Gallatin Media Center

On November 28, 2023 at 8:58pm Gallatin County Dispatch received a report of a suspected intoxicated driver who crashed their vehicle on a neighbor’s property in the area north of Jackson Creek exit.  The driver reportedly sustained a minor injury to the head in the crash, then left on foot, not appropriately dressed for the cold weather.   

Due to the cold weather conditions and the mountain terrain, Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue volunteers from the Valley Section responded to assist Gallatin County Deputies and Montana Highway Patrol in locating the driver in order to ensure their welfare.  The driver was not responsive to attempts to contact them by phone, and GCSO SAR did not locate them.  Eventually, GCSO Deputies received information that the driver made it home safely and chose to avoid contact with responders.   

Sheriff Springer would like to remind the public that in the event of a motor vehicle accident, remain with your vehicle until contacted by Law Enforcement, as it is the obligation of Law Enforcement responders to ensure the welfare of all involved passengers. 

On 11/28/2023 at 5:16 pm, 911 dispatch received a call from a recreationalist near Hyalite Canyon Road stating an elderly hiker had not returned to their vehicle after leaving earlier in the afternoon to cut a Christmas Tree. Due to cold weather conditions and darkness setting in, Search and Rescue was requested.

Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue (GCSAR) volunteers from the Valley section as well as an Ambulance from American Medical Response responded. GCSAR members deployed off-road vehicles, drones, and dog teams to locate the hiker. Fortunately, the hiker was eventually located by GCSAR members approximately three miles from where they had last been seen. The hiker was then transported to the waiting AMR ambulance for a medical evaluation.

Sheriff Springer would like to remind recreational enthusiasts to always have a backup plan when recreating. Being dressed for changing weather conditions and having adequate supplies is good practice for ensuring a safe trip. Also, cellular service is still spotty at best in much of Gallatin County’s backcountry. Having a communication plan that does not depend on cell service is always recommended.

On Sunday, November 26, 2023, at 9:37 p.m. The West Yellowstone Police Department Dispatch center received a call requesting assistance for a stuck side by side on the Teepee Creek Trail 12 miles north of West Yellowstone. The hunter had gotten stuck in the deep snow and after several hours of effort, had been unable to extract the machine from the deep snow.

Volunteers from Gallatin County Search and Rescue in West Yellowstone and Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks responded to assist with the rescue.

The hunter was able to provide gps coordinates using an In-Reach gps device which let the volunteers to the location. They were able to safely extract the hunter who was then escorted to safety.

Sheriff Dan Springer would like to commend the hunter for carrying a reliable means of communication in addition to a gps device which was integral in leading rescuers quickly to the exact location.

For Immediate Release: 11/27/2023

The Gallatin City-County Health Department is hosting a community learning session, Mental Health & Nicotine Use, on December 13, 2023, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Bozeman Library. Come learn about current rates of tobacco use in Gallatin County, and the correlation between nicotine use and mental health. The health department will also be providing resources for tobacco cessation and how to provide support for individuals in your life currently using nicotine.

“We know that many people in our community turn to nicotine to reduce their stress,” said Kelly Keenan, Director of Prevention Services at Gallatin City-County Health Department. “However, studies have shown that nicotine is an addictive drug that can impact areas of the brain that control attention, learning and memory, mood, and impulse control.”

Click here for the full press release.

For immediate release: Nov. 27, 2023 

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

Public Invited to Idaho Pole Site Superfund Site Informational Session  

The public is invited to an informational session on the Idaho Pole Site, a superfund site in Bozeman, in December.  

The Gallatin Local Water Quality District (GLWQD) will host representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Montana Department of Enviornmental Quality, who will discuss the cleanup project’s timeline and current state, give a groundwater treatment update, and address public concerns and questions. 

The presentation will be on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 8:30 AM in the third-floor community room at the Gallatin County Courthouse (311 W. Main St.) It will be part of GLWQD’s regular board of directors meeting. 

The history of this site dates back to the mid-1940s, when the facility used creosote to preserve wood and later switched to pentachlorophenol in carrier oil (similar to mineral oil) for the wood treating solution.  In 1978, evidence of a release of the oily wood treating fluid was identified in ditches near the facility and near Rocky Creek.   

More background on the site can be found here. 

If you’re interested in the status of the remedial actions, have questions or concerns, or just want to learn more about groundwater issues in the Bozeman area, you’re invited to attend this public information session. 

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For immediate release: Nov. 27, 2023

On Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, at approximately 3:19 PM, Gallatin County dispatch received a call from a GPS device monitoring service. A device the company monitors had recently been activated near Grotto Falls in Hyalite Canyon. Gallatin County dispatch later received a 911 phone call from an eyewitness stating an ice climber had fallen and was injured. The patient was identified as 36-year-old Montana resident and avid ice climber, Kyle Allen Rott.

Gallatin County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteers along with Two Bear Air and Billings Clinic Med-Flight helicopters responded to the Grotto Falls trailhead. Five teams of search and rescue volunteers were deployed to the area where Rott was located. Search and rescue volunteers provided initial medical treatment to Rott who was eventually hoisted from the area by Two Bear Air and taken to Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office coroners responded to the hospital where Rott was determined to have died accidentally, caused by blunt force trauma of the head, sustained during an ice climbing fall.

Sheriff Dan Springer would like to express his condolences to Mr. Kyle Rott’s family in South Dakota and his friends. Sheriff Springer also thanks all the dedicated search and rescue members who responded so quickly.

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For immediate release: Nov. 22, 2023

Media contact:
Eric Semerad, Gallatin County Clerk & Recorder/Election Administrator
406-582-3054
eric.semerad@gallatin.mt.gov

Belgrade Voters to Receive Updated Voter Confirmation Cards

City of Belgrade voters will receive updated Voter Confirmation Cards in the mail within the next week. Due to an error in the redistricting process completed this August, previously mailed confirmation cards did not assign the correct ward districts to Belgrade voters.

This error has been corrected in the statewide registration system and the Gallatin County Elections office will be mailing over 5,000 corrected notices to City of Belgrade voters. Belgrade municipal voters who previously received a confirmation card in September should destroy old cards and retain the new, corrected cards they’ll receive in the coming week.

This error did not affect the recent November 7, 2023, Belgrade Municipal Election because the Belgrade ward council member positions were uncontested. The council member elections were canceled by the City of Belgrade and the filed candidates acclaimed to the offices.

Belgrade voters may verify their assigned wards by searching their residential address on the Gallatin County Elections Mapper. Questions and concerns may be directed to the Gallatin County Elections Office at 406-582-3060 or by emailing gallatin.elections@gallatin.mt.gov.

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For immediate release: Nov. 20, 2023

Media contacts:

Neil Cardwell, Belgrade City Manager
ncardwell@belgrademt.gov
406-388-3541

Takami Clark, Bozeman Communications & Engagement Manager
tclark@bozeman.net
406-582-2322

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

Gallatin Valley Communities Win Grants to Improve Road Safety
More than $760,000 awarded to City of Belgrade, City of Bozeman, Gallatin County

Multiple communities in the Gallatin Valley recently won more than $760,000 in grant funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program. The program helps local governments study safety challenges in their communities and identify solutions to make roads safer for all users. The Department funded 235 proposals across the nation totaling $82 million, which included funded proposals from the City of Belgrade, the City of Bozeman, and Gallatin County.

Belgrade’s SS4A grant is split into two categories. The first is a planning grant in the amount of $228,000, which will allow for the development of a comprehensive Safety Action Plan for the city. This plan will be developed cooperatively with the Master Planning efforts. The goal of the Safety Action Plan is to find ways to prevent fatalities and serious injuries, both through policy and projects, while also ensuring those improvements are equitably distributed within our community.

The second is a demonstration grant in the amount of $86,464. The proposed demonstration project will be located along Main Street, from Davis Street to Jackrabbit Lane. The project will install temporary curb bulb-outs using flexible delineators, high-visibility crosswalk markings, bike sharrows, and signing. All the treatments are temporary, will remain in place for approximately one summer, and align with the city’s existing Downtown Master Plan. The goal of the project is to evaluate the efficacy of these treatments as options to make downtown Belgrade safer for pedestrians and bicyclists while still maintaining functionality for vehicle users. As part of this project, the city will also engage the community via multiple avenues to learn more about residents’ attitudes toward the current downtown street infrastructure and gather their feedback regarding the temporary treatments during and after the project. Lessons learned during the demonstration project will inform the development of the Safety Action Plan and ideas for permanent solutions.

“Belgrade’s growth continues to put a strain on our financial resources; this grant is critical to continue to improve our road and pedestrian safety, particularly in our downtown Main Street area,” said Belgrade City Manager Neil Cardwell.

Bozeman’s $200,000 grant will fund the expansion of the Bozeman Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) Plan. This includes public engagement, data analysis to identify critical issues and a prioritization plan to ensure construction funding is allocated to where it matters most. The grant also includes funding for Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures at major intersections across the city. This equipment collects information on speed, red light running and near-misses so the city can improve signal timing and direct enforcement where it is needed most. This will be the first time this technology is being employed in Montana.

“This grant is an important step towards improving road safety in Bozeman,” Mayor Cyndy Andrus stated. “Each improvement and project that gets implemented means fewer and fewer severe crashes, which will ultimately save lives.”

Gallatin County’s $252,771 planning grant will be used to develop a comprehensive safety action plan and do supplemental planning for up to five safety emphasis areas for the county’s transportation system, focusing heavily on county roads within the rapidly growingly Greater Triangle Area between Bozeman, Belgrade and Four Corners. These emphasis areas are expected to include single-vehicle run-off-the-road crashes, user behavior (impairment, speeding, distractions, etc.), vulnerable road users, and others.

“We have recognized gaps in our pathway system for a long time and this grant funding will support the engineering and planning needed to fix the breaks in our walking and rolling transportation system,” said Gallatin County Commission Jennifer Boyer.

Doing these plans in compliance with federal standards makes local governments eligible for further funding from the SS4A program. This helps projects identified in the planning process to become a reality at little expense to local taxpayers.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program with $5 billion in appropriated funds over 5 years, 2022-2026. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.

More information about the SS4A program can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A.

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For immediate release: Nov. 17, 2023 

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

Gallatin County Receives Planning Grant to Explore Options for Regional Day Treatment School 

Gallatin County is pleased to announce that they have been awarded a one-year planning grant from the Montana Healthcare Foundation to help develop a comprehensive business plan for a regional day treatment school.  

This $50,000 planning grant will be used to create the roadmap to implement and sustain a regional day treatment program to support students with behavioral health needs in receiving educational and health services in a specialized setting.  

Funds will provide resources to collaboratively determine the approach to implementing the day treatment program, including location, site renovations, target student population, eligibility process, funding, contracting, and transportation considerations. 

Gallatin County is contracting with Routefinder Consulting and JG Research and Evaluation to conduct this planning project in collaboration with the Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition, county school districts, and regional behavioral health providers. 

“We are excited to make progress toward better addressing the complex needs of students with behavioral health challenges through this planning project. Our county is committed to better serving our community members of all ages so that they are healthy and thriving,” said Gallatin County Commissioner Zach Brown. 

More information about this project and other Montana Healthcare Foundation awardees can be found here. 

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