Transportation district aims to hire expert on road infrastructure to address Big Sky needs
By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
In a growing community that increasingly strains its transportation infrastructure, leaders are looking to create a position to take charge of planning and maintenance.
During the May 13 Madison-Gallatin Joint County Commission meeting, Bayard Dominick, chair of Big Sky Transportation District, presented the idea of expanding BSTD beyond the Skyline Bus public transportation service, to include coordination and oversight of “macro” transportation issues such as roads, sidewalks, traffic and other infrastructure. BSTD envisions hiring an individual whose sole job is to focus on big-picture transportation needs, complementing current executive director Darren Brugmann, whose role primarily handles Skyline Bus.
In addition to vehicle-related transportation, BSTD is prioritizing “active transportation” across Big Sky, through trails and paths for pedestrians and bicycles.
Dominick noted that public transportation ridership has doubled in the past five years, and the trend is expected to continue alongside individual vehicle traffic. He said it’s important for roads and public transportation to match the growth in demand.
“Currently there are many entities within Big Sky that are working on these transportation issues. But we think it really would be [a] benefit to consolidate those efforts under the transportation district so we have one point of contact,” Dominick said.
He listed Big Sky Resort, the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce, Lone Mountain Land Company, Resort Tax, the Big Sky Owners Association and Big Sky Community Organization as contributors pitching in to address current transportation and road maintanence needs.
Dominick noted BSTD’s opinion that a significant change in governance does not appear imminent, based on findings of the Big Sky Governance Study. With that in mind, BSTD would be a sensible party to tackle local transportation infrastructure.
Local leaders seem to agree.
One HOA leader—who did not announce his name during public comment—said it would be “invaluable” to have a point of contact for arrangements like rural improvement districts. Another HOA leader, Holly Coltea of the Big Sky Owners Association, said Big Sky’s largest HOA has struggled to keep up with the highly specialized work of road and bridge maintenance planning, in addition to BSOA’s other responsibilities.
“Because there’s no single entity, things do fall through the cracks—local roads, biking, pedestrian connectivity, traffic calming,” Coltea said. “… Because a transit district already encompasses this entire community, they are already thinking community-wide… they are the logical entity to take this on, and we, at BSOA, just want to endorse this wholeheartedly.”
Community member Laynee Jones, whose background includes transportation engineering, offered public comment in support of the proposed role.
“As a resident, it would be great to have someone I could call when I have a transportation issue, like parking, et cetera. I would also say, I think the residents of Big Sky are looking for more focus on transportation,” Jones said.
Big Sky Chamber of Commerce CEO Brad Niva said the chamber endorses the idea, noting that his organization sometimes needs to pick up odd tasks such as transportation outreach, for which no other formal body is responsible.
“I have to call in for pothole fixes. Guardrails that are broken… I just think this is an important position that our community needs, and it’s filling a gap. And there’s a number of us who have to step up as community members to fix it,” Niva said.
EBS asked if BSTD’s initiative would include coordinating with the Montana Department of Transportation to improve maintenance and improvements to Montana Highway 64—which faces a challenging funding situation through MDT—and Dominick said that would “absolutely” fit the purpose of the role.
“MDT’s been in those conversations with us to date, and it would be a definite big part of the conversations moving forward. And that person we’d bring on would build that relationship with MDT to streamline those efforts,” Dominick said.
The next step is for BSTD to sort out funding for the new position, as well as the upscaling of Skyline Bus and implementing Big Sky’s active transportation plan. Dominick said that in the future, BSTD will likely bring a financial ask to the Resort Tax board and commissioners of both counties.
Resort Tax Executive Director Daniel Bierschwale offered a comment in support.
“I just want to commend the transportation district on taking this leap forward,” Bierschwale said. “And it’s time. Good job guys.”
