October 2011
Newsletter
National NW Director Visits, Falls In Love With Montana
Leila Finucane Edmonds, Director of National Initiatives at NeighborWorks America, visited Montana in August with her daughter, Delaney.
Leila toured NeighborWorks Great Falls building sites and lunched with employees and board members. About her visit, Leila writes, "Thank you so much to you and your team for showing us about and your insights into housing, community development and Montana in general. It was great to see the partnerships that you have fostered in action, and I feel that I have a much better understanding of the needs, challenges and capacity in Montana. I have to say also that Delaney and I have both fallen in love with the space, mountains and waters of Montana - thank you again."
We hope that Leila's visit to Montana is the first of many and that she plans an annual trip to check on our progress.
NeighborWorks America is a Congressionally chartered nonprofit which provides operational funding, capital grants and training opportunities to local agencies like NeighborWorks Great Falls. Leila has the responsibility of overseeing national programs for homeownership, foreclosure prevention, rental development and management, community building and research.
Leila joined NeighborWorks America from the District of Columbia Department of Housing and Community Development.
Social Media - What is your preference?
A short 7 question on-line survey
NeighborWorks is experimenting with all kinds of social media techniques to stay in touch with you and to make donating easier. We want to share our energy, our dreams, our needs and our great tales of happiness, and we want you to have them at your fingertips.
What we need to know is - What is your preferred method of receiving communication from us? What works best for you? Please consider completing a short 7 question on-line survey and providing us with your feedback. If you prefer please email any suggestions about something you'd like to see us try. You can email Chavonne Horton at chorton@nwgf.org or Carrie Koppy at ckoppy@nwgf.org.
In This Issue
National NeighborWorks Director Visits
Emergency Homeowners Loan Program
Volunteers swoop in to help.
Several young volunteers who are part of a national Young Neighbors in Action program visited Great Falls this summer, and one crew spent the week helping NeighborWorks.
The group worked at the home of Dorothy Martin, who asked for help cleaning up her yard and securing her fence so her dogs cannot dig out. Martin was thrilled with the help. "What a great bunch of people. I can't believe how hard they worked!"
The program is a weeklong Catholic learning experience. While a team from Great Falls travels to another community to do work, teens travel to Great Falls from elsewhere to work.
Chris Cayer, Tyson Hendrickson and Ben Bronson volunteered during the spring and summer for NeighborWorks Great Falls. Chris worked for several departments filing documents and updating information as needed. She also helped with events, helping set up, serve and clear up for several major NeighborWorks functions.
Tyson and Ben put their backs into their work, mowing, weeding, landscaping and helping older people move furniture and appliances. In the instance of one disabled man, Tyson took on the care of his lawn until he could make other arrangements.
After a harsh winter and a wet, windy spring, Great Falls needed a healthy sprucing up.
More than 1,000 residents, including nearly 300 Malmstrom employees, hit the streets and cleaned up more than 20 tons of debris.
That number also includes several hundred school children from the city, and about 30 high school students who chose to spend their volunteer time with NeighborWorks.
NeighborWorks partners each year with the Chamber of Commerce, the city, the neighborhood councils, Montana Waste Systems, the Montana Department of Transportation, and of course, Malmstrom Air Force Base for a successful spring cleanup.
Get your team together and watch for 2012 MApril dates to be announced.
DianeTingey volunteered during the fall and winter of 2010 and 2011, while her children were in school, on her day off. She helped out with phones and clerical responsibilities, was adept with a computer and brought a can-do attitude NWGF.
Al Shryer has helped with the self-help builds since a relative was involved with the program several years ago. He also has done handyman work for NWGF customers,
and was selected the Volunteer of the Year for 2010-2011. We're glad to have
you, Al! 
Zedda Gallegos has been volunteering nearly fulltime for NeighborWorks for five years. She won the 2010-2011 NWGF Unsung Hero award for her efforts at the office, where she handles special projects, does administrative assistant work and cooks up a storm. We love you, Zedda.
Charlie Penwell is a longtime NeighborWorks volunteer, a real jack-of-all-trades. He has helped with lots of projects, including MApril cleanup, neighborhood assistance programs, sod-laying, painting, demolition work and planting projects. Thanks, Charlie! 
Sean Johnson, a 19-year-old Canadian national, spent the summer in Great Falls with his family, and he worked for NeighborWorks as a full time volunteer. He is now back in Lethbridge, where he is a sophomore in college, studying mechanical engineering. We miss you, Sean!
Jan Thorpe joined NeighborWorks as a front-desk volunteer at the beginning of the summer. She works six hours a week, answering phones, folding brochures and filing for office staff. Her help frees the other administrative assistants to leave their desks and take care of their responsibilities on other projects and in other parts of the building. Jan, a retired bookkeeper, is a friendly face at the front desk. Keep up the good work, Jan.
Ready, Set, Freeze!
NeighborWorks had a lot of fun with a recent outreach effort to alert troubled homeowners that foreclosure help might be available to them.
More than 25 NeighborWorks employees, board members and other supporters joined together on Central Avenue in July at the Thursday night celebration, Alive@5, for the community's first flash mob.
The freeze-frame flash mob started at the sound of an air horn, and all participants, plus another 30 Alive@5 staff and volunteers, froze in place. Many participants were dressed in red.
Despite some early confusion, everyone eventually ended up on the same page and the mob drew a lot of attention and chatter. Many bystanders accepted small cards publicizing the anti-foreclosure program, and three individuals came in and signed up the next day. The flash mob garnered state and national attention.
Words From The Director Sheila Rice
Changes, changes, changes . . . it seems like we have been through many this year, some very good and some dishearteningly sad.
Congress eliminated all funding for homebuyer education and pre-purchase planning for the budget year starting October 2011. This comes at a time when the need for and value of homebuyer education is tremendously important and has been proven to enhance the success of low income homeowners. In Great Falls, the default rate for our loans is just over 1%, about one quarter of the national average. On the bright side, we have helped more than 32 families avoid foreclosure during the past year. Senator Baucus and Senator Tester have been working hard to get the funding for homebuyer education and homeownership planning restored in the future federal budgets. Thank you, Max and Jon!
Bruce Barta, long-time High School House teacher at Great Falls High School, moved over to CMR High School this year. Just after the groundbreaking for the 2011-2012 high school houses, Bruce was seriously injured in a four-wheel drive accident and remains hospitalized. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bruce and his family. Tom Maurer, CMR instructor who retired last June, was on the job site within a day of Bruce's accident, helping with the foundation pour and saying that he would be available as long as the kids needed him. This is true dedication to the students and the high school house project. Thank you, Tom!
NeighborWorks Great Falls started a program to assist families who live in old, energy leaking trailers replace their homes with Energy Star Plus manufactured homes at very reasonable prices. We asked the legislature to provide a waiver from manufactured housing dealer licensing law, to allow us to replace the homes without having to open a sales lot. Our proposal was opposed by the Montana State Association of Dealers and did not pass in the 2011 session. Therefore, in November, NeighborWorks Homes, a manufactured housing dealership, will be opening in Sun Prairie. Families living in older homes can visit our model home to see how comfortable and spacious manufactured homes can be.
NeighborWorks staff worked very hard on a federal program called Emergency Homeowners Loan Program (EHLP), to assist families hard hit by the economy stay out of foreclosure. After helping more than 300 homeowners across the state file loan applications, we were disappointed to learn that only a handful qualified for the program. On the other hand, we were able to provide other foreclosure mitigation services to the large number of homeowners who applied for the EHLP program. At NeighborWorks, we believe that helping a homeowner keep their home is just as important as creating a homebuyer in the first place.
We said good bye to Justin Campos, an accounting assistant, who moved to Benefis Health Care after completing his Accounting Degree at UGF. Chavonne Horton moved to a new position of Assistant Director of Resource Development for Social Media. Al Henry, Director of Operations for six years, has resigned to pursue new opportunities and help NeighborWorks balance our budget for next year.
Good news: Using Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding from the City of Great Falls, we were able to purchase blighted properties to clean up neighborhoods and provide future building lots. New members of the Board of Directors include Jennifer Reichelt, Deputy City Manager of the City of Great Falls, Robin Baker, Chairman of Neighborhood Council 6, Sharon Virgin of American Realty Group, Tom Nelson, CFO of Davidson Companies, Lori Novak, owner of Subway Downtown and a downtown developer, and Lee Houle, Homeless Coordinator for the Great Falls Public Schools.
The 2011 fund drive was overwhelmingly successful, raising $123,000 from local businesses, foundations and individual givers. I am always amazed and truly grateful at the tremendous support of NeighborWorks shown by our community, year after year. I thank you for your support of our mission to rebuild historic neighborhoods by creating opportunities for successful homeownership for low-income families.
Sheila Rice, Executive Director
This year 's fundraising volunteers out did themselves. The captains set a high bar, establishing the annual goal at $112,500. It was the biggest goal that NWGF had ever embraced.
The advance team and the volunteers came through with flying colors, leading to a successful campaign that raised about $123,000 for FY2011. Under the guidance of Campaign Chairman Randy Williams, president of Stockman Bank in Great Falls, 20 team captains and an additional 89 team members called and visited nearly 400 businesses to seek donations. Despite the ongoing economic struggles in the area, business owners responded eagerly, and the donations started rolling in.
Many of NWGF's programs can find specific funding in the way of grants, but operating expenses are always difficult to finance. The fund drive helps NWGF keep the doors open and the lights on, so it can continue to operate its many programs aimed at assisting homeowners. This year, as part of its fund drive, NWGF talked to businesses about how much NWGF spent with each of them.
Many vendors appreciated the infusion of money from NWGF and were happy to donate. One of the most compelling portions of the annual campaign kickoff luncheon was the speech by Richie Kapphan, a single father of a young son who suffers from autism. Kapphan's account of his rocky road to homeownership moved many in the audience to tears. Kapphan began his relationship with NWGF as a builder/owner in the Mutual Self-Help Program, where 10 families work together to build 10 homes under the tutelage of NWGF's professional staff. After the build was completed, Kapphan was hired as a part-time assistant construction supervisor.
NWGF thanks teams as part of NW Week
As a special NeighborWorks Week event, NWGF invited all of its volunteer fundraisers to attend an evening get-together at the home of Executive Director Sheila Rice. Board, staff and fundraisers gathered to celebrate the success of the fund drive for FY2011.
Volunteers were awarded small NeighborWorks flashlights that double as a key chain. Earlier, fundraisers had been given small, golden lapel pins in the shape of keys. When team captain Sue Cassell discovered in January that the theme for this year's fund drive was "You are the key to opening doors," she immediately offered to personally donate enough of the gold pins so that each fundraiser could receive one. Sue works at 1st Liberty Federal Credit Union.
Native American Ceremony Makes Self-Help Open House Special
During NeighborWorks Week 2011, NWGF celebrated its new owner-builders in the Mutual Self Help program. Ten Great Falls families, who all helped build each others’ homes, celebrated the completion of their project this past spring.
The ceremony included comments from the director of the state Rural Development office Matt Jones, who said later it was the most moving self-help celebration he ever had attended.
One of the owner/builders, Georgianne Fish, a Native American school teacher, added a charming note to the ceremonies by having her students sing and drum a song of achievement. She also asked a tribal spiritual leader, Russ Boham, burn a "smudge" (a collection of herbs and grasses with a sage scent) to bless the new homes.
She gave away many generous gifts, a part of her Native culture, recognizing not the accomplishment of her family, but rather the contributions from friends and colleagues that helped her reach her goal.
COLLABORATIVE WORK
The building program, called Mutual Self Help, is sponsored by NeighborWorks Great Falls, and allows families to become homeowners for much less money than their houses would cost on the open market. The 10 families are part of Castle Pines VI, the sixth Mutual Self-Help Program build in the new neighborhood south of town.
The 10 families have worked together for the past year, each family donating labor called sweat equity, under the supervision of NWGF employees. Each family works on many of the houses over the course of construction, and no family moves in until all the homes are complete.
At the celebration, the new homeowners received flags from the state Rural Development office. Montana's congressional delegation sent special messages of congratulations, and several members of the group spoke at the celebration.
TOUGH SITUATION
One particular poignant story was that of Jennifer Mordecai. Shortly after she and her husband became involved in the build, he was deployed overseas and she discovered she was pregnant. The double whammy didn't even slow the group. Other families helped her get her hours in and her house built. She wept as she thanked them for their generosity to her and her family, and she said it will be fabulous to have them all as neighbors. "These are people I can depend on. These families have my back", she told the
crowd.
The home-building is the result of a collaboration among Rural Development, the Rural Community Assistance Corporation, Community Frameworks, the city of Great Falls, Cascade County and NeighborWorks.
Most Improved Awards 2011
The Most Improved Awards have become a much-awaited announcement at the NWGF annual meetings. This year was no exception; NeighborWorks handed out six awards honoring properties from several categories, including rentals, residential, commercial property and downtown improvements. The awards were started years ago to acknowledge the private investments being made in NWGF's target neighborhoods.
This year NeighborWorks Great Falls honored the following.
Most Improved Downtown Residential
The Lofts at 503 1st Ave No
Beth Schoenen and Todd Stamm
Most Improved Residential Renovation - Donna Wheeler
609 6th Street South
Best New Residential Construction - Carole Dabler
912 7th Ave So
Most Transformed Commercial - Mountain Mudd Expresso
901 Central Avenue - Casey Doran
and Brandon Jurasek
Most Improved Commerical -
Maurice and Lori Novak -
2-8 Fifth St So
Best New Multi-Family Rental - Great
Falls Housing Authority
Kevin Hager -
1501 23rd Street South
$100,000 Donation Seeds New NeighborWorks Foundation
By Erin Madison, Great Falls Tribune Writer , © by The Great Falls Tribune
Frank Shaw, a 20-year board member for NeighborWorks Great Falls, had long wanted to create an endowment for the organization.
When he died earlier this year, his family donated several thousand dollars in his name to the organization."When those checks started coming in with Frank's name written on the bottom, I knew it was time to start that endowment," NeighborWorks Director Sheila Rice said.
A $100,000 donation from Bill Roberts, who spent 25 years on NeighborWorks' board, helped make the endowment a reality. This Spring, NeighborWorks celebrated the establishment of the "A Place to Call Home" Endowment.
A philanthropic endowment invests a principal amount that is preserved, but the investments' annual earnings can be put toward affordable housing programs. "The earnings can be spent or reinvested," Rice said. "It allows NeighborWorks to continue far into the future."
"NeighborWorks' funding fluctuates frequently, but an endowment will help the organization survive during lean years," Rice said. It also gives donors another option. Donations to the endowment qualify for the Montana Endowment Income Tax Credit. Businesses can receive a credit of 20 percent of a donation, with a max credit of $10,000 per year. Individuals can receive a 40 percent credit for donations, up to $10,000 per year. All contributions are tax deductible.
Rice said the endowment began when she gathered a "brain trust" of local endowment experts following the Shaw family's donations of $3,500 in Frank Shaw's name.
"One of the people on the committee said, 'you'll be surprised, gifts will just walk in the door," Rice said.
Shortly thereafter, Roberts made the $100,000 donation from the Roberts Family Foundation.
"Bill Roberts has been a gift to us for many, many years," Rice said, adding that he has held every position on the board at least once.
Roberts' "love affair" with NeighborWorks, then called Neighborhood Housing Services, began in the early 1980s when the organization was just getting off the ground.
Then-director Nancy O'Brien took Roberts for a tour of the lower North and South sides, pointing out properties that needed to be revitalized. A year later, she took him on the tour again.
"The difference between one trip and another was absolutely enormous," Roberts said. "Houses had been painted, roofs were re-shingled and there was a noticeable effect on the whole image of the North and South sides." A couple days later, O'Brien asked Roberts to serve on the organization's board.
Roberts said that during his time with NeighborWorks the organization has made a tremendous impact on the community. "I'm glad to say, it's being put to awful good use," Roberts said of his donation.
©This copyrighted story is being reprinted with the permission of the Great Falls Tribune.
Young Buyer Saves to Move From Section 8 to Owning A Home
NWGF homeownership planners, Barb
Ferguson
left,
and Laura Bolstad celebrate with Kaylon,
who
learned she had been
selected
to buy a NWGF home.
Kaylon Skaggs came to Great Falls to care for her grandmother four years ago. She landed a job she enjoys at N.E.W., but as a single parent of a two-year-old son and a caregiver to her grandmother, she struggled to make ends meet. She turned to the Great Falls Housing Authority for help.
The family was awarded a Section 8 voucher to help with rental expenses. Through a new NWGF Section-8-to-Homeownership Program, Kaylon went through budgeting classes, opened a matched savings account and learned how to be a successful homeowner. Kaylon comes from a single parent home, and didn't know much about homeownership. However, she decided as an adult that the best life she can provide for her family revolves around owning a home. "I worked very hard to pay off the few collections I had against my credit. To see how far I have come in the last few years is encouraging, and continued to inspire me to do better for us." Kaylon closed on her new home earlier this year, and she will be allowed under the program to use her Section 8 voucher to help with her monthly house payment.
High school, college students finish houses
High school students at CMR and Great Falls High completed two more homes during the 2010-2011 school year, and recently broke ground for the two new 2011-2012 homes.
The builder/students at the MSU-Great Falls College of Technology also completed their house, and have begun on their 2011-2012 home.
Pat Schoenen continues to oversee the COT building crew. Tim Pace is the new construction teacher at GFH, and Bruce Barta, who was the construction teacher at GFH, has moved into the same position for CMR.
EHLP Reaches Out To Assist Distressed Homeowners
Homeowners at risk of losing their homes responded from all around the state when help became available in the form of the Emergency Homeowner's Loan Program, or EHLP.
The Congressionally funded program, directed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is intended to help families whose finances were devastated by the economic downturn.
Small business owners, self-employed workers, families who saw a wage earner laid off - all types of people stepped forward to see if they are eligible for up to $50,000 in mortgage assistance.
NeighborWorks fielded more than 500 calls, many from people who were ineligible. The program is moving forward, and counselors hope to help about 300 families.
NeighborWorks Great Falls welcomes new board members each year and thanks them for their service to our organization and their assistance in making our agency more successful. New board members elected at the Annual Meeting and in recent months are shown below.
Jennifer Reichelt is Deputy City Manager of the City of Great Falls since August 2010. She relocated from the city of Glendale, Arizona where she served as Glendale's Deputy Marketing Director, playing integral roles in mega-event planning and logistics for events such as the 2008 Super Bowl, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and Spring Training, while she managed the Glendale Centerline project, the city's downtown redevelopment initiative. Both of her parents were born and raised in Montana and she has family located throughout the state. She graduated from Northern Arizona University in 1998 with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Business Administration and in 2000 with a Master's of Public Administration.
Robin Baker has been Chair of Neighborhood Council 6 since 2010, after serving on the Council in 2009. NC 6 serves the area south of 10th Ave. So., between 20th St. and the Missouri River. It includes Sunnyside, Castle Pines Addition and Riverside Townhomes Additions and serves a population of 4,369 people.
Sharon Virgin of American Realty Group joins as the real estate professionals representative. She has been a strong supporter of NeighborWorks for many years and has chaired the Community Involvement Committee of the Great Falls Association of Realtors. Sharon came to Great Falls 23 years ago with the United States Air Force, where she worked in Security and Personnel. She holds a GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute) designation and graduated from the Connole Morton Real Estate Institute.
Tom Nelson is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Davidson Companies, where he has worked since 2001. He came to Great Falls from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, working as CFO in the securities industry, investment banking and bond underwriting. Tom has an MBA from the University of Minnesota and is a CPA. Tom is well known for his love of music and helps select music for many Great Falls events.
Lori McAdam Novak is co-owner of three Subway Shops and a downtown developer with her husband, Mauri. The Novaks developed the 5th Street side of the Subway building into commercial properties and are currently developing 8 apartments above the commercial space. Lori, a Great Falls native, has worked in non-profit management, social services and with child support enforcement prior to turning her talents into real estate development.
Lee Houle, Homeless Coordinator for the Great Falls Public Schools, returns to the NeighborWorks Board after a short hiatus. Lee and his wife, Sandy, are residents of the Southside and live in a home they purchased from NeighborWorks many years ago. Lee notes that he lived in rentals on the Southside and did considerable improvements with his good carpentry skills, only to have the home sold by the landlord. "Buying our own home with NeighborWorks' help means that I get the benefits of my hard work," Lee says, "I get to keep the equity I am building into my home." As the Homeless Coordinator, Lee assists children finds safe and secure housing with their families.
A coalition led by Great Falls Weed and Seed implemented an innovative solution that solved a problem in Great Falls of how to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs.
Operation Medicine Cabinet found that teens were getting their hands on prescription drugs and abusing them. People who flush their drugs down the toilet are adding to the contamination of the local water table. What to do?
The coalition worked with several agencies, including a Community Leadership Institute team affiliated with NeighborWorks, to establish a locked drop box that is accessible round the clock for handy disposal. The drop box is located at the Montana Highway Patrol office at 812 14th Street North, right behind Dante's restaurant.
Others involved in the partnership were: Montana Highway Patrol, Cascade County Attorney's Office, Alliance for Youth, Great Falls Police Department, the City of Great Falls, City-County Health Department, Cascade County Sheriff's office, DEA and others. To date, the OMCCM held four prescription drug take back events in Great Falls, netting over 750 pounds of prescription drugs, some dating back to 1980.
About 20 years ago, the New Hampshire State Loan Fund watched many manufactured housing communities (also known as mobile home parks) close down as new owners developed them into commercial properties. The Loan Fund saw homeowners lose their home equity, become displaced and/or spend big bucks moving their homes.
The Loan Fund decided they could change this pattern by helping homeowners in manufactured housing communities form cooperatives to purchase land and operate the community - forming Resident-Owned Communities or ROCs.
Today, there are nearly 100 ROCs in New Hampshire and the idea is spreading across the country. Here in Great Falls, Missouri Meadows will become the second ROC in Montana.
Loans for the purchase and renovation of the water and sewer systems at Missouri Meadows have been approved and the last minute details are being worked out. Katie Riley, president of the Missouri Meadows cooperative, is excited about the possibilities once the homeowners own the land under their homes.
"Resident-cooperative ownership means we, the homeowners, control the rents and the improvements." she said, "Someone is going to own our community, it might as well be us."
Jillian Jennings is an Americorps VISTA for Great Falls Weed and Seed, housed at NeighborWorks. Jill hails from Tacoma, Wash. She attended Western Washington University. She will work on a prisoner re-entry program, among other projects, and Weed and Seed thanks the Transition Center/Great Falls Pre Release Services for helping pay to bring Jill to Great Falls. Jill says she is looking forward to collaborating with other groups and agencies to make Great Falls a better place.
Megan Gretch, a marketing major at Carroll College in Helena, joined NWGF as a summer administrative assistant. She had worked for NWGF as a VISTA volunteer during the summer of 2010, on loan to the Downtown Great Falls Association. Throughout the summer Megan helped with a statewide marketing campaign, including organizing the first flash mob in Great Falls. She is currently back in college.
Kim Grindeland came to work early in the summer of 2011 for the NWGF construction crew. He brings with him 20 years of experience in the building industry. He says that he has been in the construction field for all of his adult life.
Sherry Blaisdell, a junior at the University of Great Falls, has joined NeighborWorks Great Falls as an accounting intern. She will be helping with construction coding and budgeting and will be working with the managers in the Mutual Self-Help Program to track family construction budgets and spending. Sherry, 20, is married to Johnnie Blaisdell. She is seeking her bachelors degree in accounting. We're glad you are with us, Sherry.
Downtown Great Falls Plan Wins Award
The City of Great Falls Downtown Master Plan has received high accolades from the Montana Association of Planners. The group gave its Professional Achievement Award to the city of Great Falls Downtown Master Plan citizen participants and steering committee, the City of Great Falls staff and Brant Birkeland, project manager.
The city's Planning and Community Development Department recently completed the Downtown Master Plan. The plan came about after the 2005 city growth policy identified downtown as an important component of the city in need of special attention. The plan was developed over the course of a year with nearly 100 community members participating in the process. The awards committee noted the Downtown Master Plan was a stand-out "from top to bottom" and commended the extensive citizen participation, strong media coverage and staff commitment in formulation of the plan. The Montana Association of Planners also praised the use of graphics, "translating ideas in the text into an imaginable reality." The master plan will serve as a blueprint for future development, outlining strategies for downtown.
NeighborWorks Great Falls is a strong supporter of the Downtown Master Plan and helped shape the master plan with involvement in the planning process, especially on the Livability and Vitality sections of the plan. Livability refers to the enrichment of the physical, social, and personal well being of Downtown residents, employees, and guests. A livable Downtown is welcoming to people of all ages and incomes and provides a friendly and safe environment that encourages social interaction. Vitality refers to Downtown's role as the center of commerce, culture, and community events and year-round, throughout the day and night. A Downtown with vitality has thriving offices, businesses, and restaurants, and is alive with people and activity.
The Vision of the Downtown Master Plan is: Downtown is the heart and center of Great Falls. Like the Missouri River, it is dynamic, fluid, attractive, and welcoming, connecting our heritage to our future. The River's Edge Trail, historic neighborhoods, and parks and open space support and enhance a unique mix of local shops, restaurants, entertainment and special events that make downtown the place to be - day and night.
Newsletter Staff
Carrie Koppy - ckoppy@nwgf.org, Chavonne Horton - chorton@nwgf.org, Sheila Rice - srice@nwgf.org
Upcoming Homebuyer
Education Classes
November 1 5 -17, 6pm-9pm
December 13 - 15, 6pm-6pm