Contact: Victor Bjornberg
Montana Commerce Department

406-841-2795

WEST YELLOWSTONE, GREAT FALLS, RED LODGE, MISSOULA & POLSON
PROJECTS AWARDED $200,000 IN TOURISM “BED TAX” GRANTS

Helena, MT—October 14, 2003 - The Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Great Falls Baseball Foundation, Beartooth Nature Center in Red Lodge, Missoula’s International Wildlife Film Festival and Media Center, and the Mission Valley Friends of the Arts in Polson have been awarded a total of $200,000 from the Department of Commerce’s Tourism Infrastructure Investment Program (TIIP) “bed tax” grant funds to assist in the completion of tourism-related facility improvements.

Montana Department of Commerce Director Mark Simonich approved the TIIP grant funding for the five tourism-related projects following recommendations from the Department of Commerce Montana Promotion Division staff and the state’s Tourism Advisory Council. The five TIIP grant recipients were selected from 31 applications submitted for funding to the Commerce Department.

“The tourism ‘bed tax’ investment in these projects will leverage local and area money, create and support jobs in the local construction and service industries, and add to Montana’s appeal as a visitor destination and a great place to live,” said Simonich in approving the TIIP grant awards. “The TIIP Grants are part of our effort to build and strengthen Montana’s communities along with the local and state economy.”

Since 1995, TIIP grants have provided over $1.8 million in tourism “bed tax” funds to 40 projects in 28 Montana communities. Over that period, TIIP grants have assisted in the development of $23 million in tourism-related projects.

TIIP grant funds are provided by the state’s 4 percent tourism “bed tax” which is assessed on the lodging price of all accommodations across Montana, including campgrounds. The grants are awarded through a competitive process and require a $1 local match for every $2 provided by grant funds. The five 2003 TIIP grant awards and a summary of the 35 previous TIIP funded projects are listed on the attached pages.

***Editors: This press release is available on Travel Montana’s Intranet website <travelmontana.state.mt.us> under News & Updates, press release section***

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MONTANA COMMERCE DEPARTMENT

TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (TIIP)

1995-2003 TIIP GRANT AWARD SUMMARY

2003 Grant Awards: $200,000

$25,000 Beartooth Nature Center, Wildlife Access Project, (Red Lodge): Complete a paved walking path to provide visitor and handicapped access throughout the Center as part of an extensive $102,386 landscaping upgrade.

$50,000 Great Falls Baseball Foundation, Inc., Legion Park Improvements,

(Great Falls): A major renovation of the Legion Park facility to update

utilities, comply with building and safety codes and ADA

requirements, and making the facility more visitor/audience friendly.

Estimated cost of this phase of the project is over $1.4 million.

$69,000 Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, “Bears: Imagination &

Reality” Exhibit Building and Installation, (West Yellowstone): A

$200,000 building renovation and exhibit installation project involving

construction, fencing, grounds preparation, and installation of the

exhibit in a 5,000-6,000 square foot display area.

$20,000 International Wildlife Film Festival & Media Center, Full

Public Access Facility Project, (Missoula): Install handicap access to

second floor of IWFF & Media Center Building’s EarthVision

archives, install handicap access view stations, automatic doors on

main floor and increased lighting for safety in Yellowstone Theatre.

Total project cost is estimated at $32,178.85.

$36,000 Mission Valley Friends of the Arts, John Dowdall Theater

Safety & Access Project, (Polson)

Renovation and safety improvements to John Dowdall Theater, home

of the Port Polson Players and used for other cultural and arts

activities. Total renovation estimated to cost $81,700.

2002 Grant Awards: $150,000

$50,000 Conrad Mansion Directors, Inc, Conrad Mansion roof

replacement, Kalispell

$29,000 Childrens’ Museum of Montana, Interior and Accessibility

Improvements, Great Falls

$50,000 Livingston Depot Foundation, Livingston Depot Center

Structural Repair and Roof Replacement, Livingston

$21,000 Phillips County Historical Society, Robinson House Landscape

Project, Malta

2001 Grant Awards: $150,000

$30,000 Northwest Montana Historical Society/Central School

Museum – Timber Products Industry History Exhibit,

Kalispell

$43,415 Huntley Project Museum of Irrigated Agriculture – Completing

main museum facility construction and improvements, Huntley

Project

$76,585 Richland Youth Hockey, Inc. – completing construction of an

community and regional event center, Sidney

2000 Grant Awards: $150,000

$50,000 Daly Mansion Preservation Trust – Daly Mansion Restoration Project, Hamilton

$30,000 Miracle of America Museum, Inc. – Museum Building Improvements, Polson

$30,000 World Museum of Mining – The Orphan Girl Underground Exhibit, Butte

$20,000 Friends of Makoshika – Makoshika Group Picnic Shelter, Glendive

$20,000 Hill County H. Earl Clack Museum, Wahkpa Chu’gn Archeological Site Improvements, Havre

1999 Grant Awards: $200,000

$73,677 Rialto Community Theatre, Inc. - Rialto Theatre

Infrastructure Improvements, Deer Lodge

$61,600 Blaine County Wildlife Museum/Blaine County Museum Wildlife Museum Building Improvements, Chinook

$24,000 Billings Preservation Society, Inc./Moss Mansion Carriage House Reconstruction, Billings

$20, 361.50 Twin Bridges Historical Association --The Reid Building Renovation Museum & Archival Library, Twin Bridges

$20,361.50 Friends of Savenac -- Historic Savenac Nursery Infrastructure Restoration, Haugan

1998 Grant Awards: $150,000

$56,105 Cascade County Historical Society -- High Plains West Heritage Museum and Archives, Great Falls

$48,850 Makoshika State Park Amphitheater Renovation, Friends of Makoshika, Glendive

$45,000 Old Montana Prison 1912 Cell House Roof Replacement, Deer Lodge

1997 Grant Awards: $199,160

$55,000 Seeley/Swan Historical Museum and Visitor’s Center, Seeley Lake Chamber of Commerce, Seeley Lake

$44,026 Peaks to Plains Museum, Carbon County Historical Society, Red Lodge

$38,435 Reconstruction of Historic Fort Benton, Fort Benton Restoration Committee, Fort Benton

$37,000 ZooMontana: Plains Habitat Display -- Initial Phase, Billings

$24,699 Old Trail Museum -- Exhibit Upgrade, Completion and Infrastructure Stabilization, Choteau

1996 Grant Awards: $350,000

$95,500 Fort Peck Theater -- Electrical System Upgrade, Fort Peck Fine Arts Council, Inc, Fort Peck

$66,968 Montana Wildlife Rehabilitation Center & Nature Park, Mikal Kellner Foundation for Animals, Helena

$60,000 Restoration of Virginia City’s Hangmans Building, Virginia City Preservation Alliance, Virginia City

$50,000 Yellowstone Art Museum - Expansion and Renovation, Billings.

$47,532 Chief Plenty Coups House Interior Stabilization, Friends of Chief Plenty Coups, Pryor.

$30,000 Charlie Russell Chew Choo Tour Train -- Facility Improvements, Lewistown Chamber of Commerce, Lewistown

1995 Grant Awards: $320,000

$200,000 Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center, Great Falls

$50,000 New Phillips County Museum Facility, Phillips County Historical Society, Malta

$50,000 Mission Center Visitor Facility, St. Mary’s Mission, Stevensville

$20,000 Recovery/Restoration Indian Pictographs at Pictograph Caves State Park, Yellowstone Western Heritage Center, Billings