Bozeman Information

Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport Receives $21.71 Million

February 1, 2022

Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport will receive $21.71 million over a five year period as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The money comes from the Federal Aviation Administration and is the first round of cash awarded to 69 Montana airports from the infrastructure package, according to Democratic Sen. Jon Tester’s office. The bill, which was signed into law on Nov. 15, 2021.

Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport Director Brian Sprenger said that the incoming money would help to move up projects from 2023 to this upcoming year. Sprenger said that general and business aviation ramps would be resurfaced with fresh asphalt, and that tie-down ramps at the airport would be expanded.Tie-down ramps are for the smaller, lightweight aircraft, like Cessnas, that could be blown by a strong wind.

Sprenger said that the airport has to pay for the work first, and the federal money would come as a reimbursement. The amount of money is determined by a needs formula, which calculates the number of enplanements — how many people get on a plane — an airport gets each year.Sprenger said that the airport is on its way to breaking its previous enplanements record from 2019. He estimated the airport is on track to have 970,000 enplanements this year. The record in 2019 was 785,000, Sprenger said.

“This is additional money which allows us to move up projects so we can accelerate things, which is great in our current growth environment,” Sprenger said.

Source: Bozeman Daily Chronicle – Millions earmarked for Bozeman, West Yellowstone airports

Gallatin County Triangle Plan

January 9, 2022

Gallatin County is one of the fastest growing counties in the western United States with an estimated 75% population growth since 2000. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Gallatin County’s population was 67,831 in 2000, 89,513 in 2010, and 118,960 in 2020, the latest year for which population estimates are available.

The Triangle area of Gallatin County, which is generally the area between Bozeman, Four Corners, and Belgrade, is experiencing change as a direct result of this population growth. In 2016, Gallatin County, the City of Belgrade, and the City of Bozeman created the Planning Coordination Committee (PCC) to focus on issues and opportunities within the Triangle. The Planning Coordination Committee was established through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that outlined the need for coordination and communication between the City of Bozeman, the City of Belgrade, and Gallatin County, to support growth and development patterns as they expand in this area of the Gallatin Valley.

The Memorandum of Agreement identified issues around infrastructure, public safety, parks and trails, neighborhood design, and other land use concerns that would benefit from cooperative planning.

In 2019, the Planning Coordination Committee (PCC) developed the Triangle Community Plan to coordinate land use development patterns, deliver community services and infrastructure, and protect important environmental resources, all in a manner that supports community values and vision while responding to rapid growth pressures.

The Triangle Trails Plan will guide the development of non-motorized pedestrian and bicycle recreation and transportation infrastructure in future developments within the Triangle area. The communities of Belgrade and Bozeman have plans for trail connectivity, but the rapidly growing Triangle area of Gallatin County lacks a guiding document to ensure future trail development and connectivity. This plan serves as an extension and complement to the existing Belgrade Parks and Trails Master Plan and the soon-to-be-created and -adopted City of Bozeman Parks, Recreation, and Active Transportation Plan (PRAT).

The Triangle Trails Plan offers a robust, hierarchical approach to trail building, creating a network, interconnecting trails throughout the Triangle Area and providing a waypoint system similar to signs and mile markers along roads.

Gallatin county commission adopted the Triangle Trails Plan in January, 2022..