With summer in full swing and blistering temperatures on the way, Missoula County is bracing for a wave of recreation and the planning that comes with it.
Missoula County commissioners on Tuesday signed the closing documents for the purchase of Marshall Mountain, setting the stage for public ownership of the 480-acre park on a former ski hill northeast of the city.
Now that Marshall Mountain is poised to become the newest park with year-round programming and the crowds that come with it, residents of East Missoula are concerned that traffic impacts in their community have been overlooked.
Eight months after announcing an official interest in Marshall Mountain, Missoula County on Thursday voted to purchase the property, committing the city and county to maintenance and management in perpetuity.
The City of Missoula has notched its side of an agreement to manage Marshall Mountain over the next year before transferring the park's operation and care over to Missoula County.
While the city and county of Missoula have approved tapping into the Open Space Bond to purchase 480 acres on Marshall Mountain, the actual acquisition is still pending, and it could take a little longer than planned.
Calling it a legacy project that only comes along once in a generation, the Missoula City Council and Missoula County commissioners on Wednesday approved tapping into the Open Space Bond to purchase 480 acres on Marshall Mountain.
Richard Meisinger writes, "Need to spend $4 million on a park rather than build another fire station and hire the people to staff it. Cost for this endeavor could be the life of one of your citizens."
Citing everything from economic opportunity to childhood education, a number of people spoke in favor Wednesday of the proposed public acquisition of Marshall Mountain – a move that will require around $2 million in funding from the open space bond and an estimated $400,000 in annual maintenance costs.