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‘People love that place:’ Bozeman City Commissioners plan to repair, reinforce Bogert Pavilion

Posted at 1:35 PM, Jul 17, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-17 15:35:59-04

After nearly four months, Bozeman City Commissioners voted to not only fix the collapsed Bogert Pavilion Shell but give it a better future.

The next hurdle: where to get the money for it.

MTN has spoken with Bogert Park visitors for months, all of them saying the same thing: they hoped the pavilion would survive this.

Not only did the city commissioners vote to fix it, they voted to make it stronger than before.

“It makes it safer in the long run for this precious community resource,” says Terry Cunningham, Bozeman city commissioner.

The Bogert shell’s future was a question mark since the collapse — until now.

“I was so disappointed when the roof collapsed,” says Kristina Rogers, who enjoys Bogert Park regularly.

“Save it for sure,” adds Jessica Delgrande, a lifelong Bozeman resident. “If you can’t save it, rebuild it.”

“I hope they fix it,” says Savannah Williams, who spoke with MTN News days after the pavilion partially collapsed. “It’s nice for the farmer’s market.”

Unanimously, the Bozeman City Commission said enough is enough.

“The community has embraced it,” Cunningham says. “The community deserves to have this well into the future and to be safe while they are underneath it.”

“It’s a gathering place, farmer’s market, ice hockey and people love that place,” says I-Ho Pomeroy, Bozeman city commissioner.

The pavilion, built in 1977, has a history with Pomeroy, too. She was a beneficiary.

“I was there selling my Korean food for decades under that pavilion,” Pomeroy says. “People love that place.”

This new option comes with the most expensive price tag, between about $520,000 and about $650,000.

Both Pomeroy and Commissioner Terry Cunningham say there is a reason why.

“It’s safer and is under the new code to repair,” Pomeroy says.

“Currently, the building is supported by ten U-shaped beams, and so we only have structural rigidity from east to west,” Cunningham says. “By going to the new building codes, we actually get north-south rigidity, as well.”

About four months is quite a bit of time to remain locked behind chain link fence like this.

With this new plan, not only is that one beam being repaired, this option will also reinforce the entire structure and hopefully keep it around for decades to come, including adding seismic and wind protection.

“This is a more expensive option, which means we have to go back into our budget and find this money,” Cunningham says.

Eight out of the ten beams will be replaced.

The money is the next question but as Cunningham puts it, the promise is there.

The pavilion will stay.

“Bozeman residents trace their personal history right through this building,” Cunningham says.

“Happy citizens mean a healthy and happy community,” Pomeroy adds.

If you are wondering when the work will start and when you can go skating again, we’ll have to wait a bit.

The city manager has to figure out how to fund it first.

Until then, commissioners say routine maintenance checks will start on buildings like the shell.