Gallatin Media Center

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

On 4/22/22 at approximately 4:00pm a Fish, Wildlife and Parks Warden attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a reckless vehicle traveling north on Highway 191. The vehicle came to a stop near the Castle Inn, where the sole male occupant and driver fled on foot. The vehicle was later discovered to be stolen. Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, Fish Wildlife and Parks and Montana Highway Patrol have saturated the area with K9 teams deployed to aid in locating the male. The Sheriff’s Office has issued telephone notifications at 1745 hrs to residents in the area, encouraging occupants to lock their doors, windows, outside structures and remain inside. Anyone who observes a suspicious person in the area is encouraged to call 911 and avoid contact with the person. The search is an on-going matter, the Sheriff’s Office will update the public as the search develops and thanks the public for its vigilance and support.

Current guidance to the public: The Sheriff’s Office is encouraging continued vigilance by everyone in the area, keep all property and vehicles locked up, limit travel in the area, call 911 if you see anything suspicious. Do not pick up anyone hitchhiking in the area. The male is a Caucasian male approximately six feet tall, was last seen wearing tan pants and a tan shirt. He was last seen south of the Storm Castle Bridge.

Gallatin County Superintendent of Schools

For immediate release: April 15, 2022

To better educate voters in upcoming school district elections, the Gallatin County Superintendent of Schools Office announced that it will serve as a clearinghouse for information on school district trustee candidates in the May 3 election.

Superintendent of Schools Matthew Henry sent a 10-question, voluntary questionnaire to all candidates running for seats on school boards in the 16 school districts across Gallatin County. The questionnaires collected from the trustee candidates will be posted on the Superintendent’s website.

“Residents of the county often contact my office seeking information about trustee candidates in their school districts,” Henry said. “My office devised this questionnaire to better serve the public and assist voters in making informed decisions.”

Responses from candidates were requested to be sent by April 14 to be posted on the Gallatin County website. Responses received after that will be posted when received up until Election Day on Tuesday, May 3.

Find candidate responses here.

Media contact:
Matthew Henry, Gallatin County Superintendent of Schools
406-582-3090
matthew.henry@gallatin.mt.gov

For immediate release: April 15, 2022

Big Sky Country State Fair is pleased to announce their 2022-night show line-up, a mix of celebrated multi-genre hip-hop and country artists! T.I. with special guest Willie Jones will kick out the
week. Russell Dickerson with special guest Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry will be on Thursday. And we will round off the week with Brantley Gilbert and special guest Ashland Craft.

See the full press release here.

Media contact:
Amanda Hartman
amanda.hartman@gallatin.mt.gov

T.I. and special guest Willie Jones

Russell Dickerson with special guest Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry

Brantley Gilbert with special guest Ashland Craft

Gallatin County Elections Department

 

For immediate release: April 14, 2022

On Friday, April 15, ballots for the 2022 school and special districts election on May 3 in Gallatin County are being mailed to active voters in districts that are holding elections.

Those districts include the following:

• Schools:
  • Belgrade
  • Big Sky
  • Bozeman
  • Gallatin Gateway
  • Lamotte
  • Manhattan
  • Monforton
  • Springhill
  • Three Forks
  • West Yellowstone
  • Willow Creek

• Special districts:
  • Hebgen Basin Rural Fire District
  • Logan County Water and Sewer District

In total, more than 70,000 ballots will be mailed. Voters can expect to start seeing their ballots in the mail by this weekend or early next week.

For questions on specific school district ballot measures or candidates, please see this information provided by the Gallatin County Superintendent of Schools, or contact your school district directly.

As with all mail ballot elections, there is always an option to vote in-person at the Gallatin County Elections office, located in the Courthouse at 311 W. Main St., room 210 in Bozeman. In-person voting for this election begins Friday, April 15. If your ballot is destroyed, spoiled, lost, or not received, you may request a replacement ballot no later than 8 PM on Election Day.

Ballots must be received at the Gallatin County Elections office or a designated place of deposit by 8 PM on Election Day. Ballots may be returned by mail or in-person. If you’re mailing your ballot, mail it no later than Wednesday, April 27 to ensure it arrives at our office in time.

Places of deposit for this election are:

• Gallatin County Elections Department (311 W. Main St., room 210 in Bozeman)
• Monforton School District Office (6001 Monforton School Road, Bozeman).

Voters in any district can drop their ballots off at either location. Both locations are open during regular business hours Monday through Friday until May 2, and then from 7 AM to 8 PM on Election Day on May 3.

Voter registration

Gallatin County is currently in the late registration period for the May 3 election. In order to register to vote, you must appear in-person at the Gallatin County Elections office. Election Day voter registration is currently under legal review. The best way to ensure you’re able to vote in this election is to register by noon on Monday, May 2.

You can check your registration status at MyVoterPageMT.com.

If you have other questions, please contact our office at gallatin.elections@gallatin.mt.gov or 406-582-3060. For more information, you can also visit gallatinvotes.com.

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

 

For immediate release: April 13, 2022

The Gallatin County Commission has established a C-PACE program in Gallatin County, which will provide financial help to small business owners who wish to invest in energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy projects.

On Tuesday, April 12, commissioners approved a resolution to establish Gallatin County as a Commercial Property Assessed Capital Enhancement (C-PACE) district.

Commercial building owners evaluate and select qualified projects that fall under the categories of energy conservation measures or renewable energy systems. The building owners then secure financing from a bank or other financial institution. Gallatin County would then add an assessment to the building owner’s property tax bill, allowing the assessment to pay off the loan over 20 years as the project realizes energy savings from the improvements.

This program uniquely allows commercial property owners to invest in energy efficiency projects and solar or renewable energy upgrades with no down payment.

Qualified projects require utility savings to exceed payment obligations, making investments cash positive for commercial property owners and tenants.

The program is administered statewide by the Montana Facility Finance Authority. The program is tax neutral with no financial exposure to the county or to taxpayers.

Gallatin County Commissioner Zach Brown praised the district as a benefit to the county’s business community. It will ultimately lower the cost of doing business in Gallatin County, while also driving down energy consumption, he said.

“I’m glad Montana is finally getting on board, following the many other states who already have a C-PACE program on the books. This will be a great financing program for Gallatin County businesses looking to invest in energy saving projects,” Brown said.

For more information on eligible projects, program guidelines, applications, and any other questions, visit the Montana C-PACE Financing website at lastbestpace.com.

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

For immediate release: April 13, 2022

 

MT Highway 64 Rural Commuter Corridor TIGER Grant Project Update

Thanks to many valuable local partnerships, Gallatin County is in the process of awarding the MT Highway 64 TIGER Grant project to the low bidder.  Pending approval from the Federal Highway Administration, the project is likely to begin in 2022.

In 2017, the community of Big Sky was awarded a TIGER grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in the amount of $10.2 million dollars for major infrastructure improvements along the Lone Mountain Trail/MT Highway 64 corridor. Once the agreement was signed in June 2019 between Gallatin County and FHWA, Sanderson Stewart was awarded the contract to oversee design and construction for the improvements in September 2019. In partnership with Stahly Engineering, the team has worked diligently with Gallatin County, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and FHWA to work through the design, acquisition of land (right-of-way) for the expanded roadway, and the required permitting for the project.

After multiple rounds of bidding and amendments to the TIGER agreement with FHWA, Gallatin County has made a recommendation to award the project to the current low bidder. This was made possible by contributions from MDT, Gallatin County, Madison County and Big Sky Resort Area District (Resort Tax) to close the funding gap and allow the project to move forward.  FHWA is currently reviewing the award recommendation and it is anticipated that we will receive their approval in time to start construction in 2022.

The amount of work to be completed in 2022 will be somewhat dependent on the timing of the notice to proceed, but public notice will be issued once the start date and sequence of projects has been determined.  MDT will be donating the time of one of the public involvement firms to the project in order to provide regular updates to the Big Sky community.  In the meantime, construction on the Powder Light turn lanes will continue this spring, as will the utility relocations that are needed ahead of the TIGER grant project.

Thank you for your interest in this important project for the Big Sky Community. Please feel free to contact Sanderson Stewart with any additional questions about the project:

 

Danielle Scharf
Project Manager/Engineer
Sanderson Stewart
dscharf@sandersonstewart.com
406-922-4325

Media Release:  220406-01
Contact:  Patrick Lonergan (406) 548-0116

SPRING FLOODING – IT’S ALMOST THAT TIME

Bozeman, MT – As Gallatin County moves closer to spring, the risk of spring flooding increases.  While we can not predict if Gallatin County will see any spring flooding in 2022, we know that now is the time to prepare your property in order to minimize the potential effect 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.

Additionally, if you feel your property is at risk of flooding, you may want to consider flood insurance.  Flood damage is not covered by homeowners insurance.  Flood insurance has a 30 day waiting period for the policy to take effect, so you can not wait until flooding is imminent to get a policy.  Contact your insurance agency for policy information.

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 at:  http://www.readygallatin.com/community-resources/preparedness-information/flooding-in-gallatin-county/.

View the Keep It Flowing educational video at:  https://youtu.be/z_LtMhhyiqo

PRESS RELEASE

INCIDENT

On April 3, 2022, at 1:53 pm, Gallatin County 911 received a call from skiers caught in an avalanche while ascending the north face of Wilson Peak in Big Sky.

 

One skier was able to self-extricate immediately.  The other skier was swept down the slope, through some trees, and ultimately was able to self-extricate at the bottom of the slide. That skier sustained injuries that would not allow them to hike or ski out.

 

The reporting party had a GPS communication device and was able to call for help. Gallatin County Sheriff SAR members from Big Sky and the Helicopter team responded to the patient’s location. They were able to land near the patient, load both into the helicopter and fly them to a waiting Big Sky Fire Dept Ambulance. The patient was transported to the Big Sky Medical Center for further evaluation.

 

Sheriff Dan Springer would like to commend the skiers for having a communication device that allowed them to call for help immediately and be rescued in a timely manner. Having a plan and equipment for emergency events when recreating in the backcountry can make the difference between a quick rescue or spending an unexpected night in the mountains.

 

Photos courtesy of Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office

For immediate release: April 2, 2022

Interstate 90 eastbound on Bozeman Pass has re-opened following a semi accident.

We thank the public for their patience during the time it took responders to work on the scene.

For immediate release: April 2, 2022

Eastbound traffic on Interstate 90 over the Bozeman pass continues to be blocked due to a semi accident at mile marker 316. Very little traffic is able to move by.

This blockage will continue until at least 7 PM tonight. If you are stuck in traffic, wait and use the Bear Creek or Trail Creek exits to turn around.

If you can change your plans, please avoid traveling eastbound over Bozeman Pass until later this evening.

And if you are in the area, please be safe while responders are on scene. We thank you for your patience.