The Bozeman City Commission made their decision that spells out the future of the Bogert Pavilion Shell.
As of last night and out of four options, city commissioners voted to entirely replace eight out of 10 beams on the shell, as well as reinforce it against other damaging situations for the future.
It was a decision that those that enjoy Bogert Park and the shell that has stood here for decades say could change the face of the park altogether.
“It’s kind of now just what’s going to happen to it and kind of the whole ‘eyesore’ and a lot of people use it so it’s just sad that it’s just sitting there,” says Jessica Delgrande, a life-long resident of Bozeman.
Over three months ago, a wooden beam failed under the weight of falling snow, splintering under the pressure.
Jessica Delgrande is one of several who worry about its future.
“If there’s a way to salvage it and keep just because it’s a great dome,” Delgrande says. “If the rest of the structure isn’t safe to keep, then I guess there’s no other way around it.”
For Bozeman strategic services director Jon Henderson, it came down to four choices.
“They really span the range, everything from splicing some of the rotted sections out of the failed beam and replacing them with new wood to replacing one of the beams in its entirety and three other half beams,” said Henderson.
The city commission was working with four different options.
Option No. 1 was a range between about $180,000 and $230,000 involving the repair of one beam and a portion of the beams around it.
That includes weatherproofing.
Option number 2, the most expensive: bring the pavilion up to new city code, including strength against seismic or wind damage, about $520,000 to $650,000.
Behind door number three, the cheapest: replace just the collapsed beam and fix the roof.
That’s between about $147,000 and $167,000.
Option number four, demolish the shell altogether — roughly $230,000, and due to developmental rules, nothing could be built here again.
“That goes all the way down to changing the material and construction type of the facility and a lot of it has to do with the proximity to the creek in that flood zone,” Henderson says.
At any rate, both Henderson and those like Delgrande agree: it would be nice if the shell could stick around.
“Save it, for sure,” Delgrande says. “If you can’t save it, rebuild it.”
