Indoor facility

[coloradocat]

My two cents on the east side. I think it really matters that it gets replaced ASAP. Aesthetics are important in recruiting and game day atmosphere. The atmosphere was exponentially better with the addition of the endzone bowl. I think its important that it matches the endzone. There is approximately one section that could be added onto each end of the east bleachers. I also think that a second deck could be added. When MSU tackles this, I think that pressboxes are mandatory. More revenue, will hold sound in much better. And would make the appearance of Bobcat Stadium unbelievable more attractive than it is now.

With all that said, I am extremely happy with what has been built and done for MSU athletics in the last five or so years.

I think you're right on, and I think that future expansion has to be taken into account for any project.

I do wonder if there's some state funding that could go towards this project though, and I've wondered if that's part of the delay. It's an existing stadium that in my opinion, the state has some obligation to keep up and make necessary improvements to. I'm all for not spending state money on upgrades, but if a facility already exists, I think MSU/MUS needs to fund a big chunk of it. If the roof of Roberts Hall was caving in, MSU/MUS wouldn't tell the engineering department (or whatever academic department uses that the most) to start hitting up donors to replace it. So if MSU can prove this is a safety hazard (shouldn't be hard) and that there's some risk of failure of the structure, which would endanger thousands of people, I think they could get the state to replace it with something similar. It would be subject to modern safety and ADA requirements, and I think it would be reasonable to request funding to make it look like the rest of the stadium. Say that simple replacement costs $25M (I honestly have no clue what the number would be), the state should pay for that. Then if athletics determines that suites would cost another $20M--that's what they fundraise for or get creative about financing from sponsorships and/or pledges to buy suites for 10 years or something.

There's a big difference between Roberts Hall and Bobcat Stadium. One is an academic building and the other is an entertainment building. I don't think the state has any obligation to fund entertainment, regardless of who owns the venue. I understand that the athletics department gets a lot of funding from the university general fund but that doesn't mean the state should be directly paying for upgrades. Maintenance yes, upgrades no. There's nothing wrong with the eastside that requires significant expenditures. If there was they would have directed the money there already rather than building the BAC and IPF.

That's why I said I'm all for NOT spending state money on upgrades. I agree it's an entertainment venue and the state shouldn't fund improvements. But if a few people fall through a rusted out hole (a little extreme maybe) in the 40th row and fall on the sidewalk, MSU is getting sued, not MSU football. I'm just saying at some level a replacement of the east side stands IS maintenance, and who is responsible for paying for that? Honest question, I'm not sure I know the answer. I know who I think it should be, but I might not be right. And maybe it's not now--maybe the utility of those stands is 50 more years--but maybe it's 5, and somebody has to do something before the bleachers are condemned. Then if they're condemned and the athletic department decides they can't raise the money, is MSU OK with just putting caution tape on them and saying that section of the stadium is closed now? I'm dumbfounded that handrails and extra traction hasn't been added to those bleachers, and why MSU's insurance carrier (the state, I'm sure) doesn't either raise premiums by $250k a year or say you have to make certain improvements, because any idiot can see this is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

My season tickets have been on the east side for years. I can't tell you how many times during bad weather games I've watched people take headers, fall on their butts, fall on their faces, fall on other people, slide off the walkways, etc. on those stands. And every time I see a real nasty one, it always runs through the back of my mind that hear comes a lawsuit. I don't what the viability of a lawsuit against the university would be; I assume that there is a clause that by purchasing a ticket to an outdoor venue during inclimate weather, the purchaser waives their right to sue in case of an accident. But if I were the school, I wouldn't want to be dragged down that road.

These posts on liability got me thinking. How do we know that MSU hasn't had some sort of legal action taken against them for incidents occurring because of the east bleachers.

Because they haven't done anything to address people's concerns. If you get sued for some kind of negligence you are likely going to take action to ensure it doesn't happen again (whether you win or lose).

I'm not sure how many people have actually complained to the university though. Have you eastsiders taken your complaints to a higher authority than BN? There are probably enough people on here that would be willing to sign a letter/petition for MSU to at a minimum put in traction pads which could be done prior to Homecoming.

[MSUBobcat04]

My two cents on the east side. I think it really matters that it gets replaced ASAP. Aesthetics are important in recruiting and game day atmosphere. The atmosphere was exponentially better with the addition of the endzone bowl. I think its important that it matches the endzone. There is approximately one section that could be added onto each end of the east bleachers. I also think that a second deck could be added. When MSU tackles this, I think that pressboxes are mandatory. More revenue, will hold sound in much better. And would make the appearance of Bobcat Stadium unbelievable more attractive than it is now.

With all that said, I am extremely happy with what has been built and done for MSU athletics in the last five or so years.

I think you're right on, and I think that future expansion has to be taken into account for any project.

I do wonder if there's some state funding that could go towards this project though, and I've wondered if that's part of the delay. It's an existing stadium that in my opinion, the state has some obligation to keep up and make necessary improvements to. I'm all for not spending state money on upgrades, but if a facility already exists, I think MSU/MUS needs to fund a big chunk of it. If the roof of Roberts Hall was caving in, MSU/MUS wouldn't tell the engineering department (or whatever academic department uses that the most) to start hitting up donors to replace it. So if MSU can prove this is a safety hazard (shouldn't be hard) and that there's some risk of failure of the structure, which would endanger thousands of people, I think they could get the state to replace it with something similar. It would be subject to modern safety and ADA requirements, and I think it would be reasonable to request funding to make it look like the rest of the stadium. Say that simple replacement costs $25M (I honestly have no clue what the number would be), the state should pay for that. Then if athletics determines that suites would cost another $20M--that's what they fundraise for or get creative about financing from sponsorships and/or pledges to buy suites for 10 years or something.

There's a big difference between Roberts Hall and Bobcat Stadium. One is an academic building and the other is an entertainment building. I don't think the state has any obligation to fund entertainment, regardless of who owns the venue. I understand that the athletics department gets a lot of funding from the university general fund but that doesn't mean the state should be directly paying for upgrades. Maintenance yes, upgrades no. There's nothing wrong with the eastside that requires significant expenditures. If there was they would have directed the money there already rather than building the BAC and IPF.

That's why I said I'm all for NOT spending state money on upgrades. I agree it's an entertainment venue and the state shouldn't fund improvements. But if a few people fall through a rusted out hole (a little extreme maybe) in the 40th row and fall on the sidewalk, MSU is getting sued, not MSU football. I'm just saying at some level a replacement of the east side stands IS maintenance, and who is responsible for paying for that? Honest question, I'm not sure I know the answer. I know who I think it should be, but I might not be right. And maybe it's not now--maybe the utility of those stands is 50 more years--but maybe it's 5, and somebody has to do something before the bleachers are condemned. Then if they're condemned and the athletic department decides they can't raise the money, is MSU OK with just putting caution tape on them and saying that section of the stadium is closed now? I'm dumbfounded that handrails and extra traction hasn't been added to those bleachers, and why MSU's insurance carrier (the state, I'm sure) doesn't either raise premiums by $250k a year or say you have to make certain improvements, because any idiot can see this is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

If the grandstands at Daylis Stadium in Billings are any indication, the home grandstands have a ways to go before being condemned. https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-news/bi ... 0m-or-less

From a liability standpoint, adding grip tape to the stairs is an easy, cheap fix for now and should have been done yesterday. I would suspect that a handrail could also be installed fairly easily, but I haven't sat on that side in a while so I can't recall if putting a railing down the middle of the stairs would leave too little walkway on both sides.

We all would love shiny new stands, but I think for the time being (especially with large donors being tapped out, as others have said) we have to play with the toys we have.

[CodyCat]

My two cents on the east side. I think it really matters that it gets replaced ASAP. Aesthetics are important in recruiting and game day atmosphere. The atmosphere was exponentially better with the addition of the endzone bowl. I think its important that it matches the endzone. There is approximately one section that could be added onto each end of the east bleachers. I also think that a second deck could be added. When MSU tackles this, I think that pressboxes are mandatory. More revenue, will hold sound in much better. And would make the appearance of Bobcat Stadium unbelievable more attractive than it is now.

With all that said, I am extremely happy with what has been built and done for MSU athletics in the last five or so years.

I think you're right on, and I think that future expansion has to be taken into account for any project.

I do wonder if there's some state funding that could go towards this project though, and I've wondered if that's part of the delay. It's an existing stadium that in my opinion, the state has some obligation to keep up and make necessary improvements to. I'm all for not spending state money on upgrades, but if a facility already exists, I think MSU/MUS needs to fund a big chunk of it. If the roof of Roberts Hall was caving in, MSU/MUS wouldn't tell the engineering department (or whatever academic department uses that the most) to start hitting up donors to replace it. So if MSU can prove this is a safety hazard (shouldn't be hard) and that there's some risk of failure of the structure, which would endanger thousands of people, I think they could get the state to replace it with something similar. It would be subject to modern safety and ADA requirements, and I think it would be reasonable to request funding to make it look like the rest of the stadium. Say that simple replacement costs $25M (I honestly have no clue what the number would be), the state should pay for that. Then if athletics determines that suites would cost another $20M--that's what they fundraise for or get creative about financing from sponsorships and/or pledges to buy suites for 10 years or something.

There's a big difference between Roberts Hall and Bobcat Stadium. One is an academic building and the other is an entertainment building. I don't think the state has any obligation to fund entertainment, regardless of who owns the venue. I understand that the athletics department gets a lot of funding from the university general fund but that doesn't mean the state should be directly paying for upgrades. Maintenance yes, upgrades no. There's nothing wrong with the eastside that requires significant expenditures. If there was they would have directed the money there already rather than building the BAC and IPF.

That's why I said I'm all for NOT spending state money on upgrades. I agree it's an entertainment venue and the state shouldn't fund improvements. But if a few people fall through a rusted out hole (a little extreme maybe) in the 40th row and fall on the sidewalk, MSU is getting sued, not MSU football. I'm just saying at some level a replacement of the east side stands IS maintenance, and who is responsible for paying for that? Honest question, I'm not sure I know the answer. I know who I think it should be, but I might not be right. And maybe it's not now--maybe the utility of those stands is 50 more years--but maybe it's 5, and somebody has to do something before the bleachers are condemned. Then if they're condemned and the athletic department decides they can't raise the money, is MSU OK with just putting caution tape on them and saying that section of the stadium is closed now? I'm dumbfounded that handrails and extra traction hasn't been added to those bleachers, and why MSU's insurance carrier (the state, I'm sure) doesn't either raise premiums by $250k a year or say you have to make certain improvements, because any idiot can see this is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

If the grandstands at Daylis Stadium in Billings are any indication, the home grandstands have a ways to go before being condemned. https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-news/bi ... 0m-or-less

From a liability standpoint, adding grip tape to the stairs is an easy, cheap fix for now and should have been done yesterday. I would suspect that a handrail could also be installed fairly easily, but I haven't sat on that side in a while so I can't recall if putting a railing down the middle of the stairs would leave too little walkway on both sides.

We all would love shiny new stands, but I think for the time being (especially with large donors being tapped out, as others have said) we have to play with the toys we have.

I was having flashbacks to the Daylis Stadium example. I think its a shining example of getting something done before they come condemned. What an embarrassment for Billings. I dont think the east side bleachers are anywhere close to being condemned, but its something to think about. I also believe that the Athletic Department has and is thinking and talking about this.

[AFCAT]

My two cents on the east side. I think it really matters that it gets replaced ASAP. Aesthetics are important in recruiting and game day atmosphere. The atmosphere was exponentially better with the addition of the endzone bowl. I think its important that it matches the endzone. There is approximately one section that could be added onto each end of the east bleachers. I also think that a second deck could be added. When MSU tackles this, I think that pressboxes are mandatory. More revenue, will hold sound in much better. And would make the appearance of Bobcat Stadium unbelievable more attractive than it is now.

With all that said, I am extremely happy with what has been built and done for MSU athletics in the last five or so years.

I think you're right on, and I think that future expansion has to be taken into account for any project.

I do wonder if there's some state funding that could go towards this project though, and I've wondered if that's part of the delay. It's an existing stadium that in my opinion, the state has some obligation to keep up and make necessary improvements to. I'm all for not spending state money on upgrades, but if a facility already exists, I think MSU/MUS needs to fund a big chunk of it. If the roof of Roberts Hall was caving in, MSU/MUS wouldn't tell the engineering department (or whatever academic department uses that the most) to start hitting up donors to replace it. So if MSU can prove this is a safety hazard (shouldn't be hard) and that there's some risk of failure of the structure, which would endanger thousands of people, I think they could get the state to replace it with something similar. It would be subject to modern safety and ADA requirements, and I think it would be reasonable to request funding to make it look like the rest of the stadium. Say that simple replacement costs $25M (I honestly have no clue what the number would be), the state should pay for that. Then if athletics determines that suites would cost another $20M--that's what they fundraise for or get creative about financing from sponsorships and/or pledges to buy suites for 10 years or something.

There's a big difference between Roberts Hall and Bobcat Stadium. One is an academic building and the other is an entertainment building. I don't think the state has any obligation to fund entertainment, regardless of who owns the venue. I understand that the athletics department gets a lot of funding from the university general fund but that doesn't mean the state should be directly paying for upgrades. Maintenance yes, upgrades no. There's nothing wrong with the eastside that requires significant expenditures. If there was they would have directed the money there already rather than building the BAC and IPF.

That's why I said I'm all for NOT spending state money on upgrades. I agree it's an entertainment venue and the state shouldn't fund improvements. But if a few people fall through a rusted out hole (a little extreme maybe) in the 40th row and fall on the sidewalk, MSU is getting sued, not MSU football. I'm just saying at some level a replacement of the east side stands IS maintenance, and who is responsible for paying for that? Honest question, I'm not sure I know the answer. I know who I think it should be, but I might not be right. And maybe it's not now--maybe the utility of those stands is 50 more years--but maybe it's 5, and somebody has to do something before the bleachers are condemned. Then if they're condemned and the athletic department decides they can't raise the money, is MSU OK with just putting caution tape on them and saying that section of the stadium is closed now? I'm dumbfounded that handrails and extra traction hasn't been added to those bleachers, and why MSU's insurance carrier (the state, I'm sure) doesn't either raise premiums by $250k a year or say you have to make certain improvements, because any idiot can see this is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

If the grandstands at Daylis Stadium in Billings are any indication, the home grandstands have a ways to go before being condemned. https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-news/bi ... 0m-or-less

From a liability standpoint, adding grip tape to the stairs is an easy, cheap fix for now and should have been done yesterday. I would suspect that a handrail could also be installed fairly easily, but I haven't sat on that side in a while so I can't recall if putting a railing down the middle of the stairs would leave too little walkway on both sides.

We all would love shiny new stands, but I think for the time being (especially with large donors being tapped out, as others have said) we have to play with the toys we have.

This has been discussed a few times in the past. The old West grandstands were pretty much a mirror image of the East grandstands. Those old West grandstands are now at Carroll College in Helena and they have handrails installed.

[D-Wreck]

My two cents on the east side. I think it really matters that it gets replaced ASAP. Aesthetics are important in recruiting and game day atmosphere. The atmosphere was exponentially better with the addition of the endzone bowl. I think its important that it matches the endzone. There is approximately one section that could be added onto each end of the east bleachers. I also think that a second deck could be added. When MSU tackles this, I think that pressboxes are mandatory. More revenue, will hold sound in much better. And would make the appearance of Bobcat Stadium unbelievable more attractive than it is now.

With all that said, I am extremely happy with what has been built and done for MSU athletics in the last five or so years.

I think you're right on, and I think that future expansion has to be taken into account for any project.

I do wonder if there's some state funding that could go towards this project though, and I've wondered if that's part of the delay. It's an existing stadium that in my opinion, the state has some obligation to keep up and make necessary improvements to. I'm all for not spending state money on upgrades, but if a facility already exists, I think MSU/MUS needs to fund a big chunk of it. If the roof of Roberts Hall was caving in, MSU/MUS wouldn't tell the engineering department (or whatever academic department uses that the most) to start hitting up donors to replace it. So if MSU can prove this is a safety hazard (shouldn't be hard) and that there's some risk of failure of the structure, which would endanger thousands of people, I think they could get the state to replace it with something similar. It would be subject to modern safety and ADA requirements, and I think it would be reasonable to request funding to make it look like the rest of the stadium. Say that simple replacement costs $25M (I honestly have no clue what the number would be), the state should pay for that. Then if athletics determines that suites would cost another $20M--that's what they fundraise for or get creative about financing from sponsorships and/or pledges to buy suites for 10 years or something.

There's a big difference between Roberts Hall and Bobcat Stadium. One is an academic building and the other is an entertainment building. I don't think the state has any obligation to fund entertainment, regardless of who owns the venue. I understand that the athletics department gets a lot of funding from the university general fund but that doesn't mean the state should be directly paying for upgrades. Maintenance yes, upgrades no. There's nothing wrong with the eastside that requires significant expenditures. If there was they would have directed the money there already rather than building the BAC and IPF.

That's why I said I'm all for NOT spending state money on upgrades. I agree it's an entertainment venue and the state shouldn't fund improvements. But if a few people fall through a rusted out hole (a little extreme maybe) in the 40th row and fall on the sidewalk, MSU is getting sued, not MSU football. I'm just saying at some level a replacement of the east side stands IS maintenance, and who is responsible for paying for that? Honest question, I'm not sure I know the answer. I know who I think it should be, but I might not be right. And maybe it's not now--maybe the utility of those stands is 50 more years--but maybe it's 5, and somebody has to do something before the bleachers are condemned. Then if they're condemned and the athletic department decides they can't raise the money, is MSU OK with just putting caution tape on them and saying that section of the stadium is closed now? I'm dumbfounded that handrails and extra traction hasn't been added to those bleachers, and why MSU's insurance carrier (the state, I'm sure) doesn't either raise premiums by $250k a year or say you have to make certain improvements, because any idiot can see this is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

If the grandstands at Daylis Stadium in Billings are any indication, the home grandstands have a ways to go before being condemned. https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-news/bi ... 0m-or-less

From a liability standpoint, adding grip tape to the stairs is an easy, cheap fix for now and should have been done yesterday. I would suspect that a handrail could also be installed fairly easily, but I haven't sat on that side in a while so I can't recall if putting a railing down the middle of the stairs would leave too little walkway on both sides.

We all would love shiny new stands, but I think for the time being (especially with large donors being tapped out, as others have said) we have to play with the toys we have.

I was having flashbacks to the Daylis Stadium example. I think its a shining example of getting something done before they come condemned. What an embarrassment for Billings. I dont think the east side bleachers are anywhere close to being condemned, but its something to think about. I also believe that the Athletic Department has and is thinking and talking about this.

This community doesn't give a wet fart about the school infrastructure. Administration hasn't done much to engender confidence in them either. It's not a great situation and it's deteriorating enough that I'm really pushing the wife to move out of dodge before our boy hits middle school.

[St George]

I was thinking they could use spray on bed liner on the stairs. They could probably do some in blue and some in gold.

[ike11ike]

"This community doesn't give a wet fart about the school infrastructure. Administration hasn't done much to engender confidence in them either. It's not a great situation and it's deteriorating enough that I'm really pushing the wife to move out of dodge before our boy hits middle school."

Hwhat? Please elaborate.

[BleedingBLue]

I was thinking they could use spray on bed liner on the stairs. They could probably do some in blue and some in gold.

I like that

[grizzh8r]

My two cents on the east side. I think it really matters that it gets replaced ASAP. Aesthetics are important in recruiting and game day atmosphere. The atmosphere was exponentially better with the addition of the endzone bowl. I think its important that it matches the endzone. There is approximately one section that could be added onto each end of the east bleachers. I also think that a second deck could be added. When MSU tackles this, I think that pressboxes are mandatory. More revenue, will hold sound in much better. And would make the appearance of Bobcat Stadium unbelievable more attractive than it is now.

With all that said, I am extremely happy with what has been built and done for MSU athletics in the last five or so years.

I think you're right on, and I think that future expansion has to be taken into account for any project.

I do wonder if there's some state funding that could go towards this project though, and I've wondered if that's part of the delay. It's an existing stadium that in my opinion, the state has some obligation to keep up and make necessary improvements to. I'm all for not spending state money on upgrades, but if a facility already exists, I think MSU/MUS needs to fund a big chunk of it. If the roof of Roberts Hall was caving in, MSU/MUS wouldn't tell the engineering department (or whatever academic department uses that the most) to start hitting up donors to replace it. So if MSU can prove this is a safety hazard (shouldn't be hard) and that there's some risk of failure of the structure, which would endanger thousands of people, I think they could get the state to replace it with something similar. It would be subject to modern safety and ADA requirements, and I think it would be reasonable to request funding to make it look like the rest of the stadium. Say that simple replacement costs $25M (I honestly have no clue what the number would be), the state should pay for that. Then if athletics determines that suites would cost another $20M--that's what they fundraise for or get creative about financing from sponsorships and/or pledges to buy suites for 10 years or something.

There's a big difference between Roberts Hall and Bobcat Stadium. One is an academic building and the other is an entertainment building. I don't think the state has any obligation to fund entertainment, regardless of who owns the venue. I understand that the athletics department gets a lot of funding from the university general fund but that doesn't mean the state should be directly paying for upgrades. Maintenance yes, upgrades no. There's nothing wrong with the eastside that requires significant expenditures. If there was they would have directed the money there already rather than building the BAC and IPF.

That's why I said I'm all for NOT spending state money on upgrades. I agree it's an entertainment venue and the state shouldn't fund improvements. But if a few people fall through a rusted out hole (a little extreme maybe) in the 40th row and fall on the sidewalk, MSU is getting sued, not MSU football. I'm just saying at some level a replacement of the east side stands IS maintenance, and who is responsible for paying for that? Honest question, I'm not sure I know the answer. I know who I think it should be, but I might not be right. And maybe it's not now--maybe the utility of those stands is 50 more years--but maybe it's 5, and somebody has to do something before the bleachers are condemned. Then if they're condemned and the athletic department decides they can't raise the money, is MSU OK with just putting caution tape on them and saying that section of the stadium is closed now? I'm dumbfounded that handrails and extra traction hasn't been added to those bleachers, and why MSU's insurance carrier (the state, I'm sure) doesn't either raise premiums by $250k a year or say you have to make certain improvements, because any idiot can see this is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

If the grandstands at Daylis Stadium in Billings are any indication, the home grandstands have a ways to go before being condemned. https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-news/bi ... 0m-or-less

From a liability standpoint, adding grip tape to the stairs is an easy, cheap fix for now and should have been done yesterday. I would suspect that a handrail could also be installed fairly easily, but I haven't sat on that side in a while so I can't recall if putting a railing down the middle of the stairs would leave too little walkway on both sides.

We all would love shiny new stands, but I think for the time being (especially with large donors being tapped out, as others have said) we have to play with the toys we have.

When MSU repainted the stands a few years back, they applied a gritty surface to the stairs, which helped a ton. As with any time you're walking on slippery surfaces, take your time, go slow, use short strides and walk like a penguin. Seriously, it works! And as an east sider of over 15 years in row 25 that hasn't missed a regular season home game in that entire stretch, I have the latitude to say this!

[PHAT CAT]

So much for talking about the IDPF. Nice work, folks.

[RockyBearCat]

Are the trusses going up on the IPF?

[TomCat88]

So much for talking about the IDPF. Nice work, folks.

what’s an IDPF? Continue…!

[GoCats18]

What reading this thread feels like…………..

[D-Wreck]

"This community doesn't give a wet fart about the school infrastructure. Administration hasn't done much to engender confidence in them either. It's not a great situation and it's deteriorating enough that I'm really pushing the wife to move out of dodge before our boy hits middle school."

Hwhat? Please elaborate.

Daylis has needed major renovations since I played games there (well, suited up and stood on the sideline, but I was there!) and that was more than 20 years ago now.

SD 2 admin does whatever they want just cause. Lets close elementary schools and then complain about overcrowding. Public school? Nah, lets make this one a charter school.

I don't want my son making friends and hanging out with the 12-14 year olds who's new favorite hobby is taking guns from parked vehicles all over town.

I'll acknowledge this a little bit Chicken Little "the sky is falling!" from me, but I just don't really see why someone would want to raise a kid in Billings right now.

[GavinDonos]

"This community doesn't give a wet fart about the school infrastructure. Administration hasn't done much to engender confidence in them either. It's not a great situation and it's deteriorating enough that I'm really pushing the wife to move out of dodge before our boy hits middle school."

Hwhat? Please elaborate.

Daylis has needed major renovations since I played games there (well, suited up and stood on the sideline, but I was there!) and that was more than 20 years ago now.

SD 2 admin does whatever they want just cause. Lets close elementary schools and then complain about overcrowding. Public school? Nah, lets make this one a charter school.

I don't want my son making friends and hanging out with the 12-14 year olds who's new favorite hobby is taking guns from parked vehicles all over town.

I'll acknowledge this a little bit Chicken Little "the sky is falling!" from me, but I just don't really see why someone would want to raise a kid in Billings right now.

After nearly 30 years of voting down every school-related levy, the people are getting what they pay for. Same goes for the public safety levies related to the BFD and BPD. It's a tough spot, I know. People want to keep their money, but also want to complain about letting public services deteriorate.

My kid is going to Central at this point... expensive as heckfire, but at least he doesn't have to share a locker / football equipment. I'm planning on eating balogna and ramen noodles until he graduates.

[CatBlitz]

"This community doesn't give a wet fart about the school infrastructure. Administration hasn't done much to engender confidence in them either. It's not a great situation and it's deteriorating enough that I'm really pushing the wife to move out of dodge before our boy hits middle school."

Hwhat? Please elaborate.

Daylis has needed major renovations since I played games there (well, suited up and stood on the sideline, but I was there!) and that was more than 20 years ago now.

SD 2 admin does whatever they want just cause. Lets close elementary schools and then complain about overcrowding. Public school? Nah, lets make this one a charter school.

I don't want my son making friends and hanging out with the 12-14 year olds who's new favorite hobby is taking guns from parked vehicles all over town.

I'll acknowledge this a little bit Chicken Little "the sky is falling!" from me, but I just don't really see why someone would want to raise a kid in Billings right now.

After nearly 30 years of voting down every school-related levy, the people are getting what they pay for. Same goes for the public safety levies related to the BFD and BPD. It's a tough spot, I know. People want to keep their money, but also want to complain about letting public services deteriorate.

Bingo.

But hey, we're getting a new jail!

[BleedingBLue]

"This community doesn't give a wet fart about the school infrastructure. Administration hasn't done much to engender confidence in them either. It's not a great situation and it's deteriorating enough that I'm really pushing the wife to move out of dodge before our boy hits middle school."

Hwhat? Please elaborate.

Daylis has needed major renovations since I played games there (well, suited up and stood on the sideline, but I was there!) and that was more than 20 years ago now.

SD 2 admin does whatever they want just cause. Lets close elementary schools and then complain about overcrowding. Public school? Nah, lets make this one a charter school.

I don't want my son making friends and hanging out with the 12-14 year olds who's new favorite hobby is taking guns from parked vehicles all over town.

I'll acknowledge this a little bit Chicken Little "the sky is falling!" from me, but I just don't really see why someone would want to raise a kid in Billings right now.

After nearly 30 years of voting down every school-related levy, the people are getting what they pay for. Same goes for the public safety levies related to the BFD and BPD. It's a tough spot, I know. People want to keep their money, but also want to complain about letting public services deteriorate.

Bingo.

But hey, we're getting a new jail!

At least Billings isn't in the same spot as Park City. 3 or 4 Bonds/Levies shot down for a new school in the last 5 or 6 years. They are using temporary buildings for classes and have a gym from 1968 in which the 3-point line ends at the sidelines because it's 12 feet too narrow. The MHSA has told them they may be required to play their home basketball games at another venue now that they are Class B.

A lot of older people everywhere, especially smaller towns, are refusing to vote for these types of levies because they don't want their property taxes to rise, and they don't have kids in school. Understandable as property taxes are crazy, but people forget kidless folks helped pay for these types of things when they did have kids in school.

[Hi-Line Bobcat]

Or people are fed up with how the county and city manage funds and they don’t trust where the money goes. Yellowstone county and Montana in general needs better management with better ideas on how to raise funds for schools, roads, etc. vs. just strapping home owners with never ending property tax increases. I have said it for years and will continue to say it, we need a sales option tax with a referendum on raising property taxes. We can then share the burden with all the tourists who use our resources. Business don’t want it due to the administrative burden, and the state and local governments don’t want it, because then they won’t have carte blanch on taxing real estate values for their pet projects. I’m as right as they come l, but we need either a sales tax or sales option tax, versus using property taxes to fund everything. The property tax calculation is one of the most flawed calculations out there.

[AFCAT]

Why do you all feel you have to ruin these threads with your politics?

FYI
@kmax

[kmax]

Ugh. Man was that trainwreck gif appropriate. So many other places that are more appropriate to go and discuss/bitch about these things. I'm not really on there anymore but I think Facebook and X folks love to talk about this stuff.

It's gold rush week folks! A lot better things to be talking about on a Bobcat Sports Fan board. Let's get some pictures going again! Who cares if 20,000+ are gonna see it first hand in two days, think about all those who are spread across the country.