Sign up for the free Great Falls This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Great Falls city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events. Sign up 3/02/2026 City reviewing warranty information at new rec center During a city commission meeting Feb. 17, interim Park and Recreation Director Jessica Compton shared a slideshow that included a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of the Scheels Aim High Big Sky recreation center. Under “weaknesses” was the line, “mechanical and infrastructure instability (boilers, controllers, equipment).” “We’ve had a lot of issues with our mechanical, and we’re working through that,” Compton said at the meeting. The $20 million pool and recreation facility opened in 2024 and has faced startup struggles, including in membership and revenue. While the facility was meant to cover its own expenses, Aim High Big Sky has received nearly $1 million in subsidies from the city’s general fund since opening. Now it appears that issues are ongoing with the Aim High Big Sky building itself, although the full extent of the problems isn’t publicly known. During that same city commission meeting, City Manager Greg Doyon said that the city’s legal department was reviewing a master list of all the facility issues. Montana Free Press requested a copy of that master list through the city’s public information process. The city denied that request, reasoning that the document is privileged legal research material. “The construction issue list is currently under review by the legal department to evaluate potential remedies and constitutes attorney work product and is protected by applicable privileges,” City Clerk Lisa Kunz wrote in an email denying the request. In emailed statements, city communications specialist Meredith Dawson said the legal review involves warranties. “Like many new facilities, the Scheels Aim High Big Sky Recreation Center has faced some growing pains as it continues to be used,” Dawson’s statement to MTFP said in part. “Some issues are simply cosmetic, while others are more important to get fixed. In addition, some issues are covered by contractors’ warranties. Issues that arise are triaged and addressed in order of importance.” She said that some parts of the building that have already needed repairs include the elevator and the sauna. The boiler for the recreation room was repaired last year, and the city is “working with the contractor on the warranty process.” Dawson added that the floor in the fitness classroom was “improved” after receiving user feedback. The cost for that improvement — and the only cost figure released by the city so far — was $3,000. The Aim High Big Sky facility was funded in part by a Department of Defense grant, the Defense Community Infrastructure Program, which contributed $10 million to the project. The grant required a local match, and Great Falls officials decided to borrow its $10 million share and tap into the park maintenance district fund to repay the debt. The park maintenance district fund, which raises $1.5 million each year, is a special tax on Great Falls property owners and was originally meant to address citywide park facility maintenance and repairs. The city allocates about $700,000 annually from that fund toward Aim High Big Sky debt repayment. In August 2024, a month after opening, the pools at Aim High Big Sky were closed for a “mechanical update.” In November 2024, former parks director Steve Herrig told city commissioners that crews were repairing a recurring roof leak. In 2025, the city announced pool closures for maintenance and mechanical issues on March 16, June 23, July 2, Aug. 29, Sept. 14, Oct. 29, Nov. 9 and Dec. 12. At the city commission meeting this month, Compton also mentioned issues with ceiling beams, but didn’t go into detail. City officials have previously commented on the toll that an indoor pool can take on a building, as chlorinated humidity can be tough on structures. Compton also reported at the meeting that Aim High Big Sky has two new coordinators who have reinvigorated the center’s programming and community relations efforts. For example, the facility saw a big increase in attendance for swim lessons, rising from 35% capacity to 95% more recently, she said.  Read more about the development of Aim High Big Sky here. Madison Food Park permit extensions denied in reversal  The Cascade County Board of Commissioners denied permit extensions for Madison Food Park, which has proposed a liquor distillery, a cheese processing plant and a vitamin plant east of Great Falls.  The decision reversed a prior decision by the county’s zoning board, which in December approved a third extension of special use permits for the project. The county first approved the permits in 2019, and the project originally included a controversial animal slaughterhouse. No construction has taken place. A Great Falls resident, Stacey Hermiller, appealed the zoning board’s decision, noting that Madison Food Park was delinquent on property taxes at the time of approval. County zoning regulations state that a special use permit cannot be approved on properties that are delinquent on property taxes. Hermiller’s appeal led county commissioners to reconsider the permits during a special meeting held Friday. Madison Food Park paid its delinquent taxes on Feb. 13, county records show. But county commissioners still denied the permit extensions and reversed the zoning board’s prior decision. The latest extension would have validated the special use permits through 2028, which Hermiller noted would be nine years since the initial approval. Commissioners agreed that was too long for a stalled project. “Your comments about nine years is too long is exactly spot on,” Commissioner Joe Briggs said. “If a developer can’t handle paying taxes on time, they’re not going to get a project moving forward.” Madison Food Park and its Canadian owner, Edward Friesen, have numerous debts. They include $2.9 million in defaulted loans from Great Falls Development Alliance, which sued to recoup its money.  University of Providence in early stages of addressing $8M budget gap The University of Providence is not closing. That was one of the main points made by university President Caroline Goulet during an interview with MTFP last week. The private, Catholic liberal arts college faces a significant budget cliff by 2028 as the Providence health system, an affiliated network of hospitals and clinics, plans to pull about $8 million in annual funding to the university. In December, the university’s board declared financial exigency, a measure that acknowledges a financial crisis and allows school administrators to act quickly to cut overhead, revise programs and make other changes. “What’s important for folks to understand is that it was a bold move to ask the board to declare exigency,” Goulet said. “Some people would even say it put the cart before the horses. But it was a means to an end to really garner the attention that, hey, we know that how we’re doing things is not sustainable.” Credit: Matt Hudson/MTFP Last fall, Goulet addressed university stakeholders and said that administrators had been complacent with their financial support from the Providence health system. Without that support, spending heavily outweighs revenue. Now, school leaders are in the early stages of a plan to boost revenue and cut spending. One of the focus areas, fundraising, wasn’t an aggressive practice at the University of Providence previously, Goulet said. The school created a new role, chief advancement officer, and appointed Roy Lanham for the position. Lanham is currently the director of campus ministry. “Roy will come here, and we’ll establish the processes and start a fundraising effort,” Goulet said. “It’s going to be around alumni. It’s going to be around regular giving. It’s going to be around legacy giving and all that. And setting the stage, hopefully soon, for a campaign.” The university’s goal is to raise $16 million over four years. Another strategic focus for the university is to leverage its real estate assets. Goulet said that Providence will lease parts of Donovan Hall to Touro College for its forthcoming law school in Great Falls. The arrangement is for at least three years. Representatives from Touro declined to comment on the upcoming law school but indicated that it’s undergoing an accreditation process that could conclude in the spring. University of Providence administrators also hope to boost enrollment. Goulet said that she still wants to provide the classic campus experience while acknowledging that smaller institutions need to reach nontraditional students. “We need to basically start from scratch [with] our enrollment strategies,” she said. “We cannot simply focus on the traditional 18-24 year olds.” And cutbacks will be part of the process. Last fall, officials said seven people had been laid off and that 14 open positions would remain unfilled. There may be more personnel reductions, but Goulet said they’re reacting to the effects of several recent resignations. “People make decisions that are the best for themselves, for their own futures and their families,” Goulet said. “So we’ve had natural attrition. Probably more than expected. But it had us re-look at reduction in force.” She characterized the scrutiny of budget matters as an “everyday discussion” among administrators and the university board. For some programs with few students, the university has stopped accepting new enrollments while current students finish their studies. The goal is to reach a balanced budget. Based on the current situation, that means closing an $8 million gap. “We’re still very determined to make it work,” Goulet said. “We’re all in for our students. We’re all in for our faculty and staff. We’ll keep being honest to the core and transparent with our communication.” 5 Things to Know in Great Falls The Montana Food Hub, a startup regional cooperative, announced its first members meeting will take place March 16. A press release from the organization called the inaugural meeting a milestone in its years-in-the-making progress. The membership meeting takes place at the Fresh Rescue Kitchen in Great Falls at 5:30 p.m. Read more about the Montana Food Hub here and about its collaboration with Fresh Rescue here. On Tuesday, Great Falls City Commissioners will consider a contract with North Dakota-based SPE Inc. to order new box seats for Centene Stadium. Commissioners previously rejected a contract with Great Falls-based LPW due to the appearance of a conflict of interest. The cost for the 616 box seats is $129,370, according to city documents. Great Falls officials held an open house last week to provide details on the proposed strategic capital investment reserve (SCIR) fund, which aims to provide up to $6 million annually to improve city infrastructure in support of new developments. Private developers and the city’s public works department can nominate projects, which are subject to approval by the city commission. Officials hope to present a final funding proposal to the city commission by March 17 and put it up for a commission vote by April 7. If that timeline works, the first awards could be approved by July. Read about the SCIR proposal here. March 21 marks the spring equinox, and Aim High Big Sky has announced a yoga stretch, a charcuterie tasting and a floating sound bowl class to mark the occasion. No swimsuit is needed, even for the float, but a yoga mat is recommended. Cost is $45. The event is from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Candidate filing ends March 4 for this year’s state and federal elections. A primary election will take place June 2, and the general election is Nov. 3. This is separate from the spring Great Falls Public Schools Board of Trustees election, which is an all-mail election taking place May 5. The Cascade County elections page has information on elections, and the Montana Secretary of State lists state and federal candidates here. Programming Note Great Falls This Week reporter Matt Hudson will be on parental leave through early May as he and his wife welcome their second child into the family. MTFP reporter Zeke Lloyd will be covering Great Falls in the meantime. He can be reached at [email protected]. Please give Zeke a warm welcome around town and online as he explores all that northcentral Montana has to offer. As always, thank you so much for reading MTFP and the Great Falls This Week newsletter. This work is made possible by your readership, support and community connection. 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