It is that most glorious time of the year again. The days begin to get longer and warmer, the snow starts to melt, and the hillsides and mountains explode into color and greenery. Bozeman is a veritable smorgasbord of outdoor activities in these all too short summer months. Hiking, camping, fishing, floating, and biking are all within a short distance and easily accessible here in our beautiful city. But when it comes to outdoor aquatics facilities, splash pads or pools and water parks, unfortunately, Bozeman falls short. However, never fear good citizens, there are folks in high places working hard to change all that and bring some new and improved swim and splash centers to the Gallatin Valley.

Bogert Park has been under scrutiny lately and a subject of some hot debate. Desperately in need of repair, there has been some talk of closing it while another one was being built. Being the only outdoor family swim center in the area, this has not necessarily been received with too much aplomb.

Says Kris Zyph, chef at Starky’s restaurant,“I hope they don’t close Bogert while they build a new facility, there are no outdoor places to take my kids to swim except the Hot Springs in the area and those can be quite expensive and a bit of a drive. And, even though Bozeman is abundant with natural water ways, I wouldn’t let my nine year old son swim in any of those yet, too dangerous for his skill level.”

Back in April of this year, the Bozeman Commissioners elected to keep Bogert Pool ‘as is’ while the plans for a new aquatics facility was in the works. As reported on KBZK.com, there seems to be the same sentiment from the Deputy Mayor, Jeff Krauss. Krauss stated that, “I guess at this point I’m trying to figure out why we tear out the only outdoor swimming pool we’ve got until we have a new one?” Fortunately, the Commissioners voted to keep Bogert Pool open for as long as it is able to run.

At that meeting, there were other decisions made for the future of aquatics in Bozeman as well. It is mandated that the Recreation and Park Advisory Board must continue to look for partnerships for a new facility. Dan McCarthy, City Aquatics Manager, tells Bozeman Magazine that there are exciting new things ahead for swim parks and pools in the Gallatin Valley, and that he is very pleased with where the plans stand at this point. The staff is looking at a few potential partners willing to collaborate in bringing this dream to fruition. The few front runners are: The Gallatin Valley Fairgrounds, The Ridge Athletic Club and the Gallatin Valley YMCA.

“On the table right now there is a plan proposed to start building two new separate family aquatics centers”, says Dan McCarthy. “One would be a splash pad at an existing park in the City, most likely not at Bogert, and the other would be a bigger center that featured a lap pool and a leisure pool that could be utilized for different events at the same time. This facility would be indoor and outdoor with a central front desk and one set of restrooms.” Dan tells us. “There is money in the budget for this endeavor, and we are presently looking at land to build the new aquatics center. The bidding will be able to start after July 1st of this year, as soon as the money gets appropriated. We are very excited about this, and are hoping it is the start of something great for our community”.

Bozeman Magazine also caught up with Andrea Stevenson with the Gallatin Valley YMCA. “The ‘Y’ without walls” as she affectionately dubbed it. She told us that there is a very real need for more pools in the Bozeman area.
“Families need places to be able to do physical activities together all year round. Pools provide a necessity to communities. It can be detrimental to not have access to water safety programs, especially in a community and state that has so much outdoor water access. Kids are naturally curious and need to know how to swim. It can also hamper the ability for them to participate in certain activities, such as birthday parties that have to do with water related activities.”
Andrea also let us know that, given the chance, the ‘Y’ would be willing to collaborate with the City for the new aquatics facility. The ‘Y’ always strives to partner with area organizations to better the health and wellness and promote social participation in our community. Currently, the Gallatin Valley YMCA has no facility of its own, and it is now in the process of building a brand new ‘Y’, and is looking at a 23 acre regional park for that full service facility. More good news for Bozeman and it’s swimming future.

Interestingly enough, the comparison to other Montana cities and their local aquatics facilities proves to make Bozeman one of the top two largest cities in our state that do not have adequate family water parks. Surprising to think, but Great Falls comes out on top with the most pools/splash parks. It hosts the ‘Morony Natatorium Indoor Pool’, the ‘Electric City Water Park’, the ‘Jaycee Pool & Splash Park’ and the ‘Water Tower Pool and Splash Park’. These are all indoor/outdoor facilities that offer lessons and programs year round. Lucky them! Missoula comes in second with various neighborhood splash decks and spray pools as well as ‘Splash Montana Waterpark’ and ‘Currents Aquatic Center’, open year round. Helena runs a close third with their activity packed ‘Last Chance Splash Waterpark and Pool’. And here is the kicker. Billings, being the largest city in the state, comes in fourth just ahead of Bozeman, and possesses less than adequate swimming facilities for its size, and its sweltering summer temperatures; as the only water parks Billings has is the indoor facility ‘The Reef’ and the new ‘Oasis’ that has no adult sized pools and is primarily a splash park for young children. But that is a whole different story.

Stacey Faldetta is a freelance writer currently living in MT with her four children. She is working on her first book of compiled poetry called ‘A Thousand Little Sparks’ and enjoys travelling extensively around our breath taking state enjoying all that the Big Sky Country has to offer. She can be reached at mtcinnamon73@gmail.com