Current Number of Ideas: 339

Topic: Tourism

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A new Yellowstone County Museum, with a baseball wing, would be a highlight for all the thousands of players who have gone through Billings since the 1800's. We have the people and the memorabilia to fill it. It would incorporate the old Town Teams, both the colleges, the Mustangs, American Legion and Little League. Who does not know someone who has played baseball here???

Billings needs to build a new Yellowstone County Museum. The present museum has outgrown itself. This museum could be integrated with a Yellowstone county baseball museum. This could be an attraction to stimulate tourism.

Billings - starting with the Chamber, needs to work more closely with our area attractions. Coordinate our efforts and our resources. Big Sky and Bozeman work closely together to create a more comprehensive destination experience. They work hard to get airlines and additional flights, and then they create a pull to fill those flights. We compete too much in Yellowstone country and southeast Montana, instead of working together.

I believe a self-guided Ag Tour between Billings and Pompey’s Pillar would be a draw and help promote MT AG. I think it could be a downloadable mobile phone application that would use the GPS to direct the car to predetermined fields then inform the user what is being grown there. (Corn, Wheat, Barley, Sugar Beets, Cattle Grazing, Feedlot Cattle) Another avenue might be the vertical integration from Ag. (Sugar Beet Plant, milling and baking shops, Project Meats etc.) I could see additional information to direct folks to other points of interest. (Yellowstone County Museum, the Huntley Project Museum of Irrigated Agriculture, maybe a story board about the Huntley Irrigation Project, the possibilities are many)

Maintain and grow air transportation.

Move the main line of the railroad out of the downtown. BNSF has had a plan for over 50 years. Keep the old tracks in place and modify the tracks to go around Metra Park. Take the old engine at the Yegen museum and have modified to fuel cell power and run the train from the West end to Metra and solve a transportation and parking problem. Like Durango Colorado. Marty Connell

Billings air service is being surpassed by Bozeman. Flights are costly and direct service should increase.

Why isn't there a restaurant on the Rims?

Our business is located on the east entrance to Billings at exit 455. The trash that collects along the interstate and frontage road is truly an eye sore and a terrible way to greet people as the approach our great city. Let's get a FORMAL clean up project in place - for example - every MONDAY clean up, or at least every MONDAY the first week of the month. What would it take to do this? Is it something that could be added to the list of options for those who need to do community service for our community? In Arizona I have seen the inmates picking up trash along the major interstates. Do we need to apply for some type of grant or funding to see that this happens on a schedule and not just twice a year? You cannot replace first impressions. Let's work to find a solid plan for cleanup. Thank you. Jann Parker, Billings Livestock Commission Horse Sales 406-245-4151