Yellowstone Gateway Museum previews expansion plan, seeks Park County support

At a Park County Commission work session Thursday, museum staff described the Yellowstone Gateway Museum’s operations, explained limits on its current site and outlined a feasibility study that projects roughly 100,000 visitors in a first year if the museum relocates to a larger, more visible facility.

Museum representative Mark told commissioners that the museum is a county department supported by an 11-member advisory board and an affiliated nonprofit, now named the Yellowstone Gateway Museum Foundation. “The foundation is a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to support the activities of the Yellowstone Gateway Museum,” Mark said, adding that the foundation has taken the lead on fundraising and would run any capital campaign for a new building rather than the county.

The presentation explained why museum leaders are considering a new site: the Northside School building the museum occupies is aged and cramped, and staff estimate the current exhibit space displays less than 1% of the collection. “Most museums feel good if they can show about 2½ to 3½ percent of their collection at any given time,” Mark said. He described storage limitations and the expense of proper conservation, and said the museum follows a collections policy that screens donations; items that do not fit the policy can be returned, transferred to another institution or destroyed if the donor so elects.

The feasibility study cited in the session benchmarks attendance at comparable regional museums and estimates a conservative visitation of about 100,000 people in a first year at a new location that would be easier to find. Mark said the conceptual building discussed in the study would be about 65,000 square feet and occupy a little over 3 acres. He characterized the expected visitors as “low-impact tourism” — people who stop, visit and spend locally rather than crowding trails or campsites.

Staffing and funding were key topics. Mark said the museum currently has three paid staff positions (two funded by the county, one funded by the foundation), paid interns supported by grants or partner programs, and between about 12 and 24 volunteers on the roster. He asked the commission for continued support “in any way you can,” including investment in staffing, professional development, building improvements and advocacy at community events.

Commissioners and attendees asked about public programs and services. Mark and staff said the museum runs free or low-cost programs, school field trips, a lecture series hosted with the foundation, walking tours starting in June, oral-history projects and research services for genealogists and scholars. The museum partners with multiple local organizations, including the Park County Community Foundation, the Park County Environmental Council, the Historic Preservation Board, the Livingston Park County Library and the Alpine Ecosystem Research Institute.

On funding sources, the presentation noted ongoing local support through mill levies approved by voters as well as private fundraising and grants. Mark emphasized that objects donated to the museum are held in public trust and become county property once accepted under the museum’s collections policy. He asked commissioners to help strengthen partnerships and to advocate for the museum’s work in the community.

The work session closed with a procedural motion to adjourn, which commissioners approved by voice vote.

Looking ahead, museum staff said the foundation will continue fundraising for any relocation and conduct further planning; the commission’s role would include stewardship of county-owned collections, consideration of budgetary support for operations and participation in discussions about building needs and sites.