Bozeman Magazine

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Montana State University will present “Will Historic Downtown Bozeman Survive the Building Boom?” at a March 11 Friday Forum. The event will be delivered online via Zoom from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Ellie Staley, executive director of the Downtown Bozeman Partnership, will discuss the impacts of rapid growth in the Gallatin Valley on historic Downtown Bozeman. For decades, Bozeman’s thriving historic business district has been an anomaly in a landscape of dying downtowns throughout the West. But now, with big hotels and luxury condos moving into Downtown Bozeman at the same time long-time businesses such as Cactus Records are leaving, is the character of Downtown Bozeman changing forever? Staley will describe efforts by the Downtown Bozeman Partnership to ensure that – as the banners say – “Life is Downtown.” Ellie Staley has worked for the Downtown Bozeman Partnership since 2006, first as the assistant director and now as the executive director. She has over 20 years of event coordination, sales and management experience at several established local businesses in addition to her work managing the membership, events and marketing for the Downtown Bozeman Association, the 501c6 non-profit arm of the Partnership. Staley has a deep love for the Downtown Bozeman community. Through her passion and hard work, she continues to play an important leadership role in our community through creative collaborations with small businesses, property owners, the City of Bozeman, and beyond. She is also committed to supporting social infrastructure and advocating for accessibility to the arts and culture. Participants must register in advance and no later than 11:00 a.m. on Friday, March 11. For more information or registration, please visit the OLLI at MSU website at montana.edu/olli/register or call 994-6550. Upon registration confirmation, participants will receive an email with the Zoom link and instructions to join the program. Friday Forums are offered on the second Friday of each month, September through May, by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at MSU. OLLI at MSU is a program of Academic Technology and Outreach (ATO) at Montana State University. ATO works across MSU to support and advance our land-grant mission through unique and innovative opportunities for outreach and engagement.