BOZEMAN, Montana — The City of Bozeman invites the public to an open house to view concept designs for the aquatics, library, and recreation building that will be on the November ballot. The Bozeman Community Center will be a place for people of all ages and abilities to learn, play, and connect. The project team will present the design concept on April 26 at Gallatin High School Commons (4455 Annie Street) from 4 to 6 p.m.

 
“This event is the culmination of many months of hearing from the public and incorporating a wide variety of community needs into the design,” Jon Henderson, Strategic Services Director, stated. “We’re excited to finally show what a comprehensive community center might look like. Once the City Commission decides to place a question on the November ballot, it’s up to the public to determine if they want to proceed with building and staffing this kind of facility.”

 
Some of the major parts of the facility include:
·         Leisure pool/indoor water park
·         Multi-purpose pool
·         Outdoor splash pad and deck area
·         Two-court wood floor gymnasium
·         Multi-purpose recreation space
·         Fitness and stretching areas
·         Indoor climbing wall feature
·         Public/civic plaza
·         Meeting rooms
·         Lockers and locker rooms
·         Café and seating
·         Children’s, Teen, and Adult Library Collections and seating areas
·         Maker Space
·         Learning Lab
·         Audio/video media lab
·         Sensory room
·         Bookmobile garage
 
Cost and location will be confirmed over the next few months as staff finalize the concept design and determine the number of new staff needed to operate the facility.
 
More information on the project can be found at engage.bozeman.net/community.

As temperatures begin to rise and we move into spring, Gallatin County residents are encouraged to prepare for flooding season. 

According to the National Weather Service, Gallatin County will see temperatures increasing into the weekend and early into the week of April 10, both during the day and overnight. That could mean some minor flooding impacts around the county during that time. 

“We know we will see the valley snowpack melt in the coming days as we warm up. The unknown question is how much water will leave the snowpack and where it will go. Now is the time to make sure your property is prepared, you have a plan and are registered to receive emergency notifications.”

There are two things property owners can do NOW to minimize potential impacts of flooding in the coming weeks and months. 

Flood Insurance

Floods can happen anywhere – just one inch of floodwater can cause up to $25,000 in damage. But unfortunately, most homeowners’ insurance doesn’t cover flood damage. 

Flood insurance is a separate policy that can cover buildings, the contents in a building, or both. It is a crucial tool to protect your most important financial assets – your home, your business, your possessions. 

If you feel your property is at risk of flooding, you may want to consider flood insurance. You do not have to live in a floodplain to get flooding insurance – any homeowner in the county can purchase a policy.

Flood insurance has a 30-day waiting period for the policy to take effect, so you can’t wait until flooding is imminent to get a policy. It will be too late.

Contact your insurance agency for policy information. There are insurance products available through the National Flood Insurance Program, as well as private insurers. 

Find more information at www.floodsmart.gov or csimt.gov/your-insurance/flood/. 

Keep it Flowing

Now is the time to prepare your property in order to minimize the potential effects of flooding.

The most prevalent cause of localized flooding are obstructed waterways that block the flow of water and cause it to go where you don’t want it. Now is the time to make sure ditches, culverts and other waterways on your property are clear of debris so we can keep as much water in them as possible. This can help you AND your neighbors limit the impacts of flooding in your area.

Now is also the time to develop your plan on how you will protect your property if you are affected by flooding later this spring. Once flooding occurs, the damage is done. So developing your plan now, and implementing it early, is critical to minimizing damage.

More information on flooding is available here.

Stay Informed

Make sure you’re receiving timely and critical flooding information about your area by signing up for the Community Notification System. 

With this system, our citizens can receive targeted notifications with urgent information in the event of things like flooding, law enforcement incidents, severe weather, road closures, wildfires, and much more.

You can personalize how you get those notifications (text, call, email, etc.) and identify addresses you want to be notified about.

To register for free, or to get a little more information on how the Community Notification System works, visit our website.

BOZEMAN, Montana  — From April 22-30, the City of Bozeman welcomes individuals and groups to help pick up litter around Bozeman after a long winter. As the snow melts, trash around our neighborhoods becomes visible. Not only do cleanups improve habitat for humans and critters within city limits, but they also directly impact our downstream neighbors by helping to keep our streams and rivers clean.

CleanUp Week will be kicked off at the Gallatin Valley Earth Day festival on April 22 in collaboration with partners across the city.
 
Sustainability Program Specialist Ali Chipouras says, “This time of year everyone starts to see the litter and dog waste that surfaces after the snow melts. CleanUp Week is a great opportunity to work together to build community, keep our waterways clean, and give Bozeman a spring cleaning.”
 
CleanUp kits will be provided and include gloves, vests, yellow bags, and instructions. Interested community members may opt for delivery of cleanup kits to groups or organizations ahead of CleanUp Week, or can pick up kits at the Gallatin Valley Earth Day Festival at the Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture on Saturday, April 22 from 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

 
Along with the CleanUp Kits, participants of CleanUp Week will also be given a choice to pick a location or provided ideas for a clean-up location. Participants are welcome to clean up areas any time from April 22-30 and City of Bozeman Solid Waste will take care of the yellow bags left behind.
 
The City of Bozeman has coordinated this event locally for 35 years and successfully mobilizes hundreds of volunteers of all ages from community organizations, local businesses, and government agencies each year. Volunteers are encouraged to sign up online at www.bozeman.net/cleanup.
 
In addition to Bozeman CleanUp Week and the Earth Day Festival on April 22, Gallatin Valley Earth Day is hosting events throughout the month of April including in-person and online speakers, a fun run, animal tracking and communication workshops, and more. To learn more visit www.gallatinvalleyearthday.org.

 
All are invited to join in cleaning up Bozeman. This activity is free and open to the public. Kits will be available for pick-up on April 22 regardless of the weather. For more information, visit www.bozeman.net/cleanup.
 

BOZEMAN – A Montana State University mathematician is the second faculty member from the Department of Mathematical Sciences ever to win an esteemed CAREER award from the National Science Foundation.

Blair Davey, who joined the faculty as an assistant professor in August 2020, has been awarded nearly $500,000 to continue her research into partial differential equations, a mathematical tool that can be used to model natural phenomena like electromagnetism, astronomy and fluid dynamics.

“The problems I work on build off what I started in my Ph.D. It’s my first mathematical love,” Davey said. “My work takes a theoretical approach, but the topics are at the interface of science and mathematics – it’s nice to know the application of these down the road.”

David Cherry, associate dean of the College of Letters and Science, said the award is an exciting and important recognition of the quality of Davey’s research.

“The CAREER award shows that Dr. Davey will be a future leader in her field. It also signifies that her work is bound to make a real difference in the field of partial differential equations and their role in modeling phenomena like quantum waves,” he said.

“We’re proud of what Dr. Davey has already accomplished and look forward to her future contributions to her field and to the university.”

Elizabeth Burroughs, head of the Department of Mathematical Sciences, said it is exciting to have a second faculty member receive the prestigious award. David Ayala, associate professor of mathematics, was the first in the department to win a CAREER award three years ago.

“To have another one in the field of pure mathematics is certainly a point of pride for the department,” Burroughs said.

Davey said she always loved science and math while growing up near Toronto. She said she had a number of excellent teachers, and her high school math teacher was especially encouraging of academic pursuits and competitive opportunities, which ultimately helped her settle on studying mathematics in university.

“Even as a kid, I always loved numbers, patterns and puzzles,” she said. “While studying math at university, I realized that I could just keep going.”

She earned her bachelor’s degree in pure and applied mathematics at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, then master’s and doctoral degrees in mathematics at the University of Chicago before completing two years of postdoctoral work at the University of Minnesota. Prior to coming to MSU, she was an assistant professor at City College of New York for five years.

Asked why she chose to come to Bozeman after spending her lifetime in big cities, Davey, who is a rock climber and a skier, said, “When I visited, I immediately liked the place and the people. The mountains were calling.”

Burroughs said Davey stands out not just for her mathematical prowess but also for her commitment to students in all levels of study. Davey is co-director of the department’s Directed Reading Program, which pairs undergraduate students with graduate student mentors to read and discuss books on mutual subjects of interest over the course of a semester.

“It’s a way for us to connect graduate student mentors with undergraduates, who then see what math can look like outside the classroom,” Davey said.

She has also arranged speakers for the department’s math seminar series, an effort that “has broadened our mathematical footprint,” according to Burroughs.

In addition, with a previously awarded NSF grant, Davey established a weeklong “welcome workshop” for graduate students new to MSU. Those events include an introduction to the department, review lectures, problem sessions and other activities designed to support incoming scholars.

“To have her attention so solidly on supporting students is a sign of her commitment to our students and programs here,” Burroughs said.

A portion of the funding from the CAREER grant will enable Davey to extend her support to young mathematicians across the country. She will organize and conduct a summer workshop in Bozeman open to 40 upper-level graduate students and post-doctoral researchers from around the nation, particularly those from underrepresented groups. Cherry noted the outreach effort coincides with the college’s long-term goal of better serving underrepresented communities in the state.

Davey expects to work with two Ph.D. students during the research portion of the CAREER grant, which will address problems in elliptic and parabolic partial differential equations. Specifically, she will use her expertise to expand understanding of the behavior of solutions to equations that model quantum waves, systems with microscopic structures and systems that are changing in time. 

Davey said the research will extend her previous work by taking ideas from other areas of math and putting them together in new ways. The potential applications of the findings could extend to other fields of mathematics and condensed matter physics, she said.

“I am pretty excited to get this grant,” Davey said. “I feel really fortunate to have this funding and have the opportunity to keep doing the math that I love.”

BOZEMAN— The annual family-friendly program, Dinosaurs and MOR!, celebrating the science of paleontology, will be held at the Museum of the Rockies from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 15. 

The event will feature opportunities for kids to earn junior paleontologist certification, view the museum's dinosaur exhibits and watch fossil preparation demonstrations. For additional fees, visitors can take paleo art lessons with author and illustrator Ted Rechlin or the museum education team and hear presentations by world-class paleontologists. 

In addition to the special activities, visitors can explore one of the world's largest collections of North American dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus rex and a growth series of the horned triceratops, showing the species from juvenile to adult through a series of fossilized skulls, as well as a nearly complete allosaurus and numerous dinosaur eggs. The museum also has exhibits on the natural history of the American West, as well as displays of the region's American Indian cultures and pioneer history.  

The family fun day activities are free with museum admission and include paleo-passport activities throughout the Siebel Dinosaur Complex, including interacting with fossil preparators in the newly reopened Bowman Dinosaur Viewing Lab, and admission to “The Dinosaur Prophesy” show in the Taylor Planetarium. Young visitors are eligible to earn a junior paleontologist certification for these activities.  

In addition, those interested in attending a lecture series featuring 10 experts from across the country can purchase a pass, which ranges in price from $30 to $45 and includes museum admission. Registration for the lecture series isn’t required but is encouraged. Presenters include: 

• Laura Wilson, Montana State University alum and professor of geosciences, geology graduate coordinator, chief curator of the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, Kansas. 
• John Scannella, MSU alum and the John R. Horner Curator of Paleontology at the Museum of the Rockies and MSU. 
• Kristi Curry Rogers, MSU alum and DeWitt Wallace professor of biology and geology at Macalester College in Minnesota. 
• Denver Fowler, MSU alum and curator of Badlands Dinosaur Museum in Dickinson, North Dakota.  
• Dana Rashid, assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at MSU.  
• Brandon Peecook, assistant professor and assistant curator of biology at Idaho State University. 
• Rebecca Hunt–Foster, curator and park paleontologist at Dinosaur National Monument. 
• Lindsay Zanno, associate research professor of biology at North Carolina State University and division head, North Carolina State Museum of Natural History. 
• Thomas Carr, associate professor of biology at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 
• Kathryn Krasinski, assistant professor of anthropology at Adelphi University in New York. 

There will be opportunities to bid on paleontology-themed collectibles during the presentations, from fossil casts to signed books, posters and more. Paleo-art classes are $20-$40 per person and registration is required. 

General museum admission is included with membership or ranges from $12 to $18 per person.  Register for the all-access lecture series and paleo-art classes at museumoftherockies.org/signature-events/dinos. 

The American Computer and Robotics Museum welcomes teachers, administrators, paraeducators, and school support staff to visit the museum with their families free of chargeon April 22 and 23 during the museum’s first-ever Educators Weekend.

Educators who present their school ID at the museum’s front desk will receive free one-day admission for themselves and their immediate families, and will also enjoy 10% off in the museum gift shop during their visit.

Museum co-founder Barbara Keremedjiev says, “My husband and I founded the museum as a non-profit more than 30 years ago, and we’ve hosted thousands of school children on field trips. We’re honored that educators choose us as for class visits – and want to thank them by welcoming them to enjoy the museum with their families, as our guests.”

Founded in Bozeman in 1990, the American Computer and Robotics Museum invites visitors to explore the past and imagine the future through thought-provoking exhibits, innovative storytelling, and the bold exchange of ideas. And engaging Montana’s educators as advocates and champions is crucial to that mission.

The American Computer and Robotics Museum is located at 2023 Stadium Drive, a half-mile west of Bobcat Stadium. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm. For more information, visit the museum’s website at www.acrmuseum.org.

BOZEMAN — In an effort to help manufacturers meet their workforce needs and expand job opportunities in the state, the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center at Montana State University has launched a new apprenticeship program.

The Certified Manufacturing Associate Apprenticeship is a one-year program that combines on-the-job training with online technical classes on topics like safety, math and measurements, manufacturing processes, and quality control.

“This is a great way for companies to invest in new employees instead of looking for already-trained employees, which is a challenge right now,” said Paddy Fleming, MMEC’s director. “This program is geared toward entry-level employees working in any sector of manufacturing in the state.”

The program is certified with Montana’s Department of Labor and Industry, with MMEC serving as a sponsor to administer the apprenticeship, Fleming explained. MMEC tracks each employee’s progress in terms of work hours and course completion, taking that burden off the company.

“We’ve basically done all the work to design the program so we can hand it off to our manufacturing clients, and we do the paperwork for them,” Fleming said.

Participating employees earn $15 per hour during their first three months on the job, then $20 per hour for the rest of the year while they complete the 25 online class sessions. The free courses are offered through Tooling U, an online training program within the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. When the coursework is complete, apprentices take an online exam to earn the SME Certified Manufacturing Associate credential, after which they earn $25 per hour starting wage at the company. Employers may qualify for a tax credit of $750 per apprentice, or $1,500 for veterans.

The program grew out of MMEC’s conversations with manufacturers about the challenges they face. “Finding workers is probably the No. 1 challenge we hear about,” Fleming said. “We felt this could be a very helpful tool.” MMEC hopes to expand the program in the future to include more advanced manufacturing apprenticeships, he added.

Interested companies can contact MMEC at 406-994-3812. Individuals interested in becoming apprentices should contact the Montana manufacturing businesses in their area and let them know about the program, Fleming said.

MMEC, which is housed in MSU's Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, is a statewide manufacturing outreach and assistance center that provides solutions to help Montana manufacturers grow, innovate and enhance their businesses. Since 2020, MMEC’s clients have reported $1.5 billion in new and retained sales, more than 7,000 new and retained jobs, $364 million in new investments and $184 million in cost savings.

BOZEMAN, Montana (April 3, 2023) – On April 3, 2023 at approximately 1:12 pm, Bozeman Police Officers responded to a call of a disturbance at a residence on Bungalow Lane in Bozeman involving a male who possessed a shotgun and reported that people were on their way to kill him.   
 
As officers responded, the male left the residence in a vehicle and relocated to the area of Greenmore Court.    
 
As officers approached the area where the vehicle was parked, the male produced a firearm. An officer-involved shooting ensued, with five Bozeman Police officers involved. The suspect was subsequently found to be deceased. There were no injuries to the responding officers. 
 
The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation has been requested per department protocol and is investigating and the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office is assisting.

On April 1, 2023, at 6:02 pm, Gallatin County Dispatch received a SOS notification from the International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC) for a skier that was stranded and lost in the Bear Basin area. Their goal was to skin and backcountry ski into the Beehive Basin area, but the skier ran into equipment trouble and ended up needing assistance in Bear Basin.

Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue Big Sky Section volunteers responded to assist. GCSSAR volunteers traveled via snowmobiles then transitioned to skis to meet the skier. The skier was ultimately escorted to the trailhead and transported back to their vehicle by a GCSO Deputy.

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer would like to remind winter recreationalist to be prepared for any situation and that equipment can fail. The skier had GPS device and a phone with downloaded maps. The phone and the charger for the phone died, and as a result, the skier initiated the SOS function on the GPS device.

Photo courtesy of Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.