Frequently Asked Questions

The Pilot Community Tourism Grant Program is a state-funded grant opportunity authorized by the 2023 Montana Legislature’s Senate Bill 540 and revised in 2025 with Senate Bill 409.

To elevate communities across the state, increase their economic vibrancy by improving their appeal as visitor destinations, and improve their resilience as a destination by enhancing and diversifying tourism assets and infrastructure.

The grant award is $1.25M over two years with the potential to receive a total of $2.75M over five years.

Program allowable costs include resources, support, tourism asset and product development, and training in collaborative marketing for businesses and communities to develop meaningful, regenerative tourism.

Projects were selected for their response to community needs, support of winter tourism development, and preservation of community tourism assets.

Through numerous community discussions over many years, lack of public restrooms, lack of event space near the downtown to host medium to larger conferences, lack of winter activities within walking distance of town amenities, lack of low-cost winter activities has all been relayed to the community. The City of Red Lodge guiding documents including the 2015 Red Lodge Comprehensive Parks Plan, Red Lodge Revitalization Master Plan, 2025 Downtown Master Plan, 2025 City of Red Lodge Capital Improvements Plan, and other city documents that can be accessed on City of Red Lodge website were used as reference in support of the grant application. All of these documents were created through significant public engagement and have been updated throughout the years. Additionally, historical resort tax collections data and information relayed by the Red Lodge Business Alliance and our Destination Marketing Organization, Red Lodge Area Chamber of Commerce show a drop in visits and spending during the winter months.

The state determined Red Lodge deserved the award through a strong application, follow-up interview, and the strong backgrounds of the project partners. The specific review process and ranking criteria can be found in Section VII of the state’s Pilot Community Tourism Grant Program Guidelines, Application, and Grant Administration document.

The two-year contract for the grant award ends May 31, 2027. Should the award extend to years 3 through 5, the contract will be renewed for one-year intervals.

The total award amount for the two-year contract is $1.25M. The budget was developed by determining estimated costs for each individual project and working with the state cohort to determine the line-item breakout.

The Steering Committee is a grant-required consortium of the project partners and community members. Requirements include the Grant Manager, representative of the Destination Marketing Organization, representative of the local government, representative of the fiscal organization, representative of the lead agency (grant applicant), and attorney.

The project partners are community members who have a strong community connection, history of successful projects, and direct ties to the grant projects to ensure dedication to completing tasks as required by the grant.

Yes. The grant requires there to be at least 8-12 members on the Steering Committee.

The partners were selected through a request at the Red Lodge Business Alliance meetings and the inclusion of the Grant Manager, Lead Agency/Fiscal Agency as required by the grant conditions.

The grant administrators are the liaison between the Department of Commerce Tourism Program and the Steering Committee to ensure the project adheres to the PCTGP guidelines. The grant administrators complete all reporting requirements, assist with organizing meetings, ensure project costs are accurate, and attend required grant program meetings with awarded other communities.

Public participation is encouraged throughout the grant process. The Committee will hold several public meetings during the grant period. Those public meetings will be community-wide callouts to participate with the opportunity to share ideas and concerns. The Committee meetings are open to the public and held on the third Wednesday of each month at 9am generally at the Roosevelt Center.

You can sign up for email updates and meeting reminder notices at PCTGP Email Listserv or send a request to the grant administrators at pctgp@rlacf.org to be added to an email list. The meetings will also be posted on the community meetings calendar at Community Calendar.

No. Each project partner is responsible for securing any additional funding needed for that particular project.

Each project partner is responsible for any costs not covered by the grant.

Each project will have its own specific maintenance requirements.

Tourism is important to Red Lodge because it is the community’s primary economic driver. It supports local jobs, small businesses, and year-round services. Visitors fuel the success of restaurants, shops, lodging, and recreation providers, helping sustain a vibrant downtown and healthy local economy. Tourism revenue also contributes to public amenities, events, and infrastructure that residents enjoy, making Red Lodge a thriving destination and stronger place to live. Tourism-oriented businesses make up 70% of the Historic Business District (8th-14th Street) and Central Business District and Transition Areas (City of Red Lodge, 2024 Downtown Business Inventory). Resort tax collections, created because of the impact of tourism on the Red Lodge community, amount to $1.9 million in FY25 and are on track to generate an estimated $1.6 million in FY26. Tourism is not just important; it is vital to maintain the quality of life and healthy economy of Red Lodge and the surrounding area.

A tourism asset (also known as a visitation asset), as defined by the Department of Commerce, refers to any feature of a destination that either attracts leisure visitation or supports a leisure visitor’s ability to travel to, stay at, or engage with a travel behavior at the destination. Visitation assets can be categorized as an attraction asset or a support asset. An attraction asset is a feature or experience that impacts visitors’ leisure travel destination selection and draws visitors to the destination. This could include things like man-made attractions, natural resources or attractions, and experiences. A support asset is a feature that supports a visitor’s ability to travel for leisure to a destination, is needed to stay at a destination or gives access to a leisure travel behavior or experience. This could include lodging and dining, features that provide access (boat ramps, trailheads, etc.), or transportation.

A tourism development plan is a guiding document that provides a strategic framework that outlines how a specific destination will grow, ensuring that visitors have great experiences while the local community benefits. The plan details the current tourism assets, the condition of and updates needed to current tourism assets, goals and objectives of the community, destination marketing strategies, an action plan, and methods for evaluation and monitoring of the tourism assets.

A Preliminary Architectural Report (PAR) is essential to ensure that a proposed facility meets the necessary design and construction requirements. The document outlines the need for the facility, existing facility conditions, proposed facility conditions, building sites, cost estimates, and other relevant information. It also includes environmental considerations, potential impacts, and alignment with federal, state, and local requirements.

A Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) is essential to assist in the planning and assessment of a project for a utility by providing the framework to proceed with a project design and understanding of the scope of work. A PER is required by state and federal funding agencies prior to obtaining funding for a utility project and allows funding agencies to understand the needs of a community, allows the community to understand their needs, and provide guidance on how best to allocate resources in the future.

An Architectural Assessment is to evaluate an existing facility to identify strengths, gaps, risks, and improvement opportunities in establishing a baseline for architectural improvements, remediation requirements, and alignment with documented standards.

Contractors and professional consultants for the projects are selected by following a procurement process that complies with each project partner’s adopted organization procedures and adhering to Montana Code Annotated 18-4 – the Montana Procurement Act and Montana Code Annotated 2-5 – the Administrative Rules of Montana.

An RFP (Request for Proposals) is a method to secure proposals from vendors (professional firms, contractors, etc.) for a specific project or service.

The City of Red Lodge City Council is revising guidelines and procedures for determining the use of city owned land. Attendance at city board and committee meetings is encouraged. Those meetings’ dates and times are posted on the city’s web page, and you can sign up for their email reminders at https://www.cityofredlodge.net/citycouncil/page/stay-connected

The City Resort Tax has no role in the grant.

A preliminary architectural report costs approximately $20,000. Every effort is being made to work with an architect to keep the cost lower by producing an assessment rather than a full PAR.

A Master Study/Architectural Assessment is vital to guide the restoration and repairs needed to adhere to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. It will provide details of the current conditions, restoration, preservation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction needs, estimated costs, and urgency of the work to be performed.

Securing funding for the restoration projects is a decision of the Guild’s Board and Staff.

Construction. The Roosevelt Center completed an Adaptive Reuse and Strategy Plan in 2016 and a Preliminary Architectural Report in 2017.

The new bathrooms will be located in the current location, on the first floor near the auditorium entrance.

The bathrooms are expected to be completed by May 2026.

Exterior access was considered but not cost effective. The bathrooms will be accessible during the hours from 8am to 5pm.

The catering kitchen will be available to any user group that needs to utilize the space for events, meetings, or other gatherings scheduled at the Roosevelt Center.

The completed project will enhance the amenities at the Roosevelt Center but will not specifically generate revenue. There is no cost to use the public bathrooms, and the catering kitchen will be included in the rental costs of the venue.

User groups include but are not limited to Red Lodge School District, Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary, Red Lodge Disc Golf, Red Lodge Tennis Board, Red Lodge Youth Soccer, Red Lodge Baseball and Softball Association, Carbon Stillwater Adult Co-ed Softball League, Beartooth Little League, general public users, and visitors/tourists.

Alternative forms of lighting will be considered such as solar lights and/or temporary battery lights. There is no intention of installing permanent lighting.

Yes. Connecting to existing nearby trails will ensure that the current buffer between the Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary perimeter and the established trail will be maintained.

The sledding hill will be the distance from the top of Shelly’s field to the parking lot, an estimated distance of 75-100 feet.

As part of the current planning process, this is being determined.

The City is currently considering options for addressing the drainage issues.

The grooming machine will be stored long term at Aspen Ridge Ranch where existing grooming equipment is stored.

Liability associated with Nordic skiing or sledding will be assumed in similarity to other amenities at city parks. A sign will be posted detailing the rules and assumed personal responsibility.

The Red Lodge City Council. There is a process this project must complete to be approved that includes public input at Parks Board and City Council meetings.

User groups include, but not limited to: Red Lodge Lion’s Club, Red Lodge Farmer’s Market, Carbon County Arts Guild, Red Lodge Area Community Foundation, Red Lodge Ice, general public users, and visitors/tourists.

Sign up for emails from the PCTGP Community Tourism Steering Committee at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/nJNMPoT and the City of Red Lodge at https://www.cityofredlodge.net/citycouncil/page/stay-connected to stay informed of future meetings, project status updates, and to be included in public planning meetings.

No.

No.

Yes. The ideal location for the ice rink is to be visible and accessible for youth and visitors within the main city boundaries.

The project partner will be responsible for raising the necessary funds to complete the project.

As part of the planning process, this is being determined.

As part of the planning process, this is being determined.

There is already a Zamboni being used. There are no plans to include seating/bleachers. The project is currently in the design planning phase.

The facility will be maintained by the City of Red Lodge and Red Lodge Ice through a Memorandum of Understanding.

Yes. The Red Lodge Boys & Girls Club rents skates.

Using stakes to secure tents in Lions Park is not allowed. Tents are typically secured with weighted systems like sandbags.