Gallatin Media Center

For immediate release: May 18, 2022

Join Gallatin County and HRDC to discuss the future of the county-owned property north of the Gallatin Rest Home in Bozeman!

There are two meeting options:

• Monday, May 23 – 6:30-8 PM – in person at Bozeman High School’s north cafeteria
• Wednesday, May 25 – 6:30-8 PM – virtually on Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83226367536

Gallatin County has contracted with HRDC to help come up with plans for how to develop a portion of a nearly 10-acre property the county owns in Bozeman, between Durston Road and Oak Street, directly north of the Gallatin Rest Home. County commissioners are seeking to use a portion of that property for future employee housing and daycare.

The public is invited to hear an update on the project, and provide feedback and ideas to the county.

The project is currently in the engagement phase. HRDC surveyed county employees to help determine housing and childcare needs, and held town hall meetings with dozens of employees in April to provide updates and solicit feedback. These public meetings with neighbors in the area are another step in the public engagement process.

The rest home property development is one of a number of ways the Gallatin County Commission is working to create employee housing opportunities and help ease the burden of high housing costs in our area. The Gallatin County Commission recognizes housing is an issue for current and prospective employees and is actively trying to address it in different ways.

The county recently put out a request for competitive bids seeking 3-year master leases with area landlords for residential units the county could sublet to employees. The county received no responses to the request. However, commissioners are continuing to work on other ways to secure some rentals for employee housing.

In the short-term, commissioners have also worked to improve pay and benefits for current employees. At the beginning of the ongoing budget cycle, commissioners opted to provide wage increases and one-time bonuses to employees for fiscal year 2023, which will begin July 1.

And in the last couple years, additional policies that were put into place include paid parental leave, tuition assistance, and remote work and flexible work policies.

Media contact:
Whitney Bermes, Gallatin County Communications Coordinator
406-595-8963
whitney.bermes@gallatin.mt.gov

PRESS RELEASE

LIONSHEAD BROKEN FEMUR

On Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 1:43 p.m., The West Yellowstone Police Department received a 911 call from a snowmobiler reporting that a member of the group had suffered a broken femur after striking a tree.  The coordinates retrieved from the 911 call indicated that the group was 14.31 miles west of West Yellowstone. Members of the group immobilized the injury and stopped the bleeding.

Volunteers from Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue West Yellowstone Section and a helicopter from Air Methods responded to assist the snowmobiler. The injured snowmobiler was loaded onto the helicopter and transported to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for further evaluation.

Sheriff Dan Springer would like to commend the snowmobilers for carrying a reliable means of communication and providing appropriate medical care while awaiting medical assistance.

Photos courtesy of Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.

Gallatin County Elections Office

 

For immediate release: May 13, 2022

Absentee Ballots for June 7 Primary Mailed

On Friday, May 13, the Gallatin County Elections Office mailed about 59,000 ballots for the June 7 primary election to active registered absentee voters in Gallatin County. Ballots will begin arriving in mailboxes in the following days.

Two ballots will be included in each envelope. Voters will have a choice to vote either a Democratic or Republican ballot this upcoming primary election. Voters must choose ONE party ballot to vote and then return just that ballot. Detailed instructions will be provided with ballots.

Sample ballots can be found at the following links: Democratic  or Republican.

Ballots must be returned by 8 PM on Election Day, Tuesday June 7. Ballots postmarked on or before Election Day but received after 8 PM on Election Day cannot be accepted.

Polling places for in-person voting will also be open on Election Day. Those locations include:

• Bridger Canyon Fire Station – 8081 Bridger Canyon Rd.
• Gallatin County Fairgrounds – 901 N. Black Ave. in Bozeman
• Hope Lutheran Church – 5152 W. Graf St. in Bozeman
• Povah Community Center – 10 Geyser St. in West Yellowstone
• Big Sky Water & Sewer District Office – 561 Little Coyote Rd. in Big Sky
• Gallatin Gateway Community Center – 145 Mill St. in Gallatin Gateway
• Belgrade Special Events Center – 220 Spooner Rd. in Belgrade
• River Rock Community Center – 101 River Rock Rd. in Belgrade
• Three Forks High School – 212 E. Neal St. in Three Forks
• Manhattan Christian School – 8000 Churchill Rd. in Churchill
• Manhattan High School – 200 W. Fulton Ave. in Manhattan

Late registration for this election began this week. From now through Election Day, new registrations or updates to voter registration must be made IN PERSON at the Gallatin County Elections Office, located on the second floor of the Gallatin County Courthouse (311 W. Main St., Bozeman).

Check your voter registration status at MyVoterPageMT.com.

For questions or more information, contact the Gallatin County Elections Office at 406-582-3060 or gallatin.elections@gallatin.mt.gov, or visit us online at gallatinvotes.com.

Media contact:
Eric Semerad, Gallatin County Clerk and Recorder/Elections Administrator
406-582-3060
eric.semerad@gallatin.mt.gov

Gallatin County Treatment Court

For immediate release: May 4, 2022

Interested in learning about peer support, peer coaching or volunteering with the Gallatin County Treatment Court? Please join us for a very informative meeting.

The Gallatin County Treatment Court will be hosting a meeting on Thursday, June 2 from 6 to 7:30 PM with special guests Jim Hajny, Director of the Montana Peer Network, and Lea Wetzel, Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialist (BHPSS) for Veterans Treatment Court in Cascade County.

In 1999, Gallatin County Treatment Court became the first adult treatment court in Montana. It is an 18-month voluntary post-conviction, alternative sentencing program that provides tools necessary to overcome their addiction. This includes supervision and monitoring, drug and alcohol testing along with attending addictions counseling, mental health therapy and support group meetings.

The meeting will be held at the Gallatin County Detention Center- Community Room, located at 605 S. 16th Ave. in Bozeman.

For more information or to register, contact Andrea Lower, Gallatin County Treatment Court Coordinator, by phone at (406) 582-3704 or by email andrea.lower@gallatin.mt.gov. Please RSVP by May 25. Food will be provided.

Media Contact:
Andrea Lower, Treatment Court Coordinator
(406) 582-3704
andrea.lower@gallatin.mt.gov

For Immediate Release: May 4, 2022

Gallatin County officials were notified that avian influenza A (H5N1) was detected in a flock of domestic poultry located in rural Gallatin County. 

The site was identified late last week near Manhattan/Belgrade. The Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) has identified a “Surveillance Zone” of ten kilometers around this location, and an investigation is ongoing. This Surveillance Zone includes all of Manhattan and parts of northwest Belgrade.

Click here for the full press release.

If you own outdoor birds, be sure to monitor closely for signs of illness. Report any sudden onset of illness or death of birds to the following: 

• Report dead or sick domestic birds:
  • Your local veterinarian
  • Montana Department of Livestock – 406-444-2976
• Report dead or sick wild birds:
  • Local Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Warden or Regional Office 
  • Gallatin County FWP Office – 406-585-9010
  • State FWP Wildlife Veterinarian – 406-577-7880

 

Media Contact:
Whitney Bermes, Gallatin County Communications Coordinator
406-595-8963 (cell)
whitney.bermes@gallatin.mt.gov

At 5:39, Saturday, April 30th, Fort Ellis Fire/Rescue and AMR Ambulance were dispatched to a report of a rollover crash at mile marker 319 westbound (Jackson Creek exit) on Interstate 90. Arriving units found eight teenagers all of whom had self-extricated from a Ford F150 pickup truck that had rolled off the north side of the interstate on icy roads. Two of the passengers were ejected from the vehicle.

With the large number of patients who were injured and cold, four additional ambulances were ordered ultimately transporting six patients to Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital and two patients to Livingston Healthcare. All patients were expected to recover from their injuries. The Montana Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. Assisting agencies included: Bozeman Fire, Hyalite Fire, Livingston Fire/Rescue and the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Department.

# # #

Media inquiries can be directed to MHP and Buck Taylor, PIO, Fort Ellis Fire/Rescue at 406/539-9358.

Gallatin Local Water Quality District

 

For immediate release: April 28, 2022

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will be providing an update on the Bozeman Solvent State Superfund site at the next meeting Gallatin Local Water Quality District board meeting.

The meeting will be on Thursday, May 5 at 8:15 AM in the Community Room of the Gallatin County Courthouse, located at 311 W. Main St. in downtown Bozeman.

The public is invited to attend the presentation by Kate Fry, Senior Project Officer with DEQ’s Contaminated Sites Cleanup Bureau, which will include the following:

• A brief history of the site
• Remedies selected from the Record of Decision
• Implementation of remedies (when and how)
• Performance monitoring of the remedies – are they working?
• Challenges and solutions DEQ has seen
• What’s next?

This presentation is informational only. The DEQ will not be taking public comment on the project at the May 5 meeting.  An informal Q&A period may be included, as time allows.

For more information, contact the Gallatin Local Water Quality District by phone at 406-582-3168 or by email.  A brief history of the Bozeman Solvent Site can be found at: glwqd.org/contaminated-sites/

Media contact:
Nick Banish, District Manager – Gallatin Local Water Quality District
406-582-3145
nick.banish@gallatin.mt.gov

 

For immediate release: April 26, 2022

Commission Approves Funding For Public Open Lands Projects

The Gallatin County Commission approved using Open Lands Program money to help fund three projects, including the expansion of Burke Park on Peets Hill, and improvements to the Gallatin County Regional Park and Anderson Dog Park in Bozeman.

On Tuesday, April 26, commissioners voted unanimously to spend $172,900 total on the following projects:

1. Burke Park (Peet’s Hill) expansion and improvement project – City of Bozeman – $100,000
   • To assist with the acquisition of 12 acres at the south end of Peets Hill
2. Gallatin County Regional Park protected “quiet area” – Gallatin County Parks – $40,000
   • Construction of tree-lined, landscaped area at the Regional Park
3. Anderson Dog Park fetch field and trail repair project – Run Dog Run – $32,900
   • Improvements to off-leash dog park and Regional Park, including development of fetch field and trail reconstruction

Commissioners praised the projects as ones that have high value for the public and that have shown extensive collaborative efforts to move forward.

“We think these are awesome community projects that benefit tens of thousands of county residents,” said Gallatin County Commissioner Zach Brown.

Money for these projects comes from the voter-approved Gallatin County Open Space Levy, which was passed in 2018. This levy provides funding for conservation projects, such as conservation easements for private landowners, as well as “other eligible projects.” Projects in the “other eligible projects” category must be related to land acquisition, capital improvements, and maintenance projects that support the purpose of the Open Space Levy.

For fiscal year 2022, a total of $1.69 million was collected from the levy for conservation projects, while approximately $391,000 was available for “other eligible projects.”

Brown said that the county’s open lands program provides an undeniable community benefit, but that projects like conservation easements on private land don’t provide public access.

“This category of funding gives us a way to support public open space,” Brown said.

Following an application process, the Open Lands Board scored the submitted proposals and recommended these three projects for approval.

“It is exciting to play a role in a process where the county funds projects that will provide a tangible and lasting public benefit,” said Sean O’Callaghan, Gallatin County Open Land Coordinator.

More information on the projects, including applications and scoring, can be found here.

Media contacts:
Sean O’Callaghan, Gallatin County Open Lands Coordinator
406-582-3130 (office)
sean.ocallaghan@gallatin.mt.gov

Whitney Bermes, Gallatin County Communications Coordinator
406-595-8963 (cell)
whitney.bermes@gallatin.mt.gov

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

 

*****Update as of 5pm on 4/23/2022****

Throughout the last 24 hours the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office along with Montana Highway Patrol and Fish, Wildlife and Parks have continued to search the area of Karst Stage Loop and throughout the Big Sky region. With the information gained throughout the investigation as well as information gathered from citizens, the involved person appears to no longer be in the area. The presence of law enforcement will remain in the area as the investigation will continue and leads follow up on.

The Sheriff’s Office is encouraging continued vigilance by everyone in the area, keep all property and vehicles locked, do not pick up hitchhikers and call 911 if you see anything suspicious.  The male is a Caucasian male approximately six feet tall, was last seen wearing tan pants and a tan shirt.  The case is an on-going matter jointly worked by Fish Wildlife and Park and the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Dan Springer thanks the public for its vigilance, support and numerous calls providing information. Please call 406-582-2100 if you have any additional information regarding this matter.

 

PRESS RELEASE

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

UPDATE 23 APRIL 2022 – 0900 HOURS:

The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office continued their assistance of Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP) in searching the Highway 191 Canyon throughout the night.  The suspect fled from FWP Officers who were attempting to conduct a traffic stop on a reckless driver at approximately 4:00 pm yesterday evening at which time the Sheriff’s Office’s began their assistance.

 

The last known area of the subject was Karst Stage Loop.  Sheriff’s deputies will continue their assistance searching the canyon throughout today though it is possible he was given a ride out of the area.  The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who may have information that may aid in identifying the suspect to call 406-582-2100.  A member of the public has likely heard from this individual or seen him and we are asking for your assistance.  The Sheriff’s Office is continuing to encourage canyon residents to be vigilant about locking your homes and vehicles so as not to prevent the theft of your property.  FWP nor the Sheriff’s Office have additional information about the suspect’s history or motives beyond finding a vehicle with keys in it which he stole.

 

SUSPECT DESCRIPTION:

The suspect is describes as Caucasian, approximately 6 feet tall, with reddish facial hair and a slight to medium build.  If the suspect is still in the area, he is likely very cold, hungry and is seeking shelter and assistance.