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2/7/2025
“Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to kfairbanks@montanafreepress.org.
Missoulians happy with recreation and cultural opportunities, dissatisfied with the economy
Missoulians have a mixed view of the city’s livability, with residents expressing satisfaction with recreation, arts and culture, and dissatisfaction with the economy and growth and development.
Last fall, the city hired Polco to conduct the National Community Survey to provide resident feedback for officials to incorporate into city planning. During a City Council meeting Wednesday, Mayor Andrea Davis said the results provide a benchmark to compare Missoula’s results with other communities and future surveys to measure progress.
“Hearing directly from our constituents is very invaluable,” she said. “It helps us understand their perspectives, and it helps us shape our community’s future. … This is something that’s a real opportunity for us to have measurable results. This is a real example of data-driven decision-making by the city.”
While the survey covered many aspects of city services, it also included some things the city has little or no control over, such as public education and inflation.
In October, the city sent postcards to 3,500 randomly selected households distributed across Missoula’s six wards. Of those, 350 completed the survey, and the results were weighted using demographic information from the American Community Survey to reflect Missoula as a whole, Brandon Barnett, a senior survey associate with Polco, told the City Council on Wednesday.
The standardized survey includes questions about the quality and importance of community design, the economy, mobility, parks and recreation, inclusivity and engagement, utilities, safety, natural environment, health and wellness, education and arts and culture. Of the 123 survey items, 14 were rated higher than the national benchmark, 61 were similar and 48 were lower, Barnett said.
Results showed residents highly value Missoula’s parks and recreation opportunities and gave them ratings above the national average. Education, arts and cultural opportunities also received positive ratings, particularly public library services and opportunities to attend special events or festivals, cultural, arts and music activities. Adult educational opportunities and K-12 education ratings were on par with the national average.
Residents rated city safety similarly to national standards, with most feeling safe in their neighborhoods and downtown during the day and safe from fire, flood or national disaster. Fire and emergency medical services received the highest ratings, with fire prevention and animal control slightly lower.
Residents highly value economic health and gave high ratings to Missoula as a place to visit and to the vibrancy of the downtown and commercial area, Barnett said. However, Missoula’s economic development, employment opportunities, overall economic health and cost of living received below-average ratings, with only 5% of respondents rating the cost of living positively.
“While each of these ratings fell below the national average, the economic outlook has been declining across the nation in the past 18 months, indicating this is not necessarily an issue unique to Missoula alone,” Barnett said.
Aspects of Missoula’s community design received mixed ratings, with nearly two-thirds of the respondents rating its overall appearance positively, on par with the national average. Residents gave low ratings to well-designed neighborhoods, quality of new development, well-planned community growth and a variety of housing options. About 2% of respondents rated the availability of affordable, quality housing positively.
The survey included three Missoula-specific questions, the first of which was if residents would support a reduction of services or a tax increase to maintain current levels of various municipal services. Those services include the construction of new streets, new sidewalks, financial support for community organizations, access to indoor recreation for childcare and afterschool programs, climate and sustainability programs, sheltering services for unhoused neighbors and investments in the affordable housing trust fund.
Residents were close to evenly split on whether they supported reducing or increasing taxes on some services. Most favored reducing financial support for community services. Access to indoor recreation for childcare and afterschool programs and investments in the affordable housing trust fund received the most support for a tax increase.
The survey also asked if residents support certain property tax reforms and where they receive information about the city.
While not highlighted by Barnett, respondents also rated Missoula below average in a variety of government performance categories, including transparency and the value of services for the amount of taxes paid.
Mayor Davis said while some results are not surprising, such as the dissatisfaction with the cost of living and housing affordability, the survey also highlights areas where deeper insight is needed. The city can conduct targeted surveys to explore certain topics or perspectives and host focus groups, she said.
“This provides a valuable snapshot of our community sentiment,” Davis said. “While this is not the sole factor in budget decisions, it certainly helps guide our approach to and identify gaps. … Engaging with residents in this way is essential for transparency and accountability, and I’m committed to continuous improvement.”
Following Up
As temperatures are , the Poverello Center is continuing work with local churches to house homeless people when its West Broadway building and the Johnson Street shelter are full.
Although the Johnson Street shelter has seen an influx of people during recent cold weather, things have been running pretty smoothly, said Jen Burkey, assistant shelter manager, during a virtual neighborhood meeting on Tuesday. On Jan. 29, the shelter hit a peak of 208 clients in one night, she said. That night the temperature fell below zero, and the shelter took in more people than usual to ensure their safety, Stephanie Dolan, development director for the Poverello Center, told ԹϺ.
Shelter numbers decreased slightly at the beginning of the month as people typically use Social Security or other payments to stay at a hotel, but they will likely go up again, especially because of the weather, Dolan said during the meeting. When the Johnson Street shelter fills up, staff will send people to the Poverello Center if it has open beds, she said.
Since a cold snap in mid-January, the organization has been working with a few local churches to provide overflow space when both shelters are full, Dolan said during the meeting. The shelter has only used that system once for less than 20 people but is preparing for the possibility again as temperatures drop over the weekend, she said.
“It’s really amazing how the Missoula interfaith community, the city and other partners come together to work on what’s happening as we’re seeing more homelessness,” Dolan said. “Our numbers are higher than they’ve ever been at the Johnson Street shelter. We understand there is limited space, so faith organizations are coming in to alleviate pressure. We will not be turning anyone away; that’s not going to happen.”
5 Things to Know in Missoula
The Missoula City Council on Wednesday approved a $2 million contract with J&J Excavating and Trucking to realign and restore Grant Creek in the “Horseshoe Bend” area south of West Broadway. The creek was moved for agricultural purposes decades ago, and straightening the channel will restore the creek and open up new areas for development by shrinking the surrounding floodplain, said Andy Schultz, city engineer for utilities. Most of the project is on private property, and the city has secured a floodplain easement and riparian buffer around the new channel, Schultz said. About 400 feet of green space will eventually be dedicated as public open space, and a trail will be located on the south side of the creek. While the trail will initially “go to nowhere” it will connect to future trails the city is planning in the area, Schultz said. The $2.5 million project will be paid for with a $910,295 ARPA Competitive Grant, $580,295 in Sxʷtpqyen area impact fees, $500,000 from the Missoula County Trails Bond and $567,405 from landowner cost-share agreements.
On Thursday, the Missoula County commissioners approved plans to construct a new public water system at the Wye west of Missoula, including using $5.3 million in tax increment financing for the project. The system would initially serve the Grass Valley Industrial Subdivision and Montana Knife Company’s new manufacturing facility. The extension to Montana Knife Company will cost about $800,000 and will be privately financed. Grass Valley Industrial will construct the water system in the area south of Interstate 90 this year, and the county will use a bond to purchase it once complete. The TIF money, generated by the Wye I Targeted Economic Development District, will be used to pay back the bond. The commissioners also approved a development agreement with Grass Valley Industrial and a subdivision improvement agreement. The commissioners passed a resolution of intent to create a special district to cover water system operating costs, initiating a 60-day comment period ahead of a public hearing on April 24.
Organizers temporarily closed the community free fridge on Kensington Avenue for health and safety reasons. In the last month or so, needles were found on the shelves and someone recently urinated inside the structure that housed the fridge, according to a statement shared on social media. Donors or those needing food items can visit the fridge at 735 Howell St., pantries at 516 North Second St. W. and 732 South First St. W., or the free store at 722 Bulwer St. The volunteer group urged the Missoula City Council to adequately fund sharps containers, restrooms and transitional housing.
The Missoula Downtown Association last week celebrated its 50th anniversary and honored businesses, individuals and organizations at its annual awards ceremony. Charlie Beaton, owner of Big Dipper Ice Cream, received the Dan Cederberg Downtowner of the Year Award. Cranky Sam Public House was awarded Downtown Business of the Year. Paige Livingston, owner of One Eleven Boutique, was named Board Member of the Year; Jamie Mitchell of Dick Anderson Construction received the Committee Member of the Year award; Jasmine Decelles, sales manager at Residence Inn/AC Hotel, received the Volunteer of the Year, and Brian Hensel, city of Missoula Public Works deputy director, was named the Downtown Employee of the Year.
The University of Montana is holding a free screening of “The Fire Problem,” an hour-long documentary addressing the global wildfire crisis at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at the University Center Theater. Directed by Sean O’Brien and Antonio Torres, the UM Wilderness Institute documentary explores the current wildfire problem and outlines solutions to mitigate wildfire destruction. A panel of fire experts will lead a discussion and answer questions following the screening.
Film Festival Readies for 22nd Year
Tickets are on sale for the 22nd annual , which runs Friday, Feb. 14, through Sunday, Feb. 23. The selection of nonfiction films includes 51 features and 76 short documentary films. Eight of the films were made in Montana.
In-person screenings will be held at the Wilma, the Missoula Children’s Theater, the Roxy and the Zootown Arts Community Center showroom. The schedule of screenings and events is . A selection of films will be available to stream online as part of the from Feb. 17 through Feb. 27. Attendees can purchase passes or single tickets and tickets may be available at the door.
The opening night film, “Helen and the Bear,” will be shown at 7 p.m., Feb. 14 at the Wilma for free. The festival ends with award screenings on the evening of Feb. 23.
The DocShop filmmakers’ forum and industry conference that takes place during the festival will run from Feb. 17 to Feb. 21 at the Missoula Public Library. The conference includes panels, workshops, screenings and presentations on the filmmaking process. The conference is free, but attendees must . Big Sky Pitch, an opportunity for filmmakers to pitch their documentary work in progress to editors and funders, will take place on Feb. 21 at the Missoula Children’s Theater. The event is free and open to the public.