The Bozeman Urban Parks and Forestry Board met October 22 to adjust its meeting calendar and advance implementation of the Parks, Recreation, and Transportation (PREP) Plan, which guides the city's approach to park development, recreation programs, and active transportation infrastructure.
Meeting Schedule Approved
The board voted to move its November meeting from Thanksgiving (November 22) to Thursday, November 19, and its December meeting from December 23 to Monday, December 14. A motion to adjust the dates passed 5-0, with the vote recorded as follows: Teri Lumsden (yes), Brandt Berube (yes), Steve Lowry (yes), Paige Lisowski (yes), and Sally Schrank (yes). September minutes were approved with Lumsden and Schrank abstaining.
PREP Plan Implementation Underway
Addie Jaden, Park Planning and Development Manager, presented a draft community engagement plan for implementing the PREP Plan, which was adopted by the city in 2024. The plan calls for updating the city's development code across four theme areas: equitable access, programs and partnerships, pedestrian and bike facilities, and natural resources. Jaden noted this marks the first significant update to park requirements in roughly two decades.
The engagement process will be thematic and educational rather than requiring re-engagement on decisions already made during the PREP planning process. Key recommendations include clarifying watercourse setback requirements for trails, strengthening tree protection in the development code, requiring connected trail systems in new parks (rather than just irrigated grass), and reconsidering the density cap that currently limits parkland requirements for projects with more than 12 dwelling units per acre.
Board members provided feedback on the 19-page engagement plan, including suggestions to alphabetize the stakeholder list rather than imply preference through ordering, to shift some project examples from Theme 1 to better distribute them across themes, and to emphasize the "17 acres per 1,000 residents" goal as a key public messaging point. Members also discussed the need for targeted outreach to groups like Ability Montana, housing advocates, and renters' organizations to ensure varied community input.
The board suggested that Sally Schrank's recommendation to add Haven and Bienvenidos to the stakeholder list be incorporated. No formal action was taken, as Jaden indicated the engagement plan does not require City Commission adoption.
2026 Parkland Trust Grant Program
The board reviewed a draft framework for relaunching the Parkland Trust community grant program, which will distribute approximately $200,000 in cash-in-lieu funds from developers to community projects. The program includes five evaluation criteria weighted toward impact, feasibility, alignment with PREP themes, clarity of application materials, and emphasis on equity and access. Staff conducts initial review on three baseline criteria; the board then scores the remaining criteria.
Board members recommended narrowing the list of potential project examples to emphasize permanent investments over annual maintenance (such as removing "provide grooming for winter use" while keeping "build new trail"), changing language to use "implement" rather than "design" practices, and shifting some examples to better balance themes. Matthew Kortan suggested using previous funded projects as examples rather than speculative ideas, and recommended including photos of past successful projects to set quality expectations.
Brandt Berube requested clarity on the scoring and allocation process before the program launches, noting that last cycle's approach (where staff made allocation recommendations after board scoring) should be explicitly discussed with all board members. Mitch Overton, Parks Director, indicated staff can refine the funding guidance for board members at the November meeting and move forward with launching the program simultaneously.
Jaden noted that applicants should be encouraged (but not required) to present at board meetings, as those presentations were found most valuable in previous cycles. The board also agreed to require grantee report-backs and to celebrate completed projects on the city website.
Director and Commissioner Updates
Overton reported ongoing cleanup from storm damage from the weekend of October 12–13, with crews continuing work in western neighborhoods. He also noted progress on improvements to the Parks and Forestry operations facilities, with design qualifications scored and firms selected for proposal presentations.
Commissioner Alison Sweeney announced that the board's roles and responsibilities were updated to explicitly include the grant program and to add a new role recommending on the city's 5-year Capital Improvements Plan. Recreation was also formally moved from the Sustainability Board to the Urban Parks and Forestry Board. Sweeney noted the board may now give personal public comment on matters before the City Commission, provided members disclose they are speaking in individual capacity.
Upcoming items include the Northwest Area Plan (next Tuesday), Fowler Housing discussion (November 10), Urban Forest Management Plan adoption (December 8), and Bozeman Creek Vision Plan adoption (tentatively December 15).