this summer and is expected to begin in late May or early June, according to Danielle Scharf, project engineer with Sanderson Stewart.
“Traffic control this season should be much more manageable than last season,” Scharf said in the joint county commission meeting.
Work along the shoulders of Highway 64 will primarily be completed under two-way traffic. Chip seal and pavement marking will cause some short-term lane closures.
“But those are all much shorter durations than what we saw last season for the paving operations,” Scharf said.
One part of the project will not be completed this summer: near the U.S. Highway 191 intersection, construction of bus pull-outs, and elimination of gravel shoulder parking with extended curb and gutter will not take place, due to BSRAD’s recent commitment to acquire land for intersection improvements.
“We didn’t want to build anything in the space that would only need to be torn out a few years down the road, if and when that problem moves forward,” Scharf said.
McFarlane endorses local government review on June 4 primary ballot
Gallatin County Commissioner Scott MacFarlane gave a presentation about a ballot item to review local and county governments in the June 4 primary election. The local and county government review is required every 10 years according to the 1972 Montana Constitution.
Although MacFarlane was intentional to avoid telling voters what to vote for, he did emphasize the potential benefit of reevaluating governmental structure.
“The last time that Gallatin County citizens approved this was in 1994. So we’ve done this since 1974… and it’s only been approved once in Gallatin County,” MacFarlane said. Even in 1994, the small recommendations were ultimately denied.
If a simple majority of voters in June choose to move the study forward, then a commission of citizens will be elected in November to conduct the study of Gallatin County government. The same goes for Madison County, and other municipal governments.
“It’s something that we agree is a really healthy thing for our community to go through,” MacFarlane said. “We’ve grown a lot, and we’re dealing with a pretty old form of government that doesn’t really make us as nimble as we probably should be to respond to the needs that everyone has been coming to us with.
“We would love for you to look under the hood and recommend changes. We are advocating for you to at least give that [elected] commission a chance to review local government.”
