Yellowstone Gateway Exam Board’s ad hoc group recommends Chicken Creek site; board to perform due diligence and seek 20-acre set-aside

The Yellowstone Gateway Exam Board in Park County concluded during its May 27 meeting that the Chicken Creek site remains the top choice from last year’s feasibility assessment for a new Yellowstone Gateway Museum and agreed to pursue technical due diligence before making a formal recommendation to the county commissioners.

Board members said the recommendation matters because selecting a site would let the museum pursue matching grants and move design work forward; the board described the proposed museum as a potential national destination that could boost Park County’s economy.

Mark (Executive Director) told members the feasibility assessment — completed with DesignMinds and gdwwo architects and supported by public meetings — evaluated four candidate locations, including the existing museum site, a downtown parcel, the Livingston Healthcare area and Chicken Creek. An ad hoc committee made up of board members, the museum foundation board, museum staff and, at times, county commissioners compared Chicken Creek with a recently surfaced parcel south of town on Boyd Road using the same scoring matrix. The committee’s comparison “pretty clear[ly]” favored Chicken Creek, Mark said; he added the site’s proximity to the interstate introduces some sound bleed but that the feasibility plans address the issue.

Members raised practical issues. A board member said the hospital-area site was ruled uncertain because of pending FEMA flood maps and possible buildability constraints; Mark said new FEMA maps could delay that option “a year and a half.” Others noted that a south‑of‑town Boyd Road parcel might not route tourist traffic through Livingston, reducing incidental spending in town; proponents countered that the Chicken Creek site — at or near Exit 337 on the county’s east side — would be better positioned to draw highway visitors into Park County businesses.

The board outlined specific next steps: confirm utility and site constraints (wells, wastewater/septic feasibility, access easements and deed restrictions), determine whether partitioning is required from the larger parcel, and produce a written recommendation for the commissioners. Mark said the parcel reviewed is roughly 96 acres and the board intends to request that about 20 acres be set aside for the Yellowstone Gateway Museum; that set-aside could count as an in-kind local match when applying for grants, he said. Board members agreed to collect outstanding site-comparison responses from ad hoc members and to circulate the due-diligence findings in advance of the next meeting, when the board plans an action item recommending the set-aside to the commissioners if the site checks out.

Board members also discussed timing and availability: several members cautioned that competing offers for alternate parcels could evaporate quickly, making the Chicken Creek option comparatively time-sensitive. No formal vote to select a site was taken; the group limited its action to preparing a recommendation pending due diligence.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the minutes from the previous meeting at the start of the session (motion and second not named in the record; outcome: approved). At the end of the meeting, Lee Whittlesey moved to adjourn and a member identified as Bob seconded; the motion passed.

The board said it will bring a formal recommendation and supporting site due‑diligence materials to the commission if the Chicken Creek parcel tests clear on utilities, access and deed restrictions. If commissioners do not approve the set-aside, the board acknowledged it would need to reopen site selection.