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Contact:
Victor Bjornberg
Montana
Commerce Department
841-2795
LIVINGSTON, KALISPELL, GREAT FALLS, MALTA PROJECTS
RECEIVE $150,000 IN TOURISM “BED TAX” GRANTS
Helena, MT—November 14, 2002
- The Livingston Depot Complex, Conrad Mansion in Kalispell, Children’s
Museum of Montana in Great Falls, and the Phillips County Historical
Society’s Robinson House Project in Malta have been awarded a total
of $150,000 from the Department of Commerce’s Tourism Infrastructure
Investment Program (TIIP) “bed tax” grant funds to assist in the completion
of tourism-related facility improvements.
Montana Department of Commerce
Director Mark Simonich approved the TIIP grant funding for the four
tourism-related projects following recommendations from the Department
of Commerce and the state’s Tourism Advisory Council. The four TIIP
grant recipients were selected from 37 applications submitted for funding
to Travel Montana.
“The
state investment in these four tourism-related projects is part of our
effort to build and strengthen Montana’s communities along with
the local and state economy,” said Simonich in approving the TIIP grant
awards. “The state investment in each of these projects leverages local
and area monies to create and support jobs in the local construction
and service industries as well as add to Montana’s appeal as a visitor destination
and a great place to live.”
Simonich
said the successful applicants “presented projects that protect and
enhance some very important historical and cultural treasures in Montana; treasures that the communities
are using to attract both residents and visitors and sustain their vitality.”
Since 1995, TIIP grants have
provided $1.6 million in tourism “bed tax” funds to 35 projects in 26
Montana communities. Over
that period, TIIP grants have assisted in the completion of $22 million
in tourism-related projects.
TIIP grants funds are provided
by the state’s 4 percent tourism “bed tax” which is assessed on the
lodging price of all accommodations across Montana,
including campgrounds. The grants are awarded through a competitive
process and require a $1 local match for every $2 provided by grant
funds. The four 2002 TIIP grant awards and a summary of the 31 previous
TIIP funded projects are listed on the attached pages.
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more -
MONTANA COMMERCE DEPARTMENT
TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE AND INVESTMENT
PROGRAM
2002 GRANT AWARDS
$50,000 Livingston Depot Foundation, Livingston
- Structural Repair and Roof
Replacement; Contact: Diana Seider, Director, 222-2300
The Livingston Depot Foundation
will use TIIP Grant and other funds to make critical structural repairs
and replace the 50-year old roof of the historic Livingston Depot Complex.
$50,000 Conrad Mansion
Directors, Inc., Kalispell - Conrad Mansion Roof Replacement; Contact:
Rita Fitzsimmons, President, 752-6447
The Conrad Mansion Directors,
Inc., will remove the existing roof and replace it with new roofing,
flashing and gutters.
$29,000 Children's
Museum of Montana, Great Falls - CMOM Moving Up;
Contact: Sheila Kelly, 452-6661
The Children's Museum of
Montana will build a new staircase to their building's second floor
in order to open it up to public use.
$21,000 Phillips
County Historical Society, Malta - Robinson House Restoration and Landscaping;
Contact: Halle Williamson, 654-1037
The Phillips County Historical
Society will finance the final improvements of the garden and yard of
the Robinson House Restoration project.
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MONTANA COMMERCE DEPARTMENT
TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE
IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (TIIP)
1995-2002 TIIP
GRANT AWARD SUMMARY
2002 Grant Awards:
$150,000
$50,000 Livingston Depot
Foundation – Structural and Roof Repair to Livingston
Depot
Complex,
Livingston
$50,000 Conrad Mansion Directors, Inc. – Roof Replacement, Kalispell
$29,000 Children’s Museum
of Montana – stairway to
second floor of historic building
facility
to open more space for public use, Great Falls
$21,000 Phillips County
Historical Society – Robinson
House Restoration and
landscaping,
Malta
2001
Grant Awards: $150,000
$30,000 Northwest Montana
Historical Society/Central School
Museum – Timber Products
Industry History Exhibit,
Kalispell
$43,415 Huntley
Project Museum
of Irrigated Agriculture – Completing
main museum facility
construction and improvements, Huntley
Project
$76,585 Richland Youth Hockey, Inc. – completing
construction of an
community and regional
event center, Sidney
2000 Grant Awards:
$150,000
$50,000 Daly Mansion Preservation Trust – Daly Mansion Restoration
Project, Hamilton
$30,000 Miracle of America
Museum, Inc. – Museum Building
Improvements, Polson
$30,000 World Museum of Mining – The Orphan Girl
Underground
Exhibit, Butte
$20,000 Friends of Makoshika
– Makoshika Group Picnic Shelter, Glendive
$20,000 Hill
County H. Earl
Clack Museum,
Wahkpa
Chu’gn Archeological
Site Improvements, Havre
1999
Grant Awards: $200,000
$73,677 Rialto
Community Theatre, Inc. -- Rialto Theatre
Infrastructure
Improvements, Deer Lodge
$61,600 Blaine County Wildlife Museum/Blaine County Museum -- Wildlife Museum Building Improvements, Chinook
$24,000 Billings Preservation
Society, Inc./Moss Mansion -- Carriage House Reconstruction,
Billings
$20, 361.50 Twin Bridges Historical
Association -The Reid Building Renovation Museum & Archival Library,
Twin Bridges
$20,361.50 Friends of Savenac -- Historic Savenac Nursery
Infrastructure Restoration, Haugan
1998 Grant Awards: $150,000
$56,105 Cascade
County Historical Society-High
Plains West
Heritage Museum
and Archives, Great Falls
$48,850 Makoshika
State Park Amphitheater Renovation, Friends of Makoshika,
Glendive
$45,000 Old Montana Prison 1912 Cell House Roof
Replacement, Deer Lodge
1997 Grant Awards: $199,160
$55,000 Seeley/Swan Historical Museum and
Visitor’s Center, Seeley Lake Chamber of Commerce, Seeley
Lake
$44,026 Peaks to Plains
Museum, Carbon
County Historical Society,
Red Lodge
$38,435 Reconstruction of
Historic Fort Benton,
Fort Benton Restoration Committee, Fort
Benton
$37,000 ZooMontana:
Plains Habitat Display - Initial Phase, Billings
$24,699 Old Trail Museum -- Exhibit
Upgrade, Completion and Infrastructure Stabilization, Choteau
1996 Grant Awards: $350,000
$95,500 Fort Peck Theater - Electrical System
Upgrade, Fort Peck Fine Arts Council, Inc, Fort
Peck
$66,968 Montana
Wildlife Rehabilitation
Center & Nature Park,
Mikal Kellner Foundation
for Animals, Helena
$60,000 Restoration of Virginia
City’s Hangmans Building, Virginia
City Preservation Alliance, Virginia City
$50,000 Yellowstone
Art Museum - Expansion and Renovation, Billings.
$47,532 Chief Plenty Coups House Interior
Stabilization, Friends of Chief
Plenty Coups, Pryor.
$30,000 Charlie
Russell Chew
Choo Tour Train - Facility Improvements, Lewistown
Chamber of Commerce
1995 Grant Awards: $320,000
$200,000 Lewis & Clark National Historic
Trail Interpretive Center, Great Falls
$50,000 New Phillips
County Museum
Facility, Phillips County
Historical Society, Malta
$50,000 Mission
Center visitor facility,
St. Mary’s
Mission, Stevensville
$20,000 Recovery/Restoration Indian Pictographs
at Pictograph Caves
State Park, Yellowstone
Western Heritage
Center, Billings
Total
TIIP Grant Awards: $1,669,160
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