Trails, open spaces will further enhance city
2/10/2016 Bozeman Daily Chronicle Guest Column by Mitch Overton
As Bozeman continues to make national news as a great place to live, work, and play, now is a good time to update citizens on the Trails, Open Space, and Parks (TOP) Bond approved by voters three years ago.
When TOP passed in November 2012, Bozeman was growing again after that Great Recession. The city had not created any larger community parks since the acquisition of Burke Park (Peets Hill) in 1993, and—with land prices still relatively low—the bond was meant to help ensure that community outdoor recreation space grew along with the city as a way to help maintain the area’s high quality of life.
In early 2013, the city commission appointed a citizen committee to create (along with city staff) project evaluation criteria and to hold open meetings to review projects for their potential long-term improvements to the community.
Since then, six major projects have been approved by the citizen board and city commission and work has begun on each of them.