Outdoor Artificial Boulder in Bozeman :: A New One?

Submitted by conrad on Sat, 10/27/2007 - 07:26
Greetings, We have an outdoor boulder on the Langhor Trail near the community gardens. It is a nice fitness option and quite an attraction for children. It was built with private donations, donated time and materials and a state grant . Ron Dingman, who runs Parks and Rec in Bozeman has been very pleased with the structure and the people who come to pull down. Given the success of this Bozeman Parks and Rec is interested in building an additional three boulders around town. Each boulder would mimic a type of rock. Imagine a circuit! The challenge is funding these boulders. The Langhor boulder cost 17 K. As these benefit climbers we need to take the lead in getting them built. I'm keen to get started on a new one and am looking for people to help. The first step is to see if we can find grants. Is anyone interested in helping out? If we get enough momentum we should plan a meeting. Post up. Thanks Conrad

I do not live in Bozeman, but I know that there is a grant program for things like this called "The Montana Land & Water Conservation Fund" It is a federal/state reimbursement program for public rec facilities. Two important qualifiers, 1. the land has to be owned or leased by a public entity. and 2. The project has to be paid for up front and I believe it is a 50% reimbursement. I have not done one of these grants in a while, but I have seen them used in the past to fund projects such as public pools & bike paths in MT. I am sure if you google The Montana Land & Water Conservation Fund, you will find some good info. Good luck. JC

Ron Dingman & Tom from City Recreation met with Meg Hall, Jeff Ho from Spire, David Cook a motivated citizen and myself met to discuss building additional climbing boulders in the Bozeman area. The Bozeman Pond and the East Gallatin Recreation Area would benefit from climbing structures and the city can allocate space for the structure. The Langhor trail boulder was an investment in recreation that has been very popular. Our goal this time is reduce the cost of the structure. This can be offset by volunteer labor and recycled material. One option is to use old tires bolted to a cement pad and then filled to create the general shape of the boulder. On the exterior of the "tire dinosaur" a frame work of recycled steel and rebar would support the mesh that shapes the structure with the cement application. This technique has been used in skateparks and seem like boulders would be a logical extension. If we get after it and finish the boulders by July 15 the will be climbable on the 1st of September. Not only do we get some nice climbing for our efforts, we also get to improve our community. Does anyone with construction / tire expereince want to help out? Do we have an engineer to comment on this idea? You guys revved?

I would like to make a wall or boulder happen in Livingston, if you have any advice or keep posting so we can poach your experience I sure would appreciate it. We need something to do in the wind over here.

I have been interested in the livingston version of the boulder for some time also. Mayors landing would be a nice location and given the city has nothing else there, we may be able to approach them about some joint funding.. Ed Meece is the city manager and would be a good guy to open the dialog with about possibilities. It sounds like he will take appointments if you schedule something with him in advance. some grant money should be available for a project like this through the state. we will need a total of about 15-20 grand I'm on the road a bunch but would be very interested in finding a group of locals to help work on this. Ted Wood, Jim Earl etc.. there are others that may interested. Might be worth starting a new forum for a livingston boulder project. kristoffer erickson

Greetings, Kris - anything we can do do help faciliate the Livingston boulder please let us know. Dave Cook is the man in Bozeman that has worked on the first boulder and is the point man on the two new ones. The following is a quick recap from our 5 March meeting: The first boulder is slated for the Bozeman Pond - this is adjacent to the Mall and numerous houses to the north. Fundraising: Dave Cook Good start – momentum is building! letters sent (thanks Parks & Rec for the postage) Bozeman Tile $300 cash Black Diamond $500 in product for fundraiser Support these companies - they believe in the new boulders. Marketing: Conrad Anker seek partnership with Chronicle for discounted / free advertising – Jeff Ho & Conrad after spring break create fliers for Spire gym, Langhor boulder and local fitness centers create ad requesting volunteer labor and material donations (be specific) national gear manufacturers Conrad to follow up with request for gear donations fund raising event? any interest? Construction: Jeff Ho have next meeting at Park & Rec office walk through scrap yard for iron – steel – fences have area set aside for material - no public nuisance request fence and tarp for construction phase look into feasibility of using tires ask Adam Knoff @ Kenyon Noble re: concrete Jeff, Joe Wagner and Frank Dusel :: design and construction team (not too many chefs) Grants : Tom White [b]Bozeman Parks and Rec has budgeted $10,000 for two boulders!! [/b]This is great news and will help towards the final construction. At this junction we are looking for greater partcipation from local companies - so far Bozeman Tile is the only outfit that has stepped up to the "boulder". We would like to build the boulder with found material (excepting the concrete ~ foundation and final surface). If you have access to scrap metal, fence, hardware please send me a note or post an image to this thread. Parks and Rec will store material at their yard prior to construction. Next step is to organize a building schedule for this summer. Is the Climbing Team, Junior Alpine Team and Big Sky Youth Empowerment interested in this? This is a good chance to help out with a community project. Let's make it happen, Conrad

Hi Conrad, I would be interested in helping. I use the Langhor Boulder a lot, but would love to see one closer to my home (Kirk Park would be perfect), and more available in general. So, let me know what I can do. I could certainly donate some labor. Phil

I guess my only input at this point is that yes, I may have some materials and labor this summer but, I agree with Phil - given the lack of bike trails, and easy access, what is the point of the location by the mall? Any thought to asking the hospital for use of some of their land?

I would be happy to donate time this summer. Is the hundred acre park near between baxter and oak a possiblity? On a fundraising note we might be able to get some money with a simple door to door campaign here in the west side neighborhoods. there are hundreds of houses the girl scouts make a killing.

Greetings, Thanks for the motivation and interest in the bouldering project. Bozeman Parks and Recreation is interested in three more boulders around town. The Gallatin Pond, near the mall is the first choice. Although it isn't on bike trails as of today, the boulder would be an incentive for human powered recreation. The new park just north of Oak is a possibility for the next one. The trick is to build it with as much found / reuseable material and donated labor. We should be able to get one done this summer. Stay tuned for the next meeting. best, Conrad

I recently moved to the area and have been biking around to a bunch of parks hoping to find that there was an artificial boulder in town. Having not found one today I decided to do some internet searching - and lo and behold this forum thread appeared unto me. Tomorrow I will hit up Langhor park to see what it holds. What is the status on the proposed new builds? Meetings? Volunteer opportunities?

[img]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3258/2721993453_27a4ef8d47.jpg[/img] Pat and Mike's Mom is the happiest person. She brought the volunteers a bag of pistachios. [img]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3060/2721991267_4f24e2e2bd.jpg[/img] Check it out! made in Montana! ______________________________________________________ Greetings Fellow Climbers, With the help of Bozeman Parks and Recreation second artificial boulder is well under construction. The second boulder will be at the Bozeman Pond, near the Gallatin Valley Mall. It will be 24 feet long and twelve feet tall. The boulder will be about one-third larger than the first boulder on the Langhor trail. The frame has been constructed by the Stronghold team of Ross Lynn, Whit Magro and Pat Wolfe and is being covered in mesh this week. Look for it on the west the side of North 19th. Once the pad is constructed and set the boulder will be moved to the final location. Obviously fine boulders don’t just appear. They require material and labor. And both cost money. The other key ingredient is dedication and motivation, something that runs in spades amongst the Bozeman climbing community. The City of Bozeman with the help of Dave Cook, a most motivated citizen, has secured $5000 in matching funds with a Park Improvement Grant (PIG). They trick is we need to generate $5000 free the PIG. To date we have $2000. We need to find the balance within the community. Dave and I have asked the local business community, but being a stagnant economy…. you get the picture. So a couple of ideas and areas that need help: - We pass the hat, amongst the tribe of climbers, for the boulder. Small donations will collectively bring us up to the needed amount. Think of $50 dollars of your stimulus check as an investment into our community. Just say no to imported plastic. - Our next big expenditure for material is concrete. We need standard mud for the foundation and two types of special mix for the climbing surface. - We will need help (labor) with the pad and moving the structure from North 19th to the Bozeman Pond. - Once the concrete is applied we need to borrow cement coverings to allow the structure to cure. - If you have labor and material to donate please post up on the Montana Ice thread linked below. Thanks for your consideration and apologies if this isn't your cup of tea. Not spamming, just trying to build community by building a boulder. Best, Conrad

   We hope you will be able to support this effort.  If at this time you would like to participate, please send your contribution (a charitable tax deduction). Made out to: City of Bozeman                      Marked: Climbing Rock             To:                                           City of Bozeman Treasurer                                           Attn: Laurae Clark                                           P.O. Box 1230                                           Bozeman, MT 59715-1230 Thanks, Conrad

Hi Conrad, I have 6 bags of concrete and 2 of 'topping mix' left over from a fence project. Do you think these can be used? If so I will deliver to any location. Thanks for taking the lead on this. Jim Walseth

Hello all, I'm new to Bozeman and I am passionate about climbing. Other than my own efforts I don't have much to offer, but I would like to be of help with the construction and installation of the new artificial boulder. Please let me know who I need to contact in order volunteer. I look forward to meeting with you all. -Ryan

I spend a lot of time at work writing proposals for my research and outreach efforts in natural resource protection; I am willing to chase down leads and submit grant or sponsorship proposals on behalf of this project. I have left a message with David Cook, but until I hear back the following things would be helpful for me to organize: 1) grants and organizations already pursued 2) climbing/outdoor industry companies already pursued 3) suggestions for grants, organizations or companies to pursue 4) names of marketing contacts in any company that folks think would be worth approaching 5) letters of support from recognized individuals or organizations to attach to the the proposal 6) any existing mission or goal statements for this endeavor 7) any existing partners whose mention could benefit a proposal I will work with Dave to submit the proposals properly, and on behalf of the best entity to receive funds (or product that may be leveraged for funds). For the next few weeks, I have time to work on this sort of thing in front of the computer. Send me a message or e-mail with suggestions or tips. tmbass(at)ugaalum.uga.edu. -Tommy

I use the Langhor boulder all the time (though I have yet to successfully traverse the damn thing). The new boulder at the Pond will be much closer to my home so I will switch over to that. $50 donation going in to the city today. I challenge everyone who uses these boulders and can afford it to to the same. Cheers Phil

The frame for the boulder has been moved to the Bozeman Pond (just behind the new Owenhouse Hardware) and has been attached to the concrete pad. The Stronghold Team built a wood frame insulating tent to apply the concrete and allow it to cure. The concrete goes on next week. Chris Lohss and Jack donated the truck and crane to transport the structure. If you need a log cabin give him a call. Chris and Jack - your time and know how are greatly appriciated. Thank you. ** http://www.lohssconstruction.com/ **

Great news on boulder number two, excellent work by everyone involved and thanks for all the support. The Bozeman Boulders Initiative is looking for a logo to use in branding and marketing its efforts. The logo needs to be recognizable and relevant to the effort, it should be easy to reproduce and screen print for use on promotional materials. I am thinking along the lines of a silhouetted climber incorporating the shape of the Langhor Gardens boulder, but use your imagination and creativity on this or a completely new concept. Submit your work to tmbass(at)ugaalum.uga.edu. The winning logo will be chosen by the project team and credit given to the artist. We may be able to come up with some liquid thanks or other swag in the coming months. Regards, Tommy

Hi Ross,

Oops! Yep, I didn't quite have that figured out right. Now it's better.

There should be a "file attachments" pop-up link below the comment reply box- give it a shot Ross.

It automatically pop the image in at the bottom of your post.

RE: previous post from PKnight

Thanks for the support Phil, and putting your bucks where the boulders are!  I hope you will enjoy all the new ones as well.

Another spot for boulder updates is the new blog for the project at: http://bozemanboulders.blogspot.com.  We needed a home for the general public, donors and sponsors to get direct information.  I will try to cross-post here whenever possible or necessarry.  As we ramp up fundraising, please let me know any leads you may have for corporate donors.  Do you have a friend or family memeber in marketing or upper management at a regional or national company?  Do you know of any grants or foundations that support park improvements, outdoor recreation, playground equipment or youth sports?  E-mail me at the address below.


-Tommy

bozemanboulders(at)gmail.com

Hey, I will look for that coffee. Anyone know when the new boulder at the Pond will be open for use? There have been some days recently when it would have been quite climbable. Phil

Hi Phil,

Thanks for the stoke on the new boulder. Agreed - Saturday and Sunday would have been excellent bouldering.

The Stronghold crew needs to stain the boulder, cosemtic stuff only. The winter has been good as a longer cure time will result in stronger rock. The City Parks & Rec needs to bring a back hoe in, build a drainage system in and then set the wood chips in. The landing material will be the same as the Langhor.

In the mean time - please come to the fundraiser on March 11 at the Emerson. You are one of the few that has donated to the project. Many thanks.

Best,

Conrad

Hi Conrad, I appreciate your response. As I figured there is work to do on this worthy project. Unfortunately I will not be able to make the March 11 event, since I will be in flat Florida. But, I did donate photos for the Community Photos slide show. Cheers Phil
Spray