In April, KBZK informed viewers of the proposed indoor athletic facility for Montana State University athletes. It is desirable that this facility be built on an area of campus where athletes would not have to cross Kagy Blvd. Really? We just put in a multi-light crossing to bolster existing flashing cross-lights. The multi-light seriously snarls traffic when drivers don’t realize they can proceed after people are safely across.

My concern is not being held up in traffic. It’s that, this winter, a student at Gallatin College MSU was nearly killed having to drive well past Belgrade against traffic—all because there is not enough physical space for classes; Gallatin College has no dedicated building.

The route included getting past ‘rush hour’ traffic on Kagy, accessing, then driving icy Huffine Lane, then some miles past Cameron Bridge Road. A snowstorm arose; the student took I-90 to return, and was nearly home in whiteout conditions when one semi tried to pass another. The student could easily have been crushed in the exact spot where two people had died the week before.

While MSU Athletics seeks additional millions in funding and donations for an indoor athletic complex, could we focus on a truly essential need? The Montana Senate recently passed a bill allocating $22.5 million for Gallatin College MSU’s building, contingent on the school matching that amount in private donations.

This two-year College has grown 229% since 2012. Most classes have wait lists due to space restrictions. With a desperate need for service industry personnel and trained tradespeople, this building isn’t a luxury, it’s crucial to ensuring an adequate workforce. It’s up there with affordable housing. Then again, we need people to build those houses… where are our plumbers, mechanics, carpenters, electricians?

Business community, please step up. These are your future employees—the ones you badly need and can’t seem to find. You spend thousands on skyboxes, and banners around Bobcat Stadium and in the Fieldhouse. How about investing in your future? A Career and Technical Trades Building will reap rich rewards throughout Gallatin Valley and, by extension, the entire state.

To read HB5 as amended by the Senate, visit https://legiscan.com/MT/text/HB5/2023. See Section 16 for pertinent language.   

A Gallatin County taxpayer since 2003, Cynthia Gage is a former MSU staff member, an involved parent, and co-founder of the Bobcat Football Magazine Plus.