BOZEMAN —The City of Bozeman is updating its Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP) and continuing with public engagement for the project. All are invited to the in-person UFMP Public Engagement Meeting on Aug. 31 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Bozeman Public Safety Center, 901 N Rouse Avenue. This will be the final formally scheduled public engagement meeting for the UFMP update process.

“We’ve learned a lot through this process and are eager to see residents’ thoughts on our draft plan,” said Alex Nordquest, Forestry Manager at the City of Bozeman. “If you haven’t been involved yet, now is the time. Feedback at this stage is critical as it helps to inform our final plan.”

The UFMP Update builds on the 2016 framework to ensure sustainable, holistic, and efficient management of the city’s urban forest. The updated plan will guide Forestry Division operations, planning, and public outreach, incorporating professional analysis and community input through meetings with staff, officials, and local stakeholders. Key components of the plan include community engagement; tree infrastructure; staffing and equipment; planning and development integration; and insect, disease, and disaster preparedness.

During the most recent public engagement meeting for the plan update, the project team presented the draft UFMP that has since been posted for public review and comment. The public comment period will begin on Monday, Aug. 17 and run through Tuesday, Sept. 15, allowing ample time for Plan review and comment formulation and submittal.

Comments can be provided during the meeting on Aug. 31 or by emailing comments@Bozemanmt.gov.

For more information on the UFMP Update and to sign up to receive updates on the project, visit the project website at engage.bozemanmt.gov/urbanforest.

BOZEMAN – Construction is underway on the City of Bozeman’s West Kagy to Babcock Sewer Improvements project. Crews are working 24-hour shifts to complete work at the South 3rd Avenue/West Kagy Boulevard/South Willson Avenue intersection before the school year begins.

Starting late next week, a full closure of South 3rd Avenue will be implemented while construction crews work on the manhole on the southeast corner of the intersection, near Crossings Kitchen. South 3rd Avenue will be closed to all directions of traffic between the West Kagy Boulevard intersection and West Graf Street but will remain open for local residents and business access. Detour signs will direct northbound through traffic on South 3rd Avenue to take West Graf Street to South 11th Avenue.

When work at the South 3rd Avenue/West Kagy Boulevard/South Willson Avenue intersection is complete and the intersection is reopened, crews will begin working on the West Kagy Boulevard and South Tracy Avenue intersection. The public can expect intermittent closures along South Tracy Avenue beginning the week of August 24, weather and other factors permitting.

In addition to the upcoming closures on South 3rd Avenue and South Tracy Avenue, the City of Bozeman has issued the following travel advisories:

Starting this week, there will be intermittent closures of the westbound left-turn lane from West Kagy Boulevard into the Museum of the Rockies’ (MOR) main entrance. During these closures, signs will be in place directing westbound MOR visitors to take South 7th Avenue into the museum’s staff parking lot and then follow the service drive to the visitor parking lot.

Access to the business center at the corner of West Kagy Boulevard and South 3rd Avenue is and will continue to be available throughout construction.

Pedestrians and bicyclists must follow all traffic control and posted signage. Barricades and other devices are in place to maintain worker and public safety.

The purpose of the West Kagy to Babcock Sewer Improvements project is to replace aging sewer pipelines to maintain a resilient and reliable sewer system in southwest Bozeman. The project will be completed in two phases over the next couple of years, beginning with the West Kagy Boulevard upgrades this summer. The next phase of the project includes sewer improvements in a residential area between West Babcock and West College Street—near Cooper Park—which is tentatively planned for spring 2027.

More information about the West Kagy to Babcock Sewer Improvements project can be found at https://bit.ly/kagysewer. To sign up for email or text alerts, click the “eNotifications” link at the top of the page.

HELENA – The Montana State Shooting Facilities and Improvements Development and Oversight Task Force will meet Monday, Aug. 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The meeting will be held on Zoom.  

The task force is responsible for identifying shooting facility needs in Montana and is tasked with developing a set of recommendations for the development, location and administrative structure of state shooting facilities and improvements. The deadline for the recommendations is June 30, 2027.  

“We learned a lot about shooting facilities in South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado,” said task force co-chair Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe of Billings. “We also heard from over 1,400 shooters in Montana about the facility needs in our state. We will use all this information as we draft our recommendations.”   

The public is invited to watch the meeting and participate in the public feedback session. For the Zoom link and more information about the task force, click here.     

“We appreciate the passion and participation from the public,” said task force co-chair Sen. John Fuller of Kalispell. “Our recommendations will reflect that passion and benefit shooters in the entire state.” 

The espresso machine is usually the biggest single line item in a new cafe budget, and in the Gallatin Valley it has to compete with rent, a build out, and a hood system before you have poured a single shot. That is why a refurbished espresso machine looks so good on paper. A two or three group machine that was out of reach new suddenly fits the number, and the listing photos look immaculate.

The catch is that "refurbished" is not a regulated word. It can mean a full teardown, new seals and a pressure test by a certified technician, or it can mean somebody ran a cleaning cycle and wiped down the panels. Here are ten things to check before you pay, ordered roughly the way a technician would walk through the machine.

Start With the Machine Itself
Bozeman has a real coffee scene and a lot of people quietly shopping used gear for it. The three checks below are the ones that decide whether you bought a workhorse or a project.

1. Boiler condition and scale
Ask directly whether the boiler was opened, descaled, inspected or replaced, and ask for photographs of the inside, not just the exterior panels. Scale is the slow killer on commercial machines. It insulates the heating element, drags down recovery time between shots, and it hides behind a machine that looks perfect from the front. A seller who has genuinely been inside the boiler will have photos and will be happy to show you. A seller who changes the subject has told you something.

2. Group heads and gaskets
Group gaskets, shower screens and dispersion blocks are wear items, and they are cheap to replace compared to what they cost you when they fail during a Saturday rush. Ask when they were last changed. Then look at the group itself for pitting, corrosion and burned in coffee oils around the seal. If you can, watch the machine pull a live shot and check that each group holds pressure and does not weep around the portafilter.

3. Pump and motor
On a rotary pump machine, listen to it. A healthy motor runs at a steady hum, not a rattle or a whine that climbs. Ask whether the pump has been rebuilt or replaced, and whether the machine holds a stable brew pressure across a full shot. Any seller who cannot tell you the pump's history probably did not touch it.

Check What Your Building Can Actually Give It
This is where most first time buyers get caught out, and it has nothing to do with the machine's condition. A perfect machine in the wrong building is still an expensive paperweight.

4. The electrical supply you actually have
Commercial espresso machines are not all the same animal electrically. Two and three group machines commonly need 220 to 240 volt service on a dedicated circuit, and the amperage draw varies by model. Before you buy anything, find out what your space has and what your panel can carry, and get an electrician to confirm it in writing. Retrofitting a circuit in an older downtown Bozeman building can cost real money and take real time, and that budget has to sit alongside the machine, not after it.

5. Plumbing and drainage
Most commercial machines need a plumbed in water line and a proper drain, not a drip tray you empty by hand. Check where the nearest supply and drain are relative to where the machine will live on your bar, and check what your landlord and the local health inspector will allow you to change. Food truck and mobile setups need a completely different conversation about tanks, pumps and capacity before you commit to a plumbed machine.

6. Water hardness and treatment
Whatever water your building draws, get it tested and budget for filtration and softening from day one. A refurbished espresso machine that was descaled last month will scale up again just as fast as a new one if you run untreated hard water through it. Ask the seller what treatment the machine was on in its previous life, because a unit that spent years on filtered water in a well run cafe is in a very different condition from one that did not, even if they look identical.

Ask About the History and the Parts
A used machine is really two purchases: the hardware, and the paper trail that tells you what happened to it.

7. Service records and who rebuilt it
Ask who did the refurbishment and what their qualifications are. Ask for an itemized list of what was replaced, not a summary. Ask how many years the machine ran, in what kind of volume, and whether it came from a cafe, an office or a home. A dealer that rebuilds machines in house should be able to answer all of that in one email. Local support matters too. Bozeman Magazine's 2023 interview with Ghost Town Coffee Roasters noted that their wholesale side includes equipment sales and service, so technicians who know commercial gear do exist in the valley.

8. Parts availability for that brand and model year
An orphaned machine is the worst outcome in this entire category. Before you commit, check that gaskets, valves, boards and elements for that exact model are still made and still stocked in the United States. If you are looking at a refurbished espresso machine from a specialist dealer, you will notice the same well supported names keep appearing. One US dealer's current renewed and used listings run from about $3,799 to $11,999 and include a renewed La Marzocco Linea Classic, a Nuova Simonelli Appia and a WEGA Atlas. That is a short list of nine machines, not a warehouse, which is worth knowing before you plan around it. For context, new commercial machines from the same dealer span roughly $1,995 to $41,500.

What a Refurbished Espresso Machine Should Come With
The last two checks are about the seller rather than the hardware, and they are the ones people skip when they are excited about a price.

9. Warranty and return terms
Get the warranty in writing and read what it actually covers. Parts only, or parts and labor? For how long? Who pays freight if a boiler fails in month three, and is there a return window at all? A dealer standing behind a rebuild will put terms in writing without being pushed. Freight matters more than people expect in Montana, so ask who arranges shipping, whether it comes on a pallet with a liftgate, and what happens if it arrives damaged.

10. What "refurbished" means from that particular seller
Finally, ask the seller to define the word. A refurbished espresso machine from a specialist dealer normally means teardown, new seals, replaced wear parts, a pressure test and a warranty. A private as is sale means you are buying a photograph and a story. Both can be good buys, but they should not carry the same price. If the answer is vague, treat the machine as as is and price your risk accordingly.

Work the list in order and the decision usually makes itself. If your building cannot carry the power and plumbing, no amount of rebuild quality fixes that, and you are better off with a smaller unit you can actually run. If the space is ready and the paper trail is clean, a properly rebuilt commercial machine will pour for years and free up capital for the things your customers will actually notice.

Buying a refurbished espresso machine for a Bozeman cafe? Ten checks on boilers, power, water and warranty to make before you hand over the money.

If you’re like many Bozeman homeowners, then chances are, you have had a go at DIY projects ranging from replacing a light fixture to prepping for a hot tub. Although many electrical projects seem manageable, mistakes can result in a fire or a code violation. Statistics show, for instance, that there are around 51,000 electrical fires in U.S. homes every year, causing around $1.3 billion in property damage. In Bozeman, the city’s Code of Ordinances requires certain electrical alterations and installations to be approved and inspected.

Freedom to Undertake Electrical Work in Bozeman Is Not Absolute
Section 10.0230210 of Bozeman’s Code of Ordinances, for instance, stipulates that while owners may complete wiring work in their own home without a license, they must first obtain a permit. An electric inspector, however, “may refuse to issue a permit to any person who, in the electrical inspector's estimation, is not competent to install the electrical work in accordance with the regulations of this article.” Inspectors may also order homeowners to remove any electrical repairs they have made or disconnect any parts of an installation that may be hazardous. As such, electrical work may involve more than just personal preference for homeowners.

Electrical Tasks Homeowners Can Safely Complete
In Bozeman, as in most other cities across the United States, homeowners are allowed to tackle low-risk, non-invasive tasks such as replacing switch plates or outlet covers, testing GFCI reset buttons, and resetting tripped breakers. What these have in common is that they are all maintenance tasks rather than electrical modifications. However, if a cover were to come off or a bit of wiring were to become exposed, the line from safe DIY work to work that should be overseen by a professional electrician would be crossed.

Electrical Work That is Best Left to the Experts
Electrical work that can pose safety hazards and is best left to experts comprises numerous categories, including panel and service work, such as circuit breaker panel replacements, main service upgrades, adding capacity for modern appliances or HVAC loads, and any work near meters or service entrances. All tasks involving new circuits and rewiring are also for the pros. For instance, if you need to run new circuits for a specific room, rewire an older part of your home, replace unsafe or outdated wiring, or resolve persistent outages or overloaded circuits, it is best to hire an electrician for the job. The same goes for specialty installations (such as hot tub wiring, solar panel installation, and work involving kitchen and laundry appliances) and work in which moisture or outdoor risks are involved (including bathroom and kitchen outlets, garage wiring, exterior outlets, and any project exposed to snow, rain, or damp conditions).

Emergency Warning Scenarios to Watch Out For
Homeowners should be vigilant for signs of electrical emergencies, such as burning smells, sparking outlets, buzzing panels, scorch marks, warm outlets, and flickering lights. If breakers trip repeatedly, you hear crackling or popping sounds, lights dim when you turn on appliances, or you have frequent blown fuses, contact a professional electrician immediately to avoid the risk of electric shock or fire. What’s more, in Bozeman, these types of electrical work usually require compliance with the Code of Ordinances and may require permits and inspections. Leaving these issues unattended or aiming to remedy them oneself may result in damage to appliances, property, or an entire electrical system.

Staying Safe in Bozeman
In Bozeman, regulations generally require a permit before altering existing wiring or wiring a building, and the city also treats multiple projects (including panel work, generators, EV chargers, and most wiring) as permit-requiring work. If you will be hiring an electrician, ensure they are familiar with required regulations and permits, that they have experience performing the specific tasks you need, and that they can offer clear estimates and timelines. Professionals should hold a Montana electrical license and be able to work in accordance with the local code. Finally, they should carry liability insurance and, if they have employees, have workers’ compensation coverage as required by Montana contractor rules.

When it comes to simple tasks like replacing light bulbs, outlet covers, or resetting a tripped breaker, homeowners in Bozeman are usually able are usually permitted to perform these tasks. However, for more important projects such as panel and service work, new circuits, or rewiring, rely on a professional. Ensure they are trusted and recommended, comply with local regulations, and value the safety of their employees.

Cranes dot skylines from Bozeman to Kalispell as Montana adds construction jobs faster than nearly any other state. Right now, this pace shows no sign of slowing, so plenty of people look at that demand and decide: now is the time to start a contracting business Montana can actually support.

Still, the paperwork side trips up more newcomers than the actual construction work does. Registration, proof of workers' compensation, and bonding all need to line up before a bid goes out. An agency such as Surety Bonds Agent can help sort out the bond and insurance side while the rest comes together, but beginners still need the basic understanding of how the process works. Below is a step-by-step explanation.

Montana Contractor License Rules Are Different
Most states hand out a general contractor license after a test and a background check. Montana skips the exam and calls the process registration instead.

Even though the phrase Montana contractor license gets used loosely, what the state actually issues is a Construction Contractor Registration. In a traditional sense, this is not a license. The credential runs on a two-year cycle and works as proof of workers' compensation compliance rather than a mark of skill or experience. A contractor whose registration lapses is not authorized to work in the state until it gets renewed.

Who Must Register
Not every person on a job site needs paperwork. The requirement depends on business structure and how the work is set up.

Business status, not the price tag on a job, decides who has to register. Montana law does exempt work that counts as casual, minor, or inconsequential and totals less than $2,500 a job, but that exemption disappears the moment a project gets split into smaller contracts to get around the cap.

Specialty Trades Still Need a License
Electricians and plumbers do not get the easier path that general contractors get. Those trades sit under separate boards with exams and continuing education requirements.

The construction license requirements Montana sets for electrical and plumbing work include a state exam through the Board of Electrical Examiners, something general contractor registration never asks for. Asbestos and lead abatement work carries its own certification through the Department of Environmental Quality as well.

A skipped step for a licensed trade is one of the fastest ways to get a project shut down partway through.

Steps New Contractors Must Complete First
The order matters less than the checklist itself. Most of the following can happen within a few weeks since no exam board holds up the process.

The short version of how to become a licensed contractor in this state comes down to five items, not an exam:

None of these steps involve a written exam, which surprises many contractors who come from states with tougher license boards.

The Real Cost of a Contractor Bond
Bond costs confuse newcomers more than almost anything else in this process. The premium is a small fraction of the total bond amount, not the full amount itself.

Contractor bond cost typically lands between one and three percent of the bond value for a business with solid credit, and it climbs higher for newer companies with thin credit files.

Rates move around based on the surety, the size of the job, and the applicant's financial history, so an early quote avoids surprises once a bid gets awarded.

Montana Construction Regulations Beyond Registration
Registration covers only one slice of the compliance picture. Montana construction regulationsalso touch permitting, job site safety, and how public projects get bonded.

Permits and Job Site Safety

Building permits run through a separate system, which means that the registration with the state is enough. Cities and counties that run a certified building department issue and inspect their own permits, while the state Building Codes Bureau steps in for the areas that have not set up a certified program. Single-family homes are generally outside the state permit process, though a certified city or county can still require one locally.

Job site safety follows a similar split. Montana has no OSHA-approved state plan, so private sector crews answer directly to federal OSHA rather than a separate state safety agency, while state and local government workers fall under their own set of Montana rules instead.

Public Project Bond Rules
Montana's version of the federal Miller Act requires performance and payment bonds on public works contracts over $50,000, though an agency can waive that rule on smaller jobs. A performance bond covers the agency if a contractor walks away before a project is finished, while a payment bond protects subcontractors and suppliers if the general contractor runs into money trouble.

Agencies rarely skip this step on larger jobs, so contractors should price the bond into their bid early to avoid a scramble once the job is awarded. The prime contractor carries the bond, not the subcontractors under them, and the bond amount tracks the full contract price rather than a flat statewide figure.

Demand Outpaces the Workforce
Growth like this brings a familiar problem: qualified crews are hard to find in most regions of the state, and that shortage is one of the biggest complaints from established contractors right now. New entrants who staff a job reliably and keep paperwork current tend to win repeat work faster than those who chase every listed job at once. That gap also means a new operation with a dependable crew can pick up work faster than an established firm still short on hands.

None of the paperwork covered here is complicated on its own, but a skipped piece, whether that is workers' compensation, a specialty license, or a bond, is what actually slows a new contractor down. Registration, permits, and bond coverage work best as one connected checklist handled before the first bid goes out, not three separate errands squeezed in after work is already underway. Contractors who get that order right spend less time chasing paperwork and more time on the job once work begins.

WILSALL – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, in collaboration with the Custer Gallatin National Forest, will begin additional phases of an ongoing project to conserve native Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the upper Shields River watershed this summer.

Yellowstone cutthroat trout have declined throughout much of their native range primarily due to competition and hybridization with non-native trout species and habitat loss. Yellowstone cutthroat trout populations have especially declined in the upper Shields River watershed largely due to the invasion of non-native brook trout. To mitigate further decline and conserve Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the upper Shields River, FWP and the Custer Gallatin National Forest began removing brook trout in 2022.

This year, fisheries staff will continue removing brook trout from several tributaries to the upper Shields River. The project area is a stronghold for a core conservation population of Yellowstone cutthroat trout at high elevations and the northernmost extent of their range.

This year’s phase of the project will begin next week. Work will take place in Dugout Creek and other areas of the upper Shields River basin.

Brook trout will be removed from the project area using a plant-derived fish toxicant called rotenone. Rotenone is routinely used in fisheries management and breaks down quickly in the aquatic environment. It offers an effective means of removing fish species that are incompatible with the management goals of a fishery without endangering the surrounding ecosystem. Crews will collect Yellowstone cutthroat trout from the project area before rotenone application and return them to the streams when the project is complete. Detoxification stations will be set up to ensure there are no negative effects to gill-breathing organisms downstream of the project area.

To provide for public safety and comply with the rotenone product label, the Custer Gallatin National Forest will issue a closure order during the time of the project. The closure will be in place Aug. 10 through Aug. 18. The entire upper Shields River drainage on National Forest System lands will be closed to recreational access during the treatment as indicated by the closure order and map, which can be viewed on the Custer Gallatin National Forest Alerts website. 

FWP published an environmental assessment for this project in 2022, hosted public meetings and solicited public comments.