EBS STAFF
After sudden and unexpected closure of Kircher Discovery Park due to flooding, Gallatin County will support an effort to restore the park in the upcoming spring.
This August, TIGER grant construction of the pedestrian tunnel near Little Coyote Road tapped into unforeseen groundwater, causing a mudslide on the trail to Kircher Discovery Park and also flooding the riverside playground area. The park was engulfed in standing water, according to the Big Sky Community Organization.
In September, BSCO reached an agreement with Gallatin County to help fund the repairs.
“Gallatin County, Big Sky Community Organization (BSCO), and Stahley Engineering are working on solutions to address the mudslide on the trail leading to Kircher Park, and the standing water affecting the playground at the park,” Madeleine Feher, director of operations with BSCO, wrote in a statement to EBS on Sept. 20.
The solution will not be in place until the spring or summer of 2024, and Kircher Park will remain closed in the meantime. With the planned closure of a playground at Big Sky Community Park—also associated with TIGER grant construction—the Big Sky community is temporarily short of two family-oriented play spaces.
“BSCO is disappointed to have to close the trail and playground, and we appreciate the work that all parties have committed to in order to rectify the ground water issue and improve pedestrian, cyclist and motorist safety through the TIGER grant,” Feher wrote.
