Gallatin County Regional Park

 park  Add category

 Upload a photo

Gallatin County Regional Park Opens
By Lucia Stewart, 8-14-07
The second red ribbon cutting on the newest 100-acre addition to Gallatin Valley’s open space will be celebrated today at 6pm, on the corner of Oak and Davis.

The Gallatin County Regional Park contains swimming and fishing ponds, an amphitheater, baseball fields, soccer fields, a skatepark, a dinosaur park, extensive trail system, wetland interpretive walks, a dog park, gardens, picnic pavilions and more — much of which is still under construction.

As the history goes, in the late 1970’s, it was recommended to create a large county park. In the 1980’s, it was again emphasized. In the 1990’s, the city’s Parks and Recreation Board make it a top goal. Then in 2000, a $10 million open space bond passed, providing the $2.3 million to acquire 100 acres from Baxter Meadow development off Baxter Lane, which was purchased in 2002.

“A whole generation has grown up, while we’ve waited for the ‘right time’ to buy and start developing a large park for our citizens,” wrote Paul Weingart, president of FORParks.

FORParks, a group of volunteers, are mostly responsible for the creation, design and mobilizing efforts in creating the regional park. A group of nearly 40 artists participated in an art show on “Imagine a Park,” who proceeds were donated to FORParks. And community workshops, or charettes, helped fine-tune the master plan.

http://www.gallatin.mt.gov/public_documents/RP_Draft_10-26-07[1].pdf