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DBP outlines phased plan to add pedestrian lighting on Fifth Street, finalizes downtown streetscape standard draft
Summary
The Bozeman Downtown Business Partnership discussed a three‑phase plan to add pedestrian lighting along Fifth Street at Fifth and Main, coordination with the Freestone/ARCO development and Midtown, and the near‑final Downtown Streetscape Standard that will be added to the City of Bozeman engineering standards.
Ellie, executive director, reported that the Downtown Business Partnership is moving forward with a phased pedestrian lighting project for the Fifth and Main area and is preparing procurement and budget steps to install five initial pedestrian luminaires and conduit in coordination with private development work.
The project will be done in three phases, Ellie said. Phase 1 would place bases and conduit and five new pedestrian poles along the Freestone site; Phase 2 would replace four signal poles at the Fifth and Main intersection (a 50/50 cost split with Midtown); and Phase 3 would complete the remaining luminaires and conduit through Seventh Street. Ellie said the DBP has “approval from Melissa in finance to do a sole source project” for Phase 1 with Montana Alliance, which the DBP believes is the only vendor likely to bid the work at that scale.
The plan matters because the Freestone site’s originally approved site plans contained no pedestrian lighting and the DBP and Midtown want to preserve continuity of downtown streetscape and pedestrian illumination. The DBP framed the work as both a safety and placemaking investment and said some work must wait until signal replacements are completed because of Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) illumination and signal timing requirements.
Ellie said the DBP expects to install the five poles and run conduit while adjacent concrete work for the private development is open, and that the larger signal replacements (Phase 2) will require coordinated removal of existing high‑mast “cobra head” fixtures only after the new signal luminaires are in place. “There’s going to be some back and forth,” Ellie said, noting timing constraints when signals must be switched over.
Board members and staff described the financing and schedule as phased across fiscal years: the DBP will seek sole‑source authorization for Phase 1, plan the Phase 2 signal work as a joint project with Midtown, and expect that the full Phase 3 bid for remaining poles would likely go to market in spring 2026. The DBP said Phase 3 would add roughly 34 additional street/pedestrian poles beyond the five covered in Phase 1; specific total project costs and formal bid amounts were not specified in the discussion.
The discussion also covered implementation logistics and contractor coordination with ARCO (the developer whose approved site plan lacked the lighting). Ellie said ARCO’s on‑site team has been cooperative but that ARCO corporate declined to take on the additional work even if the DBP paid for it; DBP staff said the project will be done outside ARCO’s contract.
Separately, the board viewed a near‑final draft of the Downtown Streetscape Standard. Ellie said the standard is a stand‑alone document that will become part of the City of Bozeman Engineering Standards and will not require city commission approval. The document organizes streetscape guidance by district (B3, B3C, DBID), includes images and hardware specifications (light poles, conduit, sidewalk details) and is intended to reduce recurring development errors such as incorrect tree wells, guards or grades. “We have never had a streetscape standard for downtown,” Ellie said, and the new standard is intended to provide clear specs for both city staff and developers.
Board members asked about timing and potential contractor damage to new installations; staff responded the plan is to place bases and conduit while concrete is open and to store luminaires offsite until setting. Ellie said a small portion of work (removal of existing cobra‑head fixtures) cannot happen until signal light replacements are installed and energize the new system.
Ellie said the DBP will continue coordinating timing and will reflect the project schedule in the draft budget. She also said the project is public‑right‑of‑way work and noted the DBP will order breakaway bolts and poles as needed.
The DBP did not adopt a final contract at the meeting but recorded direction to proceed with the phased plan, pursue sole‑source authorization for Phase 1, and coordinate Phase 2 as a joint project with Midtown.
The DBP provided project updates on related downtown developments (Freestone, hotel near Fifth and Main) and emphasized that the new Streetscape Standard is meant to reduce similar coordination gaps going forward.
