Master Plan Info
Glen Lake Master Plan with the City of Bozeman Parks Department
Update: June 7, 2022
After a three-plus year process with the city of Bozeman, The Glen Lake Rotary Park committee has received final approval of a conceptual master plan for the park and lake which will guide its development for the foreseeable future.
Final details are being worked out through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and is being reviewed between the city parks department, the Sunrise Rotary Club, and Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks (the legal entity owning the land and lake).
Guiding principles being discussed include:
- What entity will be responsible for overall decision making of amenities to appear at the park
- How will funding and workload be worked out between various stakeholders
- Identifying funding sources to assist with park projects and regular maintenance
Beginning in 2015, when a private development firm began the public process of intention to build a small sub-division adjacent to the park, the developer reached out to our club to show of the newly-planned boulevard that was being designed to service both the new homeowners, but also a paved entrance into the park. The subdivision was eventually approved and in 2018-19, the road was completed (see image below, April 2020).
The Glen Lake committee then began considering whether a new entrance coming in from the southeast might be feasible to eventually connect into the existing parking area.
After negotiations with adjacent property owners Northwestern Energy, Mesa & Mergenthaler Moving & Storage, Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks, the City of Bozeman and MAP Brewing, a new easement was designed and agreed upon by all parties, and was then designed and built to the corner of the park property in the fall of 2021. The majority of road-building costs to this point have graciously been paid by NWE, bringing the new road to the park boundary. The road extension has been approved in the master plan, with bidding to move ahead in fall/winter of 2022, with construction likely to begin in 2023.
UPDATE: August 16, 2024
In 2022, Sunrise Rotary Club worked with a number of local banks to secure a construction loan to use in partnership with the City of Bozeman to fund this new south entrance into the park. Bids were solicited in 2022 and a contractor was selected for this road building project - Highland Construction of Belgrade MT. Due to some delays at the city level, construction was moved off to 2024. By May of 2024, construction began and was completed August 16, 2024. The new paved entrance (seen below) hosts 20+ regular and ADA-compliant parking spaces, and connects to nearby GVLT trails and the rest of the park road, connecting to its original entrance off Manley Road.
One of the additional features being added to Glen Lake Rotary Park is access to the outflow stream from the pond. Our club built a new bridge over the spring-fed creek leaving the lake in 2019, and as can be seen on the image below, this creek flows around the boundary of homes along Turtle Way. This new property (offered by the developer to the City of Bozeman and Sunrise Rotary) features a meandering stream which will be rehabilitated with features to make it more friendly for waterfowl, spawning fish, local game animals, and guests who wish to enjoy this riparian ecosystem. Watch for developments to this area in coming years.
