EPEDC briefs committee on tourism pilot, downtown revitalization and GTA lot plans

Jamie Shanks, tourism manager with Eastern Plains Economic Development, updated the Cooper Committee on a pilot tourism grant administered through the Montana Department of Commerce and described planning for a tourism hub at the GTA lot and related downtown revitalization work.

"This was a grant we wrote, about a year and a half ago and we are well wrapping up our feasibility studies," Shanks said. She said feasibility work covered the GTA Tower, the GTA lot and a structural study for the water treatment plant (the latter was later removed from the scope). Shanks said the downtown revitalization plan should be ready by the end of the month and that EPEDC is drafting two MOUs — one for the GTA lot and a separate one for the tower — to clarify ownership, maintenance and funding responsibilities.

Shanks said EPEDC will release an RFQ for a muralist the following day and expects to select an artist within about 30 days. The project will also include marketing and training for local businesses; Shanks noted that "2,250,000 people went by Glendive in 2024" and said attracting just a portion of that traffic to stop would help local commerce. She described potential funding approaches including an enterprise fund or a tax increment finance (TIF) district and said EPEDC will consult other towns for models of long-term maintenance funding.

Committee members asked for more detail on liability and insurance, particularly with respect to the GTA Tower, and the chair asked that the tower be discussed later once additional members and legal language are available. Shanks said the project team is keeping the lawyer in the loop and will circulate MOU drafts when ready.

The committee treated the briefing as an informational update and planned to note EPEDC’s progress at the next council meeting; no formal council action was taken at this session.