Thank you to City Council for an exciting first step!
City Council voted last Monday night to adopt the Concept Design for a Multi-generational Recreation Center by an 8-1 vote. Thank you, Mayor Cole and Councilmembers Shaw, Gulick, Owen, Neese, Joy, Boyett, and Rupsis for your yes vote! This vote is the culmination of years of work by passionate community members, A&E Design, and Councilmembers to come up with a vision for a community recreation center that fits the needs of our growing city, and the final concept design fits Billings beautifully!
At the same time, Monday’s vote is only the first step in what will be a long process to build up the amenities our city needs to attract and retain next-generation talent. Building this recreation center—along with our other missing community parks—will require a voter-approved bond. The City will also need a parks operations levy to replace Park District 1 (which will sunset in 2024) and support expanded operations. This effort will require input from everyone. We encourage creativity and outside-the-box thinking to develop the assets that fit the needs of all of our community, the use of private investment and grants, and more efficient operations within the Parks Department to stretch tax dollars further. The Billings Chamber is excited to get to work on this project and improve the quality of life for everyone in Billings!
