Launches “ALL IN. BIG SKY” campaign to raise remainder
BIG SKY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION
On April 25, the Big Sky Community Organization announced that it had to-date raised more than $12 million for the community center on the 3.3 acres of land the organization acquired and secured as open space parkland in perpetuity in Big Sky Town Center, and announced the launch of its “ALL IN. BIG SKY” campaign to raise the remaining $5.5 million needed for the center by the end of summer 2019.
The community center is designed to be a multi-use space that will serve as a gathering place for residents, visitors and club members. The center will have common spaces, meeting rooms and office spaces which will house nonprofits and community resources. It will also offer recreational areas to facilitate a variety of indoor and outdoor sports, and art programs, acting as an accessible, affordable space for the public.
“As Big Sky continues to grow, the Big Sky Community Organization envisions a future Big Sky which will always feel like home—with community spaces, parklands, trail systems and recreation opportunities available to anyone with a need and interest, to people of all ages, income brackets and backgrounds,” said BSCO Executive Director Ciara Wolfe.
Currently, community recreation centers within Big Sky are within private neighborhoods, not accessible to the general public. Additionally, no public indoor community facilities exist in the Big Sky community besides the Big Sky School District and the Water Sewer District Building.
Through its facilities and the organizations housed therein, the community center will provide local access to art, culture and environmental education, while supporting physically and mentally healthy lifestyles.
“We need a permanent community space that serves everyone, yearround—and we’re going ‘ALL IN’ to make it happen,” Wolfe said.
The community center stands to contribute to the health and wellness of the community in multiple ways.
The center will provide a safe and positive environment for teens and young adults to spend time together participating in scheduled activities, skills programs or indoor and outdoor activities.
It will also serve as a space to address prevalent behavioral and mental health issues including substance abuse, suicide and depression through the creation of an empowering support network of on-grounds counseling and community-wide resources.
Slated for a July groundbreaking, the community center is aimed at being Big Sky’s first Platinum LEED certified commercial building, a certification awarded to structures that meet certain sustainability criteria.
Tallie Lancey, a BSCO board member, emphasized the project’s cooperative nature.
“Throughout every aspect of project development, our organization has collaborated closely with partner organizations to make the greatest possible community-wide impact.” Lancey said. “We are truly ‘ALL IN’ this together, and BSCO’s goals and process reflect that.”
BSCO—an organization focused on engaging Big Sky’s public in recreational and enrichment opportunities through development of partnerships, programs and places— leveraged the community center for several collaborative endeavors, which include securing parkland for the Music in the Mountains summer concert series, working with the Gallatin River Task Force to develop an irrigation system that uses treated effluent and building in a transportation hub for the commuting workforce.
“We believe this project exemplifies collaboration and innovation within a strongly-rooted resort community that values our people and this special place,” Lancey said.
The “ALL IN. BIG SKY” campaign seeks to involve everyone in the Big Sky community in the community center’s creation, whether through fundraising, showing up to support the cause or spreading awareness.
Visit bscomt.org/communitycenter for more information or to get involved.
